App Alerts Viewers Before Jump Scares Using iPhone Lock Screen Notifications

A new app called Binge will nudge you seconds before scary moments in movies and TV episodes by using Apple’s Live Activities, the lock-screen and Dynamic Island feature that shows live updates. To trigger the alert, users tap a clock icon on a title’s jump-scare detail page and start the live activity when they press play; the app also offers a setting to show only the bigger scares. The jump-scare notification is part of the app’s premium tier, which is available via a $1.99 monthly plan, $17.99 yearly plan or a one-time $49.99 purchase. Binge runs on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Live Activities already powers real-time updates for deliveries, rides and sports scores, but Binge adapts that capability for timed content interruptions. Once activated, the lock-screen tile updates as the movie progresses so viewers get a heads-up before a startling scene. The system relies on the viewer starting the live activity at the same time as the playback, rather than automatic in-playback detection, and users can customize how intrusive the alerts are.

Binge enters a market crowded with established trackers such as Letterboxd, TV Time, JustWatch and Trakt. The app’s developer has tried to set it apart by leaning into Apple-specific functions — including iCloud sync and Live Activities — and bundling a set of features that some rivals don’t emphasize. Those extras include private note fields, post-credits callouts, award timelines, episode rating charts and the ability to link with other tracking services.

The app aggregates external scores from outlets like Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd, IMDb and Metacritic, and builds a parental guidance summary using IMDb’s content flags for violence, sexual content, fright, substance use and profanity. Users can add titles to watchlists, mark what they’ve seen, locate current streaming options, and keep tabs on films that are still in theaters. Additional tools include Trakt synchronization, recommendation browsing, breakdowns of Academy Award winners, custom collections, ownership tags, home-screen widgets, calendar adds and a wide range of appearance and behavior settings.

Developer Shihab Mehboob says the aim was to create a single place to follow films, series, collections, cast and even companies involved in production, while making the experience feel native on Apple devices. He described the jump-scare alerts as a feature intended for viewers who want to reduce surprises, and suggested the app’s parental guide could help families decide what to watch together.

Whether Binge can win users from the entrenched tracking apps will likely come down to execution and how well its integrations work across services. The jump-scare warnings and the emphasis on Apple platform features give it a distinct hook, and for people who dislike sudden shocks — or parents trying to avoid them — that may be reason enough to try the app’s free download and consider the paid upgrade.