Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about RedditTLDR — setup, cost, privacy, and how it works.
Getting started
How do I summarize Reddit posts on Android?
Install RedditTLDR, grant Accessibility Service and overlay permissions, add your Anthropic API key, then open the official Reddit app. A floating bubble appears automatically. Navigate to any post and tap the bubble — you get an AI summary in about 3 seconds.
Full walkthrough: How to summarize Reddit posts →
What do I need before installing?
Three things:
- An Android device running Android 8.0 (API 26) or higher
- The official Reddit app (com.reddit.frontpage) from the Play Store
- An Anthropic API key from console.anthropic.com
Where do I download RedditTLDR?
Download the APK from the GitHub Releases page. See the Install page for step-by-step instructions including how to enable sideloading on Android.
Compatibility
Does RedditTLDR require root access?
No. RedditTLDR uses Android's standard AccessibilityService and overlay APIs, both available on any unrooted Android 8.0+ device. No root, no special firmware, no developer mode required beyond enabling unknown sources for the APK install.
Which Reddit app does it work with?
Only the official Reddit app (com.reddit.frontpage). Third-party clients like Apollo, Relay, Infinity, or Boost are not supported — their accessibility tree structures differ from the official app, so the text-capture and scroll logic wouldn't work reliably.
Does it work on tablets?
RedditTLDR is designed and tested on phones. It may work on tablets running Android 8.0+ with the official Reddit app, but tablet-specific layouts have not been tested.
How is this different from a browser extension?
Browser extensions only run on desktop. RedditTLDR is a native Android app — it works inside the mobile Reddit app on your phone with a single tap, no desktop or browser involved.
Cost & API key
Is RedditTLDR free?
The app itself is free and open-source (MIT license). It requires your own Anthropic API key, and Anthropic charges per-token for API usage. At the default Claude Haiku 4.5 rate, each summary costs well under $0.01 — summarizing thousands of posts might cost a couple of dollars total.
What is a Claude API key?
An API key from Anthropic lets you call Claude AI models programmatically. Sign up at console.anthropic.com (free account, no subscription required). Create an API key, copy it, and paste it into RedditTLDR's settings. Anthropic bills you directly based on usage.
Which Claude model should I use?
RedditTLDR supports three models. For most posts, Haiku 4.5 is the right choice:
- Haiku 4.5 — fastest response, cheapest (default). Good for all everyday posts.
- Sonnet 4.6 — balanced quality and speed. Good for nuanced posts.
- Opus 4.7 — highest quality, slower and more expensive. For when the post genuinely needs it.
Privacy & security
Is my API key safe?
Yes. Your key is stored using EncryptedSharedPreferences with AES-256-GCM encryption — Android's recommended encrypted storage. The settings screen uses FLAG_SECURE so the key never appears in screenshots or the recents screen. The key is also excluded from device backups.
Does RedditTLDR collect any data?
No. There is no analytics, no crash reporting, no telemetry, and no server. The only external network traffic is from your device to Anthropic's API endpoint. Nothing is persisted after the summary card is dismissed.
Why does it need Accessibility Service permission?
AccessibilityService is how RedditTLDR reads on-screen text from the Reddit app and dispatches scroll gestures. This is the only viable approach without a Reddit API integration (which would require an account and OAuth). The service starts only when Reddit is in the foreground and stops when Reddit is closed or backgrounded.
How it works
How does RedditTLDR capture the post text?
When you tap the bubble, the app temporarily makes it non-touchable (so gestures pass through to Reddit), then dispatches a series of controlled swipe gestures — scrolling up to the top of the post (max 5 swipes), then scrolling down through the post and comments (max 6 swipes). After each swipe, it reads the accessibility tree to capture any text now visible on screen. A fingerprint hash confirms each swipe actually moved the page.
Can I summarize comments too?
Yes. The same capture pass collects both the post body and the comment section (up to the scroll cap). Tap Summarize comments on the card to generate a second AI summary focused on the discussion. No extra scrolling, no extra API call — Claude uses the already-captured text.
What does the "partial content" warning mean?
If a post or thread is longer than about 6 screenfuls, the scroll cap is reached before the entire page is captured. The "partial content" banner on the summary card lets you know the summary may not cover everything.
Why does setup say to toggle the Accessibility service after installing?
Android caches each accessibility service's declared capabilities on first enable. After a fresh install or update, toggling the service off and then on in Settings → Accessibility → RedditTLDR forces Android to read the latest capability list (including canPerformGestures="true", which is required for scroll). Without this toggle, gesture dispatch silently fails.