# Short Video Hider — Reclaim Your Focus

> Hides distracting short videos on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit. (iPhone/iPad app by Arulvhalan Anandarajah.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/short-video-hider/id6745738626 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Arulvhalan Anandarajah](https://appshunter.io/developer/1812461533)
- Category: Productivity, Utilities
- Price: $0.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.00/5 from 14 App Store ratings · 16 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 17.0 · 8 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2025-05-28
- Data updated: 2026-06-10
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/short-video-hider/id6745738626/reviews.md

## What is Short Video Hider?

Short Video Hider is a lightweight iOS app bundled with a Safari Web Extension. It restores control over your browsing experience on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and Reddit.

Features
- Remove Shorts and Reels surfaces while keeping regular videos and posts intact.
- Redirect to the normal video view for Shorts and ignore Reels.
- Hide UI elements related to Shorts or Reels.
- Smart, SPA-aware blocking that adapts to page navigation.
- No tracking or external calls – all logic runs locally.

Optional tip unlock:
- Hide the YouTube logo for a cleaner, minimalist interface.

iOS app highlights:
- An animated, always-on background with a Flappy Bird vibe – tap anywhere to play.
- Crisp, readable UI with glassy backgrounds behind controls.
- Clear instructions for enabling the Safari extension.

Safari Web Extension capabilities:
- Cross-platform coverage (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit).
- Deep integration with navigation APIs, attribute selectors and efficient DOM updates.
- Per-site toggles (redirect vs hide UI) in the extension settings.

Privacy first:
- No ads, analytics or external network requests.
- All data is local to your device.

What it doesn’t do:
- Doesn’t block ads.
- Doesn’t hide regular content – only Shorts and Reels surfaces.
- Doesn’t do anything to the YouTube App

Getting started:
- Install the iOS app.
- Enable the bundled extension via Settings → Safari → Extensions.
- Use the in-app settings or extension settings to customise behaviour per platform.

Known limitations:
- Platforms evolve, so if a Shorts or Reels element slips through, a future update usually addresses it quickly.

Thanks for trying it out. If you enjoy it, tipping helps support further improvements!

## Key features

- Remove Shorts and Reels surfaces
- Redirect to normal video view
- Hide UI elements
- Smart, SPA-aware blocking
- No tracking or external calls
- Hide YouTube logo
- Animated background with game

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $0.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| larger tip | $9.99 | one-time |
| small tip | $0.99 | one-time |


## Recent user reviews (10 of 16)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/short-video-hider/id6745738626/reviews.md

### 4/5 — Really Good: doesn’t fully block Instagram web

*2026-03-18*

I really like this app and for YouTube it is great. It also does block Instagram reels on safari. However there’s an option that says to redirect instagram entirely but it doesn’t seem to work and I hope that gets fixed. Other than that this app is a great investment into your productivity and wellness!

### 2/5 — Almost there

*2026-03-16*

Almost works great but on youtube shorts are hidden but the audio isn’t. So when I scroll through youtube I hear shorts playing and don’t see them! Quite the experience. Hopefully this can be fixed soon.

### 1/5 — Doesn’t work

*2026-02-06, version 2.3*

Shorts still everywhere on YouTube

### 5/5 — Love it

*2026-02-01*

Works on YouTube.com as advertised. Life saver.

**Developer response:** If your happy I’m happy

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2026-01-27, version 2.3*

I had 0 problems setting it up, works like a charm

### 5/5 — Great app

*2026-01-25, version 2.3*

Great app - does the job in terms of hiding distractions

### 5/5 — Very helpful app

*2026-01-21, version 2.3*

Thank you for so much for making this

### 5/5 — Simple and great

*2025-12-21*

It took a literal minute to set up, and it works perfectly. Very simple app that does what it says it will do. Thank you!

### 5/5 — simple and works great

*2025-12-08, version 2.2*

thank you for the fair pricing and good functionality! the gold star would be making the “open Instagram app” on top of the iPhone screen vanish aaaaand getting rid of the Explore 🔎entirely. Great work!

### 5/5 — It works!!

*2025-10-12*

Thank goodness. The developer made some updates after the YouTube changes and the app works! All those stupid shorts aren’t wasting my time and cluttering my feed. Love it!!!!! Thank you!

**Developer response:** Try now

## Frequently asked questions about Short Video Hider

### What does Short Video Hider do?

Short Video Hider is an iOS app with a Safari Web Extension designed to help you reclaim your focus by hiding distracting short-form video content like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. It allows you to remove these surfaces or redirect them, ensuring a cleaner browsing experience on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit.

### How do I set up the app and extension?

To get started, install the iOS app and then enable the bundled Safari extension by going to Settings > Safari > Extensions. You can then customize the blocking behavior per platform using the in-app settings or the extension's settings.

### Is this app free to use?

The core functionality of hiding Shorts and Reels is available for free. There is an optional tip unlock that allows you to hide the YouTube logo for a more minimalist interface, which helps support further development of the app.

### What platforms does this app work on?

The app's Safari Web Extension provides cross-platform coverage for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit. The iOS app itself offers additional features and a user interface for managing the extension's settings.

### Does this app block ads or regular videos?

No, this app specifically targets and hides short-form video content like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. It does not block advertisements or regular, longer-form videos and posts on these platforms.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 2.5 — 2026-03-24

-Improved macOS feel

### 2.4 — 2026-02-21

improvements to blocking

### 2.3 — 2026-01-07

Added global block for websites option
Added x.com 
Improved settings toggles

### 2.2 — 2025-12-02

performance improvements

### 2.1 — 2025-11-06

Redesigned UI
-New tutorial Video

## Apps similar to Short Video Hider

| App | Rating | Price | Category |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Pond - Drop Your Ideas](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/pond-drop-your-ideas/id6748211962) | 5.0 (4) | $1.99 | Productivity |
| [Datebook: AI Daily Planner](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/datebook-ai-daily-planner/id6746894841) | — | Free | Productivity |
| [SouSou - Quick Search](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/sousou-quick-search/id6747947379) | — | $0.99 | Productivity |
| [Systems: Checklists](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/systems-checklists/id6746172413) | — | Free | Productivity |
| [AliasVault](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/aliasvault/id6745490915) | 5.0 (4) | Free | Productivity |
| [Detoxify - Short Block YT](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/detoxify-short-block-yt/id6740556197) | 2.0 (2) | Free | Productivity |

## More apps by Arulvhalan Anandarajah

- [Bibliotec](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bibliotec/id6745482412)
- [adict help Sober Up](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/adict-help-sober-up/id6748348641)
- [Card Counter Training Coach](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/card-counter-training-coach/id6754090390)
- [Empathytics](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/empathytics/id6755663041)
- [Mortgage Stamp Duty UK](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/mortgage-stamp-duty-uk/id6759488861)

All apps by Arulvhalan Anandarajah: https://appshunter.io/developer/1812461533

---

*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 2026-06-10.*