Last updated: 2026-05-04

BlockShorts is a privacy-first Android app that blocks short-form video feeds (YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and other supported surfaces) on the apps you choose, while keeping the rest of those apps fully usable.

Plain-English summary

• No accounts. BlockShorts has no sign-up, no login, no user identifiers.
• No servers. BlockShorts does not communicate with any backend. Everything happens on your device.
• No data collection. BlockShorts does not collect, store, transmit, or sell any personal data, usage data, or analytics.
• No ads, no trackers, no third-party SDKs for analytics or advertising.

What BlockShorts does on your device

BlockShorts uses Android's Accessibility Service API. This is the only way Android allows an app to detect what's on screen in another app and dismiss it on your behalf.

The service is used exclusively to:

1. Read the on-screen view structure of the apps you have explicitly enabled in BlockShorts settings (e.g. YouTube, Instagram).
2. Determine whether the current screen is a short-form video feed (Shorts, Reels, etc.).
3. Issue a back action to dismiss that feed.

The service does not read content on any app you have not enabled. It does not record, store, transmit, or otherwise retain on-screen content. View-tree data is examined in memory and discarded immediately.

You can disable the Accessibility Service at any time from Android Settings → Accessibility → BlockShorts → Off.

What stays on your device

The following are stored locally on your device only, in app-private storage, and are never transmitted off-device:

• Your list of enabled apps.
• Your daily blocked-shorts counter.
• Your premium-purchase entitlement (verified via Google Play Billing — Google's standard purchase verification, governed by Google's privacy policy).