How to block Reels and YouTube Shorts on Android

Most people don't want to quit Instagram or YouTube. They want to keep messages, tutorials and the channels they love, and lose the endless short-video feed. The bad news is that neither app lets you switch the feed off completely. The good news is that there are workable options, and one of them stops the habit rather than just the feed.

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Why short-video feeds are so hard to stop

Reels and Shorts are built for one thing: the next swipe. Each video is short enough that “just one more” never feels like a commitment, autoplay removes any natural stopping point, and the feed learns your taste fast. That isn't a lack of willpower on your part. It is a product doing exactly what it was designed to do. More on the psychology in how to stop doomscrolling.

Option 1: the apps' own settings

• YouTube: Set a Shorts feed limit under You › Settings › Time management › Shorts feed limit. You can set it to zero, but when you hit it YouTube only shows a reminder you can dismiss. Turning off and deleting your watch history removes recommendations from the Home feed; pausing alone only stops new videos being saved.
• Instagram: there is no way to remove the Reels tab. Its time-management settings can set a daily limit reminder, and Quiet mode pauses notifications, but you can dismiss both.

Weak spot: these are reminders built by the companies that profit from your scrolling. They are easy to snooze, and the feed is still a tap away.

Option 2: use the website instead of the app

Logging out of the apps and using Instagram or YouTube in a browser adds friction. It's slower, there are fewer autoplay hooks, and you have to type the address. Some people find this is enough on its own.

Weak spot: the mobile websites have short-video feeds too, and reinstalling the app takes thirty seconds on a bad evening.

Option 3: apps that block only the Reels or Shorts screen

Several Android apps use the accessibility service to spot when you open the Reels or Shorts screen and close it, leaving the rest of the app alone. When they work, they are the most precise option.

Weak spot: they depend on the screen layout of Instagram and YouTube. When those apps update, detection can break until the blocker catches up. They also need broad accessibility permissions, so check the privacy policy before you install one.

Option 4: hide the app during your scroll hours

Look at when you actually lose time to Reels. For most people it is a few predictable windows: in bed, after lunch, during study or work. Instead of fighting the feed all day, take the app away during those windows and give it back afterwards.

FocusComet's Vanish Mode does this. Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and anything else you choose disappear from your home screen, app drawer and dock for the session. When the session ends, they come back exactly where they were. It never touches your account, your messages or your saved videos.

• Set a schedule for your worst window, such as 10 pm to midnight. It starts on cue every night.
• Prefer to keep the icons? Block Mode leaves them in place and sends you back when you open one.
• Can't resist ending the session early? Hard lock removes the End button until the timer runs out.

It is blunter than a Shorts-only blocker, because you lose the whole app for that window. But it never breaks on an update, and it removes the cue (the icon and its badge) that started the scroll in the first place.

A combined setup that works

1. Set YouTube's Shorts feed limit (zero works), and turn off and delete your watch history to clear Home recommendations.
2. Turn off Instagram and YouTube notifications except direct messages.
3. Hide both apps during your two worst windows each day.
4. Replace the habit: keep something better in your hand. Here are apps to replace doomscrolling.

Before

During Vanish Mode

Frequently asked questions