How to make YouTube show only your subscriptions
YouTube has no setting to open on your subscriptions; the closest is turning off watch history, which removes recommendations from the homepage once there's no recent history. That also switches off history you might want. StillTabs' Strict mode opens YouTube on your subscriptions and removes Shorts everywhere, and keeps your history and search.
What YouTube lets you do
- Tap Subscriptions at the bottom of the app. It works, but the app opens on Home by default.
- Turn off and clear watch history. YouTube says that if you have no relevant recent watch history and have turned it off, features like recommendations on the homepage are removed. Your history stops being saved too.
- Limit the Shorts feed with YouTube's Shorts timer, down to zero.
Subscriptions first, with nothing switched off
StillTabs' Strict mode opens YouTube on your subscriptions, removes Shorts from search and channels, and sends Shorts links back out of the Shorts player. Standard mode keeps Home but removes the Shorts tab, the Shorts shelves and autoplaying previews.
StillTabs is free on the App Store, for iPhone. No subscription, no in-app purchases, no account. iOS 16 or later.
Sources
- YouTube Help: watch history and Home recommendations: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/95725?hl=en&co=GENIE.Platform%3DiOS
- YouTube Help: Shorts feed limit: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/16671528?hl=en
- StillTabs on the App Store (price, privacy label): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/stilltabs-block-reels-shorts/id6761367777