Instagram without Reels on iPhone: SocialFocus and the other solutions
The iPhone doesn't let you modify the Instagram app. So the solution that works best goes through Safari: SocialFocus, an extension that hides Reels on Instagram's website. Here is how to go about it, and what you should know first.
In short. SocialFocus works well, but only in Safari: you use Instagram's website instead of the app. That's the compromise to accept on iPhone.
Installing SocialFocus, step by step
- Install SocialFocus: Hide Distractions from the App Store. It's a paid app.
- Open the iPhone's Settings, then the Safari section, then Extensions. Turn on SocialFocus and allow it on instagram.com. Depending on your version of iOS, Safari is either directly in Settings or under Apps.
- Open instagram.com in Safari and log in.
- In the extension's settings, choose what to hide: Reels, the feed, stories, Explore.
- With Safari's Share button, choose Add to Home Screen: Instagram gets its own icon, without Reels.
- Delete the Instagram app, or move it to the App Library. Otherwise, the reflex will come back.
Its limits
- It only works in Safari, not in the Instagram app: it says so in black and white on its App Store page.
- Instagram's website does slightly fewer things than the app, especially for posting.
- It's paid, and some options are reserved for its Pro version.
The other solutions on iPhone
- Other Safari extensions, such as Short Video Hider, only hide short videos, Reels and Shorts, and leave the rest.
- Dull is an app that opens Instagram in its own browser, without Reels.
- Screen Time, in Settings, lets you set a daily limit for Instagram. It can be pushed back with one tap, but it helps you become aware of the time spent.
- Black and white, set to turn on only in Instagram thanks to the Shortcuts app: the method is in Turn Instagram black and white.
What about Livetime?
Livetime is a home screen, and the iPhone doesn't let you change yours: it only works on Android. If you have an Android phone, or if you switch to one, Instagram custom removes Reels without going through the browser: see the Android method.
Frequently asked questions
Does SocialFocus work in the Instagram app?
No. SocialFocus is a Safari extension: it works on the instagram.com website opened in Safari, not on the app.
Can you remove Reels in the Instagram app on iPhone?
No. Neither Instagram nor the iPhone offers a setting for it. You can only see fewer of them with the “Following” feed and by snoozing suggested posts.
Written by Emile Clement, a student and the creator of Livetime, after two years of testing almost every screen-time solution out there.
