TV Time shut down. Here is the best replacement in 2026, and how to keep your history.

Short answer: Refract is the TV Time replacement that keeps your history. It imports the TV Time export you saved before July 15, 2026, rebuilds your library from Netflix, Trakt, Letterboxd or IMDb if you have no file, and tracks TV shows episode by episode, movies and anime in one app. It is free, independent and has no ads.

TV Time closed on July 15, 2026. Whip Media announced the shutdown inside the app on July 2, the apps left the stores two weeks later, and tvtime.com went offline. More than 26 million people had installed it over the years, and most of them were given thirteen days to save their watch history.

Refract is the TV Time replacement that keeps that history. It imports both TV Time export formats, rebuilds a library from Netflix, Trakt, Letterboxd, IMDb or Simkl exports if you have no TV Time file, and tracks TV shows, movies and anime in one place, free, with no ads. This guide covers the three situations people are in after the shutdown.

What happened to TV Time

• July 2, 2026: an in-app message announced the end of the service. Whip Media said the free app had become too expensive to run and that there was not enough demand for a paid tier.
• Until July 15: a data export tool let users download their history.
• July 15, 2026: the apps were removed from the App Store and Google Play, the website went offline, and Whip Media said personal data would be deleted.

TV Time's co-founder has since launched Bingers, a new TV-focused tracker. Refract imports Bingers exports too, so if you went there first, nothing is lost.

Situation 1: you saved a TV Time export

Refract reads both files TV Time produced, and tells them apart automatically:

• The GDPR data export, a ZIP of CSV files with your shows, episodes, movies, ratings and watch dates.
• The in-app "Other" export, the smaller file some users generated from the app's settings.
• Files saved with the TV Time Out Chrome extension are the same export, and import the same way.

1. Install Refract on iOS or Android (links at the bottom of this page).
2. Open Settings → Import → TV Time and pick the file. Refract works out which format it is.
3. The import runs in the background with a progress bar. Shows, episode progress, movies, ratings and watch dates come across; Refract keeps the exact day you watched each episode.
4. Check the completion summary. If something looks wrong, one tap undoes the whole import, and you can re-import with the file untouched.

Situation 2: you have no export

Whip Media deleted the accounts, so the TV Time history itself is gone. Before rebuilding, run through the TV Time data recovery checklist: many people have a forgotten export in an email or a downloads folder. Then Refract rebuilds from everything else you have:

• Netflix viewing activity. Netflix lets you download your full viewing history as a CSV from your account page. Refract imports it, episode by episode, with the dates.
• Trakt, Simkl, Letterboxd or IMDb exports, if you ever used one of those.
• Bingers, Sofa Time, Movie Paradise, Showly, Muvy or Suite TV exports, if you tried another app after the shutdown.
• From memory. Search a show, open a season, and mark the whole season watched in two taps. Most people rebuild their main shows in an evening.

Situation 3: you moved to another app and are not happy

Export from there and import into Refract. Each import is additive, can be undone, and shows a summary of what it found. Supported sources today: TV Time, Bingers, Trakt, Simkl, Letterboxd, IMDb, JustWatch, Netflix, Sofa Time, Movie Paradise, Showly, Muvy, Suite TV, a CSV template and Refract's own backups.

What you get in Refract that TV Time did not have

Feature	Refract	TV Time (until July 2026)
Episode-by-episode TV tracking	✓	✓
New-episode reminders and calendar	✓	✓
Movies with full tracking, diary and stats	✓	Limited
Anime with correct seasons, OVAs and films	✓ TMDB + AniList + MAL	Treated as generic TV
Ads	None	Ad-supported
Import your history from other apps	✓ 15 sources, undo included	✗
Export your data	✓ Any time, CSV and JSON	GDPR request only
Where to stream, by country	✓ 100+ services	Partial
Stats, achievements and a yearly wrap	✓	Basic
Social: profiles, follows, shared lists	✓	✓ Larger community
Books and games	On the public roadmap	✗

Honest limitation: TV Time's community was far larger, and its episode comment threads had years of history. Refract's social layer is younger. If community size matters most to you, see the alternatives below.

Other TV Time replacements worth considering

• Bingers: built by a TV Time co-founder, TV-focused, with a social feed. The closest to TV Time's feel. Refract imports its export, so it is not a one-way door.
• Trakt: the deepest scrobbling ecosystem (Plex, Kodi, dozens of third-party apps). Movies and TV; anime is generic TV; the free tier has ads and limits. Refract vs Trakt.
• Simkl: movies, TV and anime with scrobbling; a more utilitarian interface. Refract vs Simkl.
• Serializd: a social, TV-only tracker with a strong review culture. Refract vs Serializd.

For a ranked look at every app that tracks more than one medium, read the best cross-media trackers in 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Is TV Time really shut down?

Yes. Whip Media announced the shutdown inside the app on July 2, 2026 and TV Time closed on July 15, 2026. The apps were removed from the App Store and Google Play and tvtime.com went offline the same day.

Can I still download my TV Time data?

No. The export tool closed with the service on July 15, 2026, and Whip Media said account data would be deleted afterwards. Only the export files people saved before that date still exist, on their own devices or in their email. Where to look, and what Refract reads.

Can Refract import my TV Time export?

Yes. Refract reads both TV Time formats: the GDPR data export (a ZIP of CSV files) and the in-app "Other" export. Files saved with the TV Time Out Chrome extension are the same export. Open Refract, go to Settings → Import → TV Time, pick the file, and your shows, episodes, ratings and watch dates are rebuilt in the background. Every import can be undone in one tap.

I never exported from TV Time. What now?

Your TV Time history cannot be recovered from Whip Media. Refract rebuilds it from other sources instead: a Netflix viewing-activity file, a Trakt, Simkl, Letterboxd or IMDb export, or a Bingers, Sofa Time, Movie Paradise, Showly, Muvy or Suite TV export if you tried one of those apps after the shutdown. For shows you remember, search them and mark whole seasons watched in two taps.

Is Refract free?

Yes. Tracking, imports, stats, lists and social features are free with no ads and no paywall. Optional cosmetic supporter tiers (badges, frames, name styles) exist for people who want to support the project; they unlock nothing in the tracker itself.

Does Refract track movies and anime, not only TV shows?

Yes. Movies, TV shows and anime live in one library. Anime is matched across TMDB, AniList and MyAnimeList so seasons, OVAs and films are correct, which was a weak spot of TV Time.

Which other TV Time replacements are worth a look?

Bingers, built by a TV Time co-founder, is the closest in spirit and is TV-focused. Trakt has the deepest scrobbling ecosystem, Simkl covers anime well, and Serializd has a strong social layer for TV. Refract imports from Bingers, Trakt and Simkl, so trying one of them first does not lock you in.