I downloaded the Reddit iOS app two months ago thinking I would just lurk.

Then I tried to post in r/entrepreneur. Removed. Tried r/SideProject. Removed. Even tried commenting in r/AskReddit - removed within 30 seconds.

"Your account does not meet the minimum karma requirements."

Yeah. I spent the next three weeks figuring out how Reddit karma actually works on mobile. Here is everything I learned.

The Karma Problem on iOS

If you are reading this, you probably already know the frustration. The Reddit app is beautiful. Easy to scroll. Great for browsing. But the moment you try to participate, you hit a wall.

Most subreddits now require minimum karma to post or comment. Some want 50 karma. Some want 500. A few popular ones want 1000+ just to leave a basic comment.

And here is the thing nobody tells you: earning karma on mobile is actually harder than desktop.

Why? Because on desktop you can easily sort by new, open multiple tabs, and respond to fresh posts quickly. On iOS you are limited to one thread at a time and the interface makes it slower to find rising content.

What Karma Actually Is (Quick Version)

Karma is basically Reddit's reputation score. You get it from upvotes on your posts and comments.

Post karma: upvotes on threads you create
Comment karma: upvotes on comments you leave

Most subreddits care about combined karma but some specifically require comment karma. So if you focus only on posting, you might still get blocked from commenting in certain communities.

The Biggest Mistake New iOS Users Make

I see this constantly: people download the app, immediately try to post something promotional or ask a question in a big subreddit, get removed, then spam the same thing across five other communities.

Guess what happens next. Shadowban.

Reddit has gotten aggressive about detecting new accounts that behave like bots or spammers. If you get multiple posts removed in your first week, your account gets flagged. After that, even legitimate comments might get auto-hidden.

I burned two accounts this way before I figured out what I was doing wrong.

My iOS Karma Strategy (What Actually Worked)

After those failures, I developed a system that works specifically for mobile users. Nothing fancy, just consistent.

Week 1: Pure Consumption Mode

For the first five days, do not post anything. Seriously.

Just browse. Upvote things you like. Save interesting threads. Follow subreddits related to your interests.

This does two things:

Trains the algorithm to show you relevant content
Builds familiarity with community norms before you participate

Yes, this feels slow. But it prevents the "new account spam" flag that gets so many people shadowbanned.

Week 2: Comment in Friendly Subreddits

Now you can start commenting, but pick your battlegrounds carefully.

These subreddits have low or no karma requirements and are welcoming to new users:

r/CasualConversation - general friendly chat
r/NoStupidQuestions - answer someone's question
r/AskReddit - sort by new, answer before 50 comments pile up
r/todayilearned - add a related fact
r/mildlyinteresting - short reactions work fine

My approach: spend 15 minutes in the morning sorting by "rising" posts, leave 3-5 genuine comments. Not one-word responses - actual thoughts.

On iOS, tap the three dots on any subreddit and select "Sort" then "Rising" to find fresh content. These posts have traction but not too many comments yet.

Finding these rising posts manually gets tedious though. I built a tool called Wappkit Reddit to search multiple subreddits at once and filter by comment count. Has a 3-day trial, then $14/month with code BNWPJRLVJH. Saves hours if you are doing this regularly.

Week 3: Quality Over Quantity

By now you should have 100-200 karma. Time to participate in subreddits you actually care about.

The key is adding value, not just agreeing with people. Comments like "This!" or "So true!" get ignored. But if you share a specific experience or useful detail, people upvote.

Example that worked for me:

Bad comment: "Great tip, thanks!"

Good comment: "Tried this last month with my newsletter. The 8am Tuesday slot worked better than weekends for me, probably because my audience is mostly office workers. My open rate jumped from 18% to 27%."

See the difference? Specificity wins.

Finding Low-Competition Threads on iOS

This is where most people waste time. They comment on posts that already have 500 replies. Nobody sees their comment. No upvotes.

The trick is catching threads early. On iOS:

Open a subreddit you want to participate in
Tap the "Hot" dropdown and switch to "New" or "Rising"
Look for posts from the last 1-2 hours with under 20 comments
These are your targets

The key is consistency - 15 minutes of targeted commenting beats an hour of random scrolling.

Things That Will Get You Shadowbanned

Learn from my mistakes:

Do not post the same content across multiple subreddits. Even if it is relevant to all of them. Reddit's spam filter catches this instantly.

Do not use the same comment template repeatedly. Variation matters. If your last 10 comments all have similar structure, you will get flagged.

Do not argue aggressively in your first week. Getting multiple downvotes early tanks your karma and makes the algorithm suspicious.

Do not ask for upvotes. Ever. Violates Reddit TOS and communities will ban you immediately.

iOS-Specific Tips

A few things I learned that are specific to the mobile app:

Enable notifications for subreddits you want to catch early. When you follow a subreddit, tap the bell icon and select "Frequent." You will get notified of new popular posts before they blow up.

Use the Saved feature. When you see a post you want to comment on but do not have time, save it. The iOS app syncs saves across devices too.

Night mode helps you stay longer. Sounds dumb but I spend way more time browsing with dark mode enabled. Less eye strain means more engagement.

Realistic Karma Timeline

Here is what to expect if you follow this approach:

| Week | Expected Karma | What to Focus On | |------|----------------|------------------| | 1 | 0-10 | Lurking only, upvoting | | 2 | 50-150 | Comments in friendly subs | | 3 | 150-400 | Comments in target subs | | 4 | 400-800 | Mix of comments and first posts |

After a month you should have enough karma to participate in 90% of subreddits. The ones requiring 1000+ karma usually have that rule specifically to keep out new marketers anyway.

The Real Goal

Look, karma is just a gating mechanism. The real goal is being able to participate in communities that matter to you - whether for networking, marketing, or just having interesting conversations.

Once you hit 500-1000 karma, you basically stop thinking about it. The game is over. You can post and comment freely in most places.

The mistake is trying to speedrun this. Take a few weeks. Be genuine. The karma comes naturally when you actually contribute instead of trying to game the system.

Got questions about building karma on iOS? Comment below or find me on Twitter. Happy to share what worked for specific subreddits.

Reddit iOS Karma Guide: How to Build Karma Fast on Mobile in 2025