Introducing the most downloaded app in the app store currently: UpScrolled is an app introduced in the summer of 2022. It didn’t really gain much attention the first few months but once after uncertainty over the ownership of TikTok. The population spiked in the winter of 2026 and it gained 2.5 million followers.

Issam Hijazi, a Palestinian-Jordanian-Australian technologist and former developer for IBM and Oracle, in June 2025. The platform was launched as an alternative to mainstream social media apps, specifically addressing allegations of censorship of pro-Palestinian content during the Gaza conflict.

The app posts and tries to encourage personal growth, creativity, and mental health awareness. Whether it’s short motivational clips, viewing stories, or tips on being productive this app does have it all.

What really sticks upscrolled apart is its intentional design. There’s less pressure to chase likes or compare yourself to others, and more emphasis on engaging content with other people.

For students especially this can be a game-changer. Between school, sports, homework, and everything else, our free time is limited. Your algorithm on TikTok and Instagram are the ones that pick the videos that you watch. It also shows you all the most recent videos of the people you followed right away.

In a world where doomscrolling feels unavoidable, Upscrolled offers a new way of doomscrolling. Who knows, maybe if you try it you will like it.