adrianhacar

I built some time ago ScrollGuard (https://scrollguard.app) that tackles this same problem from two different angles for Android and iOS.

On Android has been on the Play Store for over a year. Instead of injecting CSS/JS into a webview, it uses Android's AccessibilityService to detect reels/shorts directly in the native apps and block them. You keep using Instagram, YouTube, etc. normally as native apps, no WebView.

On iOS: It uses Content Blockers. The rules run at the WebKit level with zero data access, the extension literally cannot see what you browse, it just receives the filter rules and applies them. No JS injection, no network requests. It also has an app redirection feature: you set up an iOS Shortcut so that when you tap the native Instagram/YouTube app, it automatically opens the filtered web version with all the blocking rules applied. So you never accidentally land in the native app and you can keep the native app for notifications.

Thanks! Yeah, iOS is more restrictive, but the webapp workaround works really well.

Thanks a lot! If you have any suggestion or feedback, let me know

The sites I host on Cloudflare are all down. Also, even ChatGPT was down for a while, showing the error: "Please unblock challenges.cloudflare.com to proceed."

Thanks a lot! You can upgrade to the Pro version in the app, it’s a one-time payment for lifetime access to some extra features. If you have something else in mind, feel free to email me!

Awesome! Feel free to email me at scrollguard [at] breakthescroll.com and I’ll add you when I have a beta ready.

It only works on the YouTube native app for the moment

I understand the privacy concerns. I did my best to address it here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44943215. I completely agree with your second point.

Sure!, you can download the app here: https://scrollguard.app/

Thanks, glad you like it! I’m not planning to open source it, at least in the short term

This is a good point, I will try to find a solution. Currently, it's able to whitelist Reels from the DM feed, and it will block the rest as soon as you start scrolling, I'll see how to do this for normal posted reels.

Thanks! I haven't seen any issue with battery or performance. But if you find any problem, feel free to drop me an email and I'll take a look

At the moment, it works only for the YouTube native app, but I'm considering extending the functionality to web browsers.

With ScrollGuard, besides the AntiReels feature, there is the "AntiScroll mode" where you can set scrolling limits on any app. So technically, it would work for HN and any subreddit as well.

This might be useful for you: https://pi-hole.net/. You can set your own DNS server at home and block specific domains

No need for a VPN, it uses the Android Accessibility Service

I partially agree. I think, first, it's necessary to make a commitment to breaking the addiction, and then raise the level of awareness in order to follow through with that commitment. I believe an app can help detect addictive triggers and help a person move from an "impulsive and automatic mental state" to a "state of awareness."

For Android I did it using the Accessibility Service API, iOS doesn't provide any similar API, the platform itself is much more restricted. So I think is technicaly not possible

I didn't know this one, thanks!

The best way I can explain it's that sometimes I had willpower, but I lacked the awareness needed to actually use it. For example, when I was studying, I used to automatically take a break and open Instagram and start watching Reels, it was just a reflex. Now, I have a barrier that makes me aware of what I'm doing, so from this "awareness", is easier to to enforce willpower

I understand your point.

The short answer is that, indeed, it comes down to trust, and I really understand and respect your perspective.

The long answer is that it's very unlikely this trust would be broken. Let me explain:

Firstly, the accessibility service doesn’t provide anything close to "full control." It’s just an API provided by Android that gives accessibility events, like changes in the screen layout and the UI nodes present on the screen to infer the type of content shown (Reels in my case). You can check online for details on accessibility events. It's nothing like a constant screen recording where the app gets all your data.

Also, Google is very strict with these permissions. When you publish an app on the Play Store, you need to clearly disclose why you're using those permissions. If you do something wrong or try to abuse this, they will take your app down. Anyone who values their reputation wouldn’t attempt something like this just to sell some user data.

Lastly, ScrollGuard doesn’t need to connect to any server to work!, all the detection happens on the device. So, if you want to be extra cautious, you can always go to your phone settings and block internet access to ScrollGuard. It will still work, and without internet access is imposible to export any data.

If you want even more control and just need a solution for Instagram, you can modify the app yourself. I wrote an article a couple of years ago on how to do this here: https://breakthescroll.com/block-reels-instagram/