How to use YouTube without Shorts on iPhone
You can't switch Shorts off inside the official YouTube app; to use YouTube on iPhone without Shorts, open it in an app or Safari extension that removes them, such as StillTabs, Nope or Slowth, all free to download. YouTube's own Shorts feed limit can be set to zero, but it's a reminder you can dismiss, and "Show fewer Shorts" only lowers how often they appear. StillTabs removes the Shorts tab and the Shorts shelves on Home in its Standard mode.
What YouTube itself lets you do
There is no setting that removes Shorts from the YouTube app. There are two settings that make them less prominent.
- Shorts feed limit. Sign in, then tap You → Settings → Time management → Shorts feed limit. YouTube's help page says you can pick from a list of limits, including zero. When you reach the limit, a message reminds you, and you can dismiss or ignore it. News coverage of the zero setting reports that the Shorts shelf on the Home page disappears, and that you still get the prompt when you watch the first Short of a session.
- Show fewer Shorts. On Home, scroll to a grid of Shorts, tap More at the top of the grid, then Show fewer Shorts. YouTube says this means fewer recommended Shorts on pages such as Home and Watch Next. It doesn't remove them, and you can undo it in My Activity.
Both are worth switching on if you want to stay in the official app. Both can be overridden: the limit is a reminder you can dismiss, and Show fewer Shorts only lowers how often they are recommended.
Option 1: a separate app (StillTabs)
StillTabs is a free iPhone app that shows YouTube and Instagram inside the app with Shorts, Reels and autoplay removed. You keep search, your subscriptions and the videos you came for.
- Install StillTabs from the App Store and open the YouTube tile. It works without signing in; sign in on Google's own page if you want your subscriptions.
- Pick a mode: Off, Standard, Strict or Blackout, all free. Standard already removes the Shorts tab and the Shorts shelves on Home. Strict also removes Shorts from search and channels and opens YouTube on your subscriptions. Blackout leaves only search, profiles and messages.
- Optional: add a Home Screen icon named YouTube by visiting stilltabs.com/go/youtube in Safari. It opens StillTabs, so your thumb goes where it always did. How the icons work.
There is no prompt to dismiss: Shorts stay gone until you change the mode yourself. StillTabs never locks or changes the YouTube app, and asks for no Screen Time access, no screen broadcast and no Safari extension. Pages load straight from YouTube, so your password never passes through StillTabs. More on Subscriptions-only viewing in YouTube with subscriptions only.
Option 2: YouTube in Safari with an extension (Nope, Slowth)
If you're happy to watch YouTube on youtube.com in Safari, a Safari extension can hide Shorts there. You turn it on in Settings → Apps → Safari → Extensions and allow it for youtube.com. It doesn't change the YouTube app.
- Nope is free with no in-app purchases. Its App Store page lists toggles to hide Shorts everywhere on the site (sidebar, Home shelf, search chip, channel pages), redirect Shorts links to Home, turn off autoplay and previews, and hide the Home feed so YouTube opens on Subscriptions. Privacy label: Data Not Collected. Needs iOS 17.0.
- Slowth is free, with in-app purchases from $0.99 to $8.99 (Cup of Coffee, Coffee Beans, Climbing Pass). It hides YouTube Shorts, Instagram and Facebook Reels and X's Explore and trends in Safari, can block TikTok, and has a 24-hour strict lock. It also has an optional mode on iPhone and iPad that uses iOS screen recording to spot Shorts (and Instagram Reels and Stories) in the official apps, and then blocks the whole app with Screen Time. Privacy label: Data Not Collected. Needs iOS 16.0. It's open source.
Side by side
| StillTabs | Nope | Slowth | YouTube's limit at zero | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Separate app that shows YouTube inside it | Safari extension | Safari extension, plus optional screen-recording mode | Setting in the YouTube app |
| Price | Free, no in-app purchases | Free, no in-app purchases | Free; in-app purchases $0.99 to $8.99 | Free |
| Shorts tab and Home shelves | Gone (Standard) | Hidden on youtube.com | Hidden on youtube.com | Home shelf hidden, per news reports |
| Can be dismissed in the moment | No prompt | No prompt | No prompt; optional 24-hour lock | Yes |
| Other platforms | Instagram; Facebook, X, Reddit in beta | Instagram, Facebook, X; blocks TikTok | YouTube only | |
| Devices | iPhone, iOS 16.0+ | iPhone, iOS 17.0+ (also on Apple silicon Macs) | iPhone, iPad, Mac; iOS 16.0+ | Any device with the app |
| App Store privacy label | Data Not Linked to You; analytics off unless you turn them on | Data Not Collected | Data Not Collected | Not applicable |
| US App Store ratings | New, no ratings yet | 4 ratings, 2.5 average | 4 ratings, 4.0 average | Not applicable |
Where StillTabs is better
- It feels like an app, not a browser tab. You open a YouTube icon on your Home Screen and land in YouTube without Shorts, with no Safari address bar and no extension to switch on per site.
