# "No Distractions" for YouTube — Take control of your attention

> Safari extension to hide YouTube distractions and ads. (iPhone/iPad app by ULRIK LYNGS.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/no-distractions-for-youtube/id1482507016 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [ULRIK LYNGS](https://appshunter.io/developer/1464306837)
- Category: Productivity, Social Networking
- Price: $1.29
- Rating: 4.50/5 from 28 App Store ratings · 94 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 15.0 · 1 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2019-10-06
- Data updated: 2026-09-09
- Monetization: free
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/no-distractions-for-youtube/id1482507016/reviews.md

## What is "No Distractions" for YouTube?

----
*NOTE 1: THIS APP WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY FURTHER UPDATES*: I am now spending my time working on ReDD Focus, which works on ALL websites. You can find it here on the App Store.

*NOTE 2: WORKS WITHIN SAFARI, NOT THE YOUTUBE APP*: This app lets you control how YouTube appears in the Safari browser. It does NOT change the YouTube app (which is not possible). 

However, you can create an icon on your iPhone/iPad's home screen to take you directly to YouTube in the Safari browser. To do so: Open Safari, go to youtube.com and press the sharing icon (with the up-arrow), press 'Add to Home Screen' and 'Add'.
----

"No Distractions" for YouTube is an open-source Safari App Extension I built to help myself. It lets you take control over your use of YouTube instead of letting the YouTube algorithms control you...!

It does this by letting you hide video recommendations, other distractions on the front, search, and watch pages, or any custom element you want. You can also choose to hide thumbnail images. Oh, and the app also also hides the ads that are inserted in your search results. :)

You can decide for yourself which parts you want to see, by clicking the extension icon.

If you want the app to remember your settings for next time, click 'save settings'. 

If you need to add a little friction to change the settings, so that you don't turn distractions back on too easily, you can set a wait time. This will make you wait e.g. 5 seconds when you open the settings before they appear.

The app is open source and does not collect any data. You can inspect the source code, report bugs, and suggest additional features or improvements on: https://github.com/ulyngs/open-source-no-distractions-for-youtube

## Key features

- Hide video recommendations
- Hide search and watch page distractions
- Hide thumbnail images
- Hide ads in search results
- Customizable element hiding
- Optional wait time for settings changes

## Recent user reviews (10 of 94)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/no-distractions-for-youtube/id1482507016/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Does exactly what it says

*2026-06-25, version 4.10*

Straightforward, works really well

### 5/5 — Works as advertised!

*2026-03-18, version 4.9*

Youtube keeps adding things to the subscriptions page that makes it hard to just see all of the uploads in order. This fixes that perfectly!

### 5/5 — Buy this for yourself

*2026-02-23, version 4.9*

If you buy just one thing for yourself this year make it this app. This is a browser extension for safari who’s app lays out exactly how to install and configure it. Was very easy to set up and use. It leaves settings such as dark mode unchanged . Thumbnails for search results can be blocked or blurred by tapping the box next that heading, tap multiple times to cycle through blur/block/on.

### 5/5 — Highly Effective

*2026-02-18, version 4.9*

Does everything you could wish for and more.

### 5/5 — Thanks

*2025-12-31, version 4.8*

Just got the app works just fine. Thankssss

Ps: I was initially looking for an extension that can turn youtube monochrome but couldn’t find one.

### 5/5 — Thank You!!! Going to save me from endless scrolling!

*2025-12-11, version 4.8*

This works very well! Just trying it out but works perfect so far!

### 4/5 — Community Posts

*2025-11-24, version 4.7*

Hello. I do not know if developers are still responding and updating this, but I would find it very helpful if you could add a way to remove community posts. With thumbnails gone, it's almost perfect, but community posts are very pervasive and I have found no way to disable them.
Thanks!

### 5/5 — Neurodivergent people need this!

*2025-11-13, version 4.6*

It is a simple but an effective solution. With ADHD pulling me in multiple directions all at once, I need an extension like this basically for the entire internet.

### 3/5 — "Shorts" menu bar don't off

*2025-11-03*

menu bar setting "Shorts" is not working at iPad

**Developer response:** Thank you for flagging this!!! I've just submitted an updated version to the App Store -- try updating in a couple of days and it should be fixed. Have a great weekend! :)
- Ulrik

### 5/5 — Exactly what I needed!

*2025-11-01, version 4.6*

Even with a fairly good relationship with media use, this extension is a huge win for taking control of the internet! It was super easy to set up, well worth the $2 to bring some minimalism to yt.

