9 checks before you trust a Reels blocker or screen-time app
Before you install a Reels blocker, check four things on its App Store page (the in-app purchase list, the privacy label, who makes it, the ratings) four in its terms (refunds, renewal, arbitration, what you must hand over), and one on its website: what loads before you agree to anything. Each takes under a minute. StillTabs passes all nine: it's free, has no tracking label, needs no account, and its website loads no trackers.
The nine checks
| Check | Where to look | Red flag | StillTabs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. What it really costs | App Store → In-App Purchases | Weekly plans; a long list of prices | No in-app purchases |
| 2. Tracking | App Store → App Privacy | "Data Used to Track You" | None; "Data Not Linked to You" |
| 3. What is linked to you | App Store → App Privacy | Contacts, location, browsing history linked to you | Nothing linked to you |
| 4. What you must hand over | Sign-up screen, privacy policy | Phone number, an account, Screen Time or device management | No account, no permissions over other apps |
| 5. Refunds | Terms | "We generally do not provide refunds" | Nothing to refund |
| 6. Renewal and price changes | Terms | Prices that differ per user; terms that change "without notice" | No subscription |
| 7. Disputes | Terms | Binding arbitration, class-action waiver | Nothing to dispute |
| 8. Does it do what you want | Listing, help pages | Blocks the whole app when you only wanted Reels gone | Removes Reels and Shorts, keeps DMs |
| 9. What its website loads | Open its website (or use a tracker blocker that counts them) | Advertising pixels (Meta, Google Ads, Snapchat) before you agree to anything | None: no third-party requests at all |
The red flags, from real terms
- No refunds: SocialLite's terms say "We generally do not provide refunds"; Opal says it is "unable to provide refunds" for App Store purchases.
- Weekly billing: Opal lists weekly plans from $4.99; Stillfeed's $2.99 a week adds up to about $155 a year.
- Different prices for different people: Stillfeed "may show different subscription prices to different users".
- Terms that move: Freedom's terms "may be updated by us from time to time without notice".
- Your phone number: SocialLite requires one to sign up.
- Tracking: 7 of the 14 apps we checked carry Apple's "Data Used to Track You" label.
- A banner that isn't there: SocialLite's cookie banner says "Nothing is tracked unless you accept", but its code has had the banner switched off since 7 October 2026 while Meta, Google Ads and Snapchat pixels load (details).
How StillTabs answers each one
StillTabs has no price, no account and no tracking label, so checks 1 to 7 have nothing to find, and its website loads nothing from third parties (check 9). On check 8, it removes Reels, Shorts, Explore and "For you" feeds inside the platform and keeps your messages, search and the people you follow.
StillTabs does not track you. Its App Store privacy label is "Data Not Linked to You", with nothing under "Data Used to Track You" or "Data Linked to You". Usage analytics are off by default and only start if you switch them on; even then they are tied to a random ID on your phone, never to your name or accounts, and never include what you watch, search or write. There are no ads and nothing is sold. Pages load straight from each platform: StillTabs runs no proxy, so it never sees your passwords, messages or what you browse. The privacy policy lists every event in full.
StillTabs is free on the App Store, for iPhone. No subscription, no in-app purchases, no account. iOS 16 or later.
Sources
- StillTabs on the App Store (price, privacy label): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stilltabs-block-reels-shorts/id6761367777
- StillTabs privacy policy: https://stilltabs.com/privacy
- SocialLite on the App Store (in-app purchases, privacy label): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6757661674
- SocialLite terms (renewal, refunds): https://sociallite.app/terms/
- Opal on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id1497465230
- Opal terms, privacy and refund page: https://opalapp.com/terms
- Stillfeed on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6792934511
- Stillfeed terms: https://stillfeed.pro/terms/
- Stillfeed privacy policy: https://stillfeed.pro/privacy/
- Freedom terms: https://freedom.to/terms