How to Block YouTube Shorts on iPhone (and What's Not Possible)

The honest answer first

Most people searching for this want to keep long YouTube videos (tutorials, lectures, podcasts) and lose Shorts, the endless vertical feed. Unfortunately, no network-level blocker can remove Shorts from inside the YouTube app on iPhone, whether it's NoorI, a router, or any DNS service. A Short and a 40-minute tutorial come from exactly the same servers (youtube.com and googlevideo.com). A DNS filter sees the server, not the video, so it can't tell them apart.

Products that claim otherwise either block all of YouTube or only work in a browser. The steps below are what actually works, starting with the strongest option that keeps long videos.

Step 1: Use YouTube's Shorts feed limit

YouTube added a built-in limit for the Shorts feed in the mobile app:

1. In the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, then the Settings gear.
2. Open Time management (on some accounts it's under General).
3. Find Shorts feed limit and choose the lowest limit available. Daily limits run from 15 minutes to 2 hours, and recent versions also let you set 0, which empties the Shorts feed straight away.

This is the only way to limit Shorts specifically inside the app. It's tied to your Google account, so it applies when you're signed in, and it's a setting you can change back yourself. It reduces the problem but won't hold firm on a bad night.

Step 2: Pick a setup you can live with

Setup A: block YouTube entirely (the firmest). If Shorts is a real compulsion rather than a mild annoyance, this is the option that works. With NoorI (Pro), add YouTube from the Apps tab. It blocks youtube.com, youtu.be, googlevideo.com, ytimg.com and yt3.ggpht.com, which covers the app, Safari and embedded players.

Setup B: YouTube at set times. Use the same rule with a schedule so YouTube only works in a window, such as 19:00–21:00, when you'd actually watch something long. Shorts are still there during that window, but they're no longer available at midnight.

Setup C: app off, browser on. Use Screen Time → App Limits to block the YouTube app (1 minute, Block at End of Limit), then watch YouTube in Safari with a Safari content-blocker extension from the App Store that hides Shorts. Add NoorI's YouTube Restricted Mode rule so mature videos stay filtered in every app. This keeps long videos and removes most Shorts, but the Shorts-hiding part depends on Screen Time and an extension, and you can turn both off.

Why can't a filter just block youtube.com/shorts?

To see the /shorts part of an address, a filter has to inspect the encrypted page request itself, not just the domain name. NoorI is piloting URL-path rules that do this, but they aren't generally available yet. Even when they are, they'll only work for browser traffic on a device with the NoorI certificate installed. Apps like YouTube use certificate pinning and their own internal endpoints, so path rules don't reach inside the app. Any tool that says it can block Shorts in the YouTube app at the network level is overstating what it does.

Setting up Setup A or B in NoorI

1. Enroll your iPhone with Cloudflare One (iPhone setup guide).
2. In Content Policy, create a rule, open the Apps tab and select YouTube.
3. Optionally add a schedule to allow YouTube during set hours.
4. Save, close the YouTube app, and reopen it to confirm.

Blocking a named app and scheduling are Pro features ($9.99/month, 7-day free trial). Note that YouTube Music runs on youtube.com as well, so blocking YouTube stops it too. Switch to another music app or allow it in a scheduled window.

Make it stick: Guardian Mode

Guardian Mode (Pro) adds a second person to the loop. You invite someone you trust, such as a partner, friend, sponsor or accountability buddy, from Settings → Guardian Mode. Once they accept and you switch it on, these changes need their approval: editing or deleting a rule, pausing protection, unlocking your profile, and disconnecting NoorI. Adding a new block never needs approval, because it only makes you safer.

When you ask to unlock, your guardian gets an email. Even if they approve, nothing opens right away. There is a mandatory delay of at least 4 hours (24 hours by default), then a 30-minute window to make changes, then everything locks again by itself. A request your guardian never answers expires after 48 hours. A guardian also can't be removed for the first 2 days after they accept, so you can't invite a second email address you own and quietly delete it.

If you choose Setup C, give your guardian the Screen Time passcode too, so the app limit and the content blocker can't be removed without them.

Blocking Shorts for a child?

Blocking this for a child instead? The same steps work, but a managed child profile with its own rules is a better fit than sharing your account. See setting different rules for different children.

Frequently asked questions

Can I block YouTube Shorts but keep YouTube on iPhone?

Not at the network level inside the YouTube app, because Shorts and regular videos come from the same servers. The closest options are YouTube's Shorts feed limit, or blocking the YouTube app with Screen Time and watching in Safari with a Shorts-hiding content blocker.

Does YouTube Restricted Mode remove Shorts?

No. Restricted Mode filters videos YouTube considers mature, in Shorts and elsewhere, but the Shorts feed stays.

Will blocking YouTube break videos embedded on other websites?

Yes. Embedded YouTube players load from the same domains, so they show an error while the block is active.

Is the Shorts feed limit enough on its own?

For mild overuse it often is. If you keep raising the limit or switching accounts, you need something that is harder to change, like a scheduled YouTube block with Guardian Mode.