How-To Guide
How to Block YouTube Shorts on Android Without Blocking YouTube
The Problem: Blocking Shorts Usually Means Blocking All of YouTube
You want to block the infinite scroll of YouTube Shorts but you still need YouTube for tutorials, lectures, or music. Most solutions force you to choose one or the other:
- Digital Wellbeing blocks the entire YouTube app — useless if you need it for work
- Browser extensions don't work on the YouTube Android app
- Parental control apps treat YouTube as one monolithic block
- Grayscale mode makes the whole phone miserable
FocusFlow solves this with a content-specific blocker that detects when you've navigated into Shorts — and blocks only that section — leaving the rest of YouTube intact.
How FocusFlow's YouTube Shorts Blocker Works
FocusFlow uses Android's Accessibility Service to monitor which screen within YouTube is currently displayed. When it detects the Shorts tab or an autoplay Shorts feed, it immediately:
- Dims the screen to near-zero brightness
- Overlays a full-screen "Blocked" message
- Vibrates and plays an aversive sound (configurable)
- Logs the attempt in your Temptation Log with a timestamp
Navigation back to regular YouTube (search, subscriptions, watch history, a specific video) is unaffected. The blocker triggers only on the Shorts surface.
Step-by-Step Setup
Step 1
Download and Install FocusFlow
Download the APK from GitHub Releases. You'll need to allow installation from unknown sources (Settings → Security → Install unknown apps). FocusFlow is not on the Play Store yet — the APK is the official version.
Step 2
Grant Accessibility Service Permission
Open FocusFlow → tap Setup → tap Accessibility Service. This opens Android settings. Find FocusFlow in the list and enable it. This is the permission that lets FocusFlow detect Shorts.
Step 3
Grant Usage Stats Permission
Back in FocusFlow Setup, tap Usage Stats Access. Enable it for FocusFlow. This lets the app know which app is in the foreground.
Step 4
Open Content Blocking
From the main dashboard, tap Content Blocking (separate from App Blocking). You'll see a list of content-specific blockers.
Step 5
Enable YouTube Shorts Blocker
Toggle on YouTube Shorts Blocker. You can leave this active permanently, or tie it to focus sessions using the Scheduled Greyout feature.
Step 6
Optional: Set a Scheduled Greyout Window
If you only want Shorts blocked during work hours, go to Scheduled Greyout, add a time window (e.g., Mon–Fri 09:00–18:00), and select YouTube Shorts Blocker as the target. Outside those hours, Shorts is accessible normally.
Why Not Just Use YouTube's Built-In Controls?
YouTube offers a "Take a break" reminder and a daily usage limit, but neither actually prevents you from opening Shorts. The reminders are easy to dismiss. The time limit shows a dialog — with a clearly visible "Dismiss" button. These are soft blockers that work on motivated people who don't actually need them. FocusFlow's Accessibility Service enforcement doesn't show a dismissible dialog — it locks you out.
Does This Work on Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, and Other OEMs?
Yes. FocusFlow has been tested on 30+ Android OEM brands including Samsung One UI, Xiaomi MIUI, OnePlus OxygenOS, Realme, Oppo ColorOS, Motorola, and stock Android. OEM-specific battery optimization settings may need to be disabled for FocusFlow — the app will prompt you during setup.
Does Blocking Shorts Affect YouTube Premium?
No. YouTube Premium features (ad-free playback, background play, downloads) are unaffected. The blocker targets the Shorts surface only, not the YouTube app as a whole.
Block YouTube Shorts Now — Free
FocusFlow is free, open source, and requires no root. Download the APK and have the Shorts blocker running in under 5 minutes.
Download FocusFlow APK →