_Ippo: reel counter and limiter for Android_ # How Ippo works Ippo counts each reel you watch. Past your daily limit it blocks the next reel and sends you to the home screen. Walking and face-down time earn extra reels. URL: https://nyutonlabs.in/ippo/how-it-works Last updated: 8 November 2026 ## How does Ippo count reels? Each new reel adds one to today's count. Ippo notices that a reel started through its accessibility service. Ippo's main service appears in Android's accessibility settings as **Ippo reel counter**. It is not limited to particular apps in its configuration, so Android sends it accessibility events from every app. For each event, Ippo looks at two things only: the name of the app and the type of event. It uses them to recognise a reel in Instagram and ignores everything else. It cannot read what is on your screen: the setting that would allow that (`canRetrieveWindowContent`) is turned off. Ippo counts reels in: - Instagram Reels With the optional [web guard](/ippo/web-guard), Ippo also counts reels played in a mobile browser, including YouTube Shorts. Ippo does not count Shorts in the YouTube app. Support for more apps is planned. ## What happens when I reach my daily limit? The next reel is blocked. You are sent to the home screen. Blocking in your apps is free and stays free. The Insights tab records what happens at the block screen, so you can see it in numbers later. ## How do I earn extra reels by walking? Walk to earn extra reels. The rate is tuned during beta. Ippo reads your steps from the phone's step counter. Android calls this permission Activity Recognition. Ippo asks for it the first time you choose to walk, and uses it only for this. ## How does leaving the phone face down earn reels? Leave the phone face down to earn extra reels. The time needed is tuned during beta. Open Ippo's earn screen and put the phone face down. Ippo measures the time with the phone's motion sensor while that screen is open. There is no background service, and Ippo's screen stays on the whole time. ## What are the limit rules? The rules are short. Know them before you start. - **One daily limit**, between 5 and 300 reels. - **Every reel counts as one.** Reels in the app and reels in a browser (with the web guard) share one counter and one limit. - **Past the limit, the next reel is blocked.** - **Earned reels add on top of your limit.** There is no daily cap on how many you can earn. - **Earned reels expire at the end of the day.** They do not carry over. - **The count resets at midnight**, local time on your phone. The new day starts the first time Ippo is used after the date changes. ## Can I change my limit during the day? Lowering it is free and instant. Raising it costs a walk. To raise your limit during the day, walk 100 steps for every 10 extra reels, between 100 and 500 steps per change. The walk is the point: the limit cannot be raised in a weak moment. Custom limits are planned. They are not available today. ## What does the Insights tab show? Real numbers from your phone. It starts from day one. - Your week - The last five weeks - Which hour of the day you scroll most - Session length - Scroll pace - What happens at the block screen Insights are worked out on the phone, from data that never leaves it. See [what Ippo stores](/ippo/privacy#what-does-ippo-store). ## What does the home-screen widget show? The reels you have left today. The widget is free. ## Can Ippo count reels in a browser? Yes, with the [web guard](/ippo/web-guard). It is optional and paid, and off by default. It counts reels played in Chrome, Brave, Edge, Firefox, Opera, Samsung Internet and DuckDuckGo on Android, including YouTube Shorts. Browser reels count toward the same daily limit as reels in the app.