How InstaCritic Works

Point your phone camera at any streaming service (Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime, Hulu) or game store (PlayStation, Xbox, Steam, Nintendo eShop). The app uses AI to recognize the titles on your screen and instantly fetches review scores.

Tap the crosshair icon to activate Focus Mode. This scans a single title at the center of your camera view. Best for when you want quick scores on one specific movie, show, or game.

Tap the grid icon to activate Get All Mode. This scans your entire screen and picks up every visible title at once. The results are sorted by rating so you can quickly see which titles score highest.

Each scanned title shows aggregated scores from trusted sources. Movies and TV shows display IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Metacritic ratings. Games show OpenCritic scores, tier rankings, and critic reviews.

Give any title your own 1-10 star rating. Your rating contributes to the InstaCritic community average, which appears alongside the professional critic scores on each title card.

Every title has its own discussion thread. Share your thoughts, reply to other users, and like comments. The Discussions tab shows trending titles with the most active conversations.

Tap directly on any title visible through your camera to select and scan it individually. Combines the precision of Focus Mode with the convenience of tapping exactly what you want.

Mark a title as currently being watched or played. Other users can see who is watching, creating a live social layer. The status automatically expires after 3 hours.

Create or join real-time social rooms for movies, TV shows, or games. Features live chat, floating reactions, scheduling, and admin controls. Movie rooms auto-end after runtime expires; game rooms auto-end after 30 minutes of inactivity.

AI-powered cultural analysis that rates titles on a 0-10 scale across multiple categories including representation, messaging, and storytelling. Toggle it on or off from your account settings.

Discover AI-generated behind-the-scenes production trivia for movies and TV shows. Optionally capture a scene with your camera to get facts specific to what you are watching.

Stuck in a game? Snap a photo of your screen and get AI-powered contextual hints and tips. The hint system recognizes what game you are playing and provides relevant guidance without full spoilers.

Each title card includes a carousel of YouTube trailers and video reviews so you can get a deeper look before deciding to watch or play.

Your past scans are saved automatically in the Favorites tab. Tap the bookmark icon on any result to mark it as a favorite for quick access later.

Set up your profile with a username, avatar, and bio. Follow other users to see their activity. Your public profile shows your ratings, comments, and what you are currently watching.

Recommend titles to your followers with a personal note. Recommendations appear in their activity feeds with a glowing highlight so they stand out.

Your scans, ratings, and comments are tracked in an activity feed visible on your profile. You can make your feed private in Settings if you prefer.