Block Instagram Reels and keep your DMs

ShortBlocker is a free Android app that leaves Instagram Reels as soon as one opens and leaves the rest of Instagram alone. Your messages, feed, Stories, search and profiles keep working, and a Reel a friend sends you in a message still plays so you can watch it and reply.

Updated 4 November 2026. For ShortBlocker 1.3.0 on Android 8 or later.

How to block Reels on Instagram

Install ShortBlocker from Google Play.
Open it and switch on Instagram.
Tap Open settings, find ShortBlocker in Android’s Accessibility list, switch it on and tap Allow. The setup guide has the exact menus for Google Pixel, Samsung, Xiaomi and other phones.

That’s all. Open Instagram as usual: when a Reel opens, ShortBlocker steps you out of it.

What keeps working in Instagram

Messages. Your inbox and chats are not blocked.
Reels friends send you. A Reel sent to you in a message plays, so you can watch it and reply. If you swipe on to the recommended Reels after it, ShortBlocker blocks them.
Feed, Stories, search and profiles. Only Reels are blocked.

Websites aren’t covered: ShortBlocker works in the Instagram app, not in a web browser.

Free or Premium?

The free plan blocks one app at a time, so you can choose Instagram and change it whenever you like. Premium blocks Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat and X at the same time, and adds Tap to watch (the Reel you tap plays, scrolling on is blocked), allowing Reels you searched for, allowed creators, schedules, a daily allowance and strict mode. Videos friends send you play on both plans, and Premium can block those too. Both have no ads and no account. Premium costs about a dollar a month on the yearly plan: in the US, $12.99 a year or $1.99 a month, with a 7-day free trial. See the plans.

If a short video is ever missed, or something is blocked by mistake, you can report it: tap Wrong? on the blocked notice, or use the Report a page button in your quick settings. Here is how to report a miss or a mistake.

Questions

How do I block Instagram Reels but keep Instagram DMs?

Install ShortBlocker, switch on Instagram and allow accessibility access. Reels are blocked when they open, and your messages, feed, Stories, search and profiles keep working.

Can I still watch a Reel a friend sends me on Instagram?

Yes. A Reel sent to you in a message plays, so you can watch it and reply. If you swipe on to the recommended Reels after it, ShortBlocker blocks them.

Does ShortBlocker block Instagram Stories?

No. Stories, the feed, search and profiles keep working. Only Reels are blocked.

Does it block Reels in a web browser?

No. ShortBlocker works in the Instagram app. Websites in a web browser aren’t blocked.