- Nothing to set up per feature. Pick a mode and the Shorts tab and Home shelves go together.
- No permissions over your phone. No Screen Time access, no screen broadcast, no device management.
- Several accounts. Up to five sign-ins per platform.
- Instagram in the same place, with Reels and Explore removed and your DMs kept. Instagram without Reels.
Where Nope and Slowth are better
- A stricter privacy label. Both say Data Not Collected. StillTabs says Data Not Linked to You, because it can send analytics if you turn them on.
- More devices. Slowth runs on iPad and Mac too, Nope also runs on Apple silicon Macs, and Nope says the same controls exist as a free Chrome extension. StillTabs is iPhone only.
- Finer control. Nope has 17 separate toggles across Instagram and YouTube, including hiding comments and recommended videos.
- A lock you can't undo early. Slowth's strict mode keeps the restrictions you turned on for 24 hours, and it can block TikTok in Safari. StillTabs has no TikTok support.
- Open source and translated. Slowth's code is on GitHub and its App Store page lists 55 languages. StillTabs is English only.
- A few ratings already. StillTabs is new, with no ratings yet.
Which should you pick?
Already watch YouTube in Safari? Try Nope or Slowth. Want to tap a YouTube icon on your Home Screen and get YouTube without Shorts? Try StillTabs. Want to stay in the official app? Set the Shorts feed limit to zero and use Show fewer Shorts, knowing both can be overridden. For the wider picture, see can you turn off YouTube Shorts and all the apps we compared.
Common questions
Can you remove Shorts from the YouTube app on iPhone?
Not completely. The YouTube app has no setting to remove Shorts or the Shorts tab. The Shorts feed limit can be set to zero, but it is a reminder you can dismiss. To remove Shorts, use YouTube through an app such as StillTabs or a Safari extension such as Nope or Slowth.
Does setting the Shorts feed limit to zero remove Shorts?
No. YouTube's help page says a message appears when you reach the limit and you can dismiss or ignore it. News reports say the Shorts shelf on Home disappears at zero, but you can still watch Shorts after a prompt you can override.
Is there a YouTube app without Shorts for iPhone?
StillTabs shows YouTube inside its own app with the Shorts tab and the Shorts shelves on Home removed in Standard mode, and autoplay removed. It is free, with no in-app purchases, no ads and no account needed. It is new, with no ratings yet.
Do Safari extensions remove Shorts from the YouTube app?
No. Nope and Slowth hide Shorts on youtube.com in Safari. Slowth has a separate mode that uses screen recording to spot Shorts in the official app, and then blocks the whole app with Screen Time.
Can I keep my YouTube subscriptions without Shorts?
Yes. Sign in on Google's own page inside StillTabs and your subscriptions stay, without the Shorts tab. Nope can also open youtube.com on Subscriptions in Safari.
Who wrote this comparison?
The makers of StillTabs. Facts were checked on 8 November 2026 against YouTube Help, the US App Store pages of Nope, Slowth and StillTabs, and the Nope and Slowth websites. If something has changed, tell us and we will fix it.
StillTabs is free on the App Store, for iPhone. No subscription, no in-app purchases, no account. iOS 16 or later.
Sources
- YouTube Help: Set a Shorts feed limit: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/16671528?hl=en
- YouTube Help: manage recommendations, "Show fewer Shorts": https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/6342839?hl=en
- Tubefilter: the Shorts limit at zero, 16 April 2026: https://www.tubefilter.com/2026/04/16/youtube-take-a-break-shorts-feed-time-limit/amp/
- StillTabs on the App Store (price, privacy label): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6761367777
- Nope on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6768192042
- Nope ratings and version (App Store lookup): https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=6768192042&country=us
- Nope website: https://nope-app.com
- Slowth on the App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/id6764140763
- Slowth ratings and version (App Store lookup): https://itunes.apple.com/lookup?id=6764140763&country=us
- Slowth website: https://malina.page/slowth/