Yes. Scroll Less blocks Reels inside the real Instagram app and Shorts inside the real YouTube app on your iPhone. No second app to learn, nothing to delete, no “just use Safari.” You open Instagram and YouTube from your home screen like always, and the endless vertical videos are gone.
That’s the short answer. The long answer comes with fewer existential crises than the internet promised me.
Why everyone says you can’t block Reels inside the Instagram app
I went looking for this myself. I typed “how to block Reels inside the Instagram app” into a search bar, then asked an AI chatbot for good measure, and got a lot of confident shrugging. Guides, forum threads and AI answers mostly land in the same spot: you can’t do it on iPhone. Their advice boils down to three options:
- Delete the app.
- Use Instagram or YouTube in a web browser instead.
- Block the whole app with Screen Time.
I’ve tried all three. (I’m very thorough when it comes to procrastinating.) Here’s how each one went.
Deleting the app
Deleting Instagram does get rid of Reels. It also gets rid of the group chat where my friends plan everything, plus the DMs I actually needed to answer. I deleted it on a Sunday feeling like a monk. By Wednesday someone asked why I’d skipped dinner, I reinstalled it “just to check,” and I was back in Reels before the app finished loading. Same story with YouTube, the first time I needed a tutorial to fix something.
Switching to a browser
Using Instagram in Safari sounds clever. Then you need to send a voice note, or open a link a friend sent, and you’re back in the real app. The one with Reels still sitting right there, waiting patiently.
Blocking the whole app with Screen Time
Screen Time limits all of Instagram or all of YouTube. When the timer runs out, your DMs and your useful videos get locked up right along with the doomscroll. And “Ignore Limit” is always one tap away. (It’s less of a wall and more of a polite suggestion.)
None of these are terrible ideas. They just all solve the problem by taking away the stuff you wanted to keep.
How Scroll Less blocks Reels and Shorts inside the real apps
Here’s the part those guides missed. Scroll Less works inside the actual Instagram and YouTube apps on your iPhone. Not a lookalike app. Not a website pretending to be an app. The apps you already have, logged into the accounts you already use.
In Instagram, full-screen Reels are blocked. In YouTube, Shorts are blocked. When your thumb wanders into one (out of pure muscle memory, it’s always muscle memory), Scroll Less stops it at the door instead of letting you get an hour deep.
The problem was never Instagram or YouTube. It was the endless vertical feed bolted onto them. So that’s the only part that goes.
What still works in Instagram and YouTube
This is the whole point, so let’s be specific.
In Instagram
- DMs: read, reply, send voice notes, keep the group chat alive.
- Stories: keep up with what your friends are doing.
- Search: look up a specific account when you actually need it.
- Your profile: check your own posts and settings like normal.
I wrote a full walkthrough on how to block Instagram Reels but keep your DMs if Instagram is your main rabbit hole.
In YouTube
- Regular videos: the tutorial, the recipe, the game recap.
- Search: find the exact video you opened the app for.
- The channels you follow.
Here’s the full guide on how to block YouTube Shorts on iPhone. And if autoplay keeps dragging you from one video to the next, see how to turn off YouTube autoplay on iPhone.
“But what if a friend sends me a Reel?”
Fair question. It happens constantly. Your friend sends a Reel with “LOL this is literally you,” and now you need to see it or the friendship is technically at risk.
A Reel sent to you in DMs stays blocked in the Instagram app, but you can open it in Scroll Less’s built-in browser to watch it. You see the one video your friend picked, laugh, reply, and move on. Watching one Reel because a friend sent it is a choice. Watching forty because the app decided you should is not.
How to block Reels and Shorts in the Instagram and YouTube apps
Setup takes a couple of minutes:
- Download Scroll Less from the App Store.
- Open it and follow the setup steps.
- Choose what to block (Reels, Shorts, or both), then start the Blocker.
- Go back to Instagram and YouTube and use them like you always do.
That’s it. No new app to get used to, no new account, nothing to reinstall on Wednesday.
Want to go further? Hide Explore and the feeds too
Reels and Shorts are the biggest time sinks, but they aren’t the only ones. If you want to go further, open Instagram or YouTube inside Scroll Less’s built-in browser and you can hide even more:
- Instagram: Explore, the main feed, suggested posts, and Stories (Stories are hidden by default).
- YouTube: the Home feed, Related videos, and Subscriptions.
If the Explore grid is your personal weak spot, here’s how to hide the Instagram Explore page on iPhone. And if you’re still comparing options, I rounded up the best apps to block Reels and Shorts on iPhone.
Frequently asked questions
Can you block Reels inside the Instagram app on iPhone?
Yes. Scroll Less blocks full-screen Reels inside the real Instagram app on iPhone. Your DMs, Stories, Search and profile keep working.
Can you block Shorts in the YouTube app on iPhone?
Yes. Scroll Less blocks Shorts inside the real YouTube app on iPhone, while regular videos and search keep working.
Is there an app that removes Reels from Instagram?
Yes. Scroll Less is an iPhone app that blocks Reels in the Instagram app you already use, so you don’t have to switch to a different app or a browser.
Do I have to delete Instagram or YouTube to stop watching Reels and Shorts?
No. You keep both apps. Scroll Less blocks Reels and Shorts, and everything else stays.
Will I still get my Instagram DMs if Reels are blocked?
Yes. DMs keep working normally. A Reel someone sends you stays blocked in the app, but you can watch it in Scroll Less’s built-in browser.
Do I have to use Instagram or YouTube in a browser instead?
No. Reels and Shorts are blocked inside the real apps. The built-in browser is an optional extra if you also want to hide things like Explore or the YouTube Home feed.
Keep the apps. Lose the scroll.
You don’t have to quit Instagram or YouTube to stop losing evenings to them. Keep the DMs, the Stories, the tutorials and the group chat. Just lose the feeds that were never really about any of that.
Get Scroll Less on the App Store.
Then go answer that one message. Just that one.