## Frequently asked questions about "No Distractions" for YouTube

### What does "No Distractions" for YouTube do?

This app is a Safari App Extension that allows you to customize your YouTube viewing experience within the Safari browser. It enables you to hide various distracting elements such as video recommendations, thumbnails, search results ads, and any other custom elements you wish to remove.

### How do I use this app?

This extension works within the Safari browser on your iPhone or iPad. You can create a home screen icon for youtube.com in Safari to access it easily. Once on YouTube in Safari, click the extension icon to access settings and choose which elements to hide. You can also save your settings and optionally add a wait time before settings can be changed.

### Does this app work on the YouTube app?

No, this app is a Safari App Extension and only works within the Safari browser. It cannot modify the official YouTube app. However, you can add a shortcut to youtube.com in Safari on your home screen to make it as convenient as opening the app.

### Is this app free?

Yes, the app is completely free to use. It is also open-source, meaning its source code is publicly available for inspection, bug reporting, and feature suggestions. The developers state that it does not collect any user data.

### What are the benefits of using this app?

The primary benefit is taking control of your attention and reducing distractions while using YouTube. By hiding recommendations, ads, and other elements, you can focus more on the content you intend to watch and avoid algorithmic rabbit holes. It also offers customization to tailor the YouTube interface to your preferences.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 4.10 — 2026-06-02

Hi folks,

this update fixes a number of broken selectors, and also signals that you should now move to our newer open-source extension ReDD Focus instead.

ReDD Focus does everything "No Distraction" for YouTube does, but also works on ANY website, not just YouTube.

Cheers,
Ulrik

### 4.9 — 2026-01-18

Hi folks,

A long overdue update (we're mostly just working on ReDD Focus these days, which is the general version of "No Distraction" for YouTube) with bug fixes and improvements:

1. removed "Entire right sidebar" as functionality replaced by Cinema mode - users can still hide "Related/Up next videos" 
2. hiding subscriptions now also hides list of subscribed-to channels
3. "Library" has been renamed to "You" and now hides the entire "You" section on desktop and the "You" tab on mobile
4. fix the "Explore" hiding functionality
5. make "View numbers" hide view count on all pages

Cheers,

Ulrik

### 4.8 — 2025-12-01

Hi folks,

this update improves the instructions in the app window, so it should be quicker and easier for new users to get started. :)

Enjoy!

- Ulrik

### 4.7 — 2025-11-17

Hi folks,

this update fixes a few bugs, including the Shorts button not being hidden on iPad-sized screen widths.

Remember that the app is open source -- keep the comments coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/open-source-no-distractions-for-youtube

Cheers,
Ulrik

### 4.6 — 2025-10-04

Hi folks,

this update makes a few overdue fixes (e.g., comments hiding now works again).

Keep the comments & suggestions coming at https://github.com/ulyngs/open-source-no-distractions-for-youtube

Cheers,

Ulrik

## Apps similar to "No Distractions" for YouTube

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Freedom: Screen Time Control](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/freedom-screen-time-control/id1269788228) | 4.4 (5,833) | Free | Productivity |
| [Minimalist Launcher](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/minimalist-launcher/id6498880303) | 4.7 (3,447) | Free | Productivity |
| [Blockalicious](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/blockalicious/id1608665824) | 5.0 (6) | $4.99 | Productivity |
| [UnTrap for YouTube](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/untrap-for-youtube/id1637438059) | 4.1 (491) | $4.99 | Productivity |
| [Forfeit: Habit Contracts](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/forfeit-habit-contracts/id1633125787) | 4.7 (337) | Free | Productivity |
| [BB - Screen Time & App Blocker](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bb-screen-time-and-app-blocker/id6443657745) | 4.9 (391) | Free | Productivity |

## More apps by ULRIK LYNGS

- [Remove Ads from Google Search](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/remove-ads-from-google-search/id6443749337)
- [Karaoke Collective Songbook](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/karaoke-collective-songbook/id6757955048)

All apps by ULRIK LYNGS: https://appshunter.io/developer/1464306837

## Related topics

[distraction free youtube](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/distraction-free-youtube) · [no distractions](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/no-distractions)

---

*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-09.*