BlockShorts: No Shorts & Reels

RWSoftware

In-app purchases

About this app

Reclaim your attention. BlockShorts surgically removes the addictive short-form feeds from YouTube and Instagram — without deleting the apps you actually need.

You still want long videos, search, DMs, comments, saved posts, and creator pages. You don't want to lose another hour to Shorts and Reels. BlockShorts is built for exactly that gap.

WHAT IT DOES
• Blocks YouTube Shorts the moment the feed opens
• Blocks Instagram Reels the moment the feed opens
• Leaves every other part of the app fully usable
• Works instantly via Android's Accessibility framework — no root, no VPN, no proxy

PRIVACY-FIRST BY DESIGN
• 100% on-device. No servers. No accounts.
• No analytics. No crash reporting. No tracking. Ever.
• The Accessibility permission is used only to detect short-form feeds in the apps you choose. Nothing leaves your phone.

FREE FOREVER FOR THE CORE
• Blocking YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels is free, with no ads.
• Premium ($2.99/month or $19.99/year with a 1-month free trial) unlocks scheduling — block only during the hours and days you choose — and supports an indie developer building this with no investors and no growth-hacks.

WHO IT'S FOR
• Knowledge workers, students, and developers who keep getting pulled into Shorts when they opened YouTube for a tutorial.
• Anyone in r/digitalminimalism, r/nosurf, r/productivity who's tired of "delete the app" being the only answer.
• ADHD users, parents, and people reclaiming focus without nuking the apps they need.

WHY IT WORKS WHEN OTHER BLOCKERS DON'T
• Most blockers ban the entire app. BlockShorts targets only the short-form feed.
• No fragile DNS rules or content filters that break when the host app updates — BlockShorts watches the screen and acts on what it sees.
• When YouTube or Instagram changes their UI, the fix ships fast: solo dev, no committee.

ROADMAP (community-shaped)
• More detectors: TikTok, Snapchat Spotlight, Facebook Reels, Reddit, LinkedIn — all premium.
• Custom site/app blocks.
• Stats and streaks.
• Anti-scroll patterns.

If a detector breaks, tap "Report an issue" in Settings — it ships with the next update.

PERMISSIONS
• Accessibility Service (required): reads on-screen content from the apps you turn on, only to detect short-form feeds. You can revoke it any time in Android Settings → Accessibility.
• Ignore battery optimizations (optional): helps Android keep the service running.

No internet permission requested. There is nothing to send.

Built by an indie dev because the existing options were too blunt or too leaky. Try it — keep the apps, lose the Shorts.

What’s new

1.0.0 — First stable release. Refined store copy & docs, new on-device "Was this helpful?" prompt + weekly focus digest (free), reliability verification timestamps for detectors, version out of beta, TikTok detector readiness improvements. YouTube + Instagram blocking stays free and surgical. Premium adds scheduling and more apps (BETA). All on-device. Report issues in Settings for fast follow-ups.