Forest app alternative: keep Reels and Shorts off after your focus timer ends (2026)
minulo hides Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts all day, not only during a timer, and your DMs keep working; hiding is free.
Forest grows a tree while you stay off your phone, and on iOS 16 or later it can block apps outside your Allow List during a focus session. When the session ends, Instagram and YouTube open as usual, Reels and Shorts included. Many students pair the two: Forest for the study block, minulo for the breaks and the evening.
Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about Forest come from its US App Store page, checked on 2026-11-02. We haven't tested Forest. Prices and features can change.
| Forest | minulo | |
|---|---|---|
| Main idea | A tree grows while you focus and withers if you leave early | Use Instagram, YouTube and TikTok without Reels, Shorts and For You |
| Blocks apps | Apps outside your Allow List during a session (iOS 16+); Time Guard blocks on a schedule | Locks the official apps you choose, free up to 2 hours per block |
| After the timer | Apps open as usual | Reels and Shorts stay hidden inside minulo |
| DMs | Blocked if Instagram isn't on the Allow List | Work inside minulo |
| Price (US App Store) | Free to download with in-app purchases, including subscriptions | Hiding is free. Pro is $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year |
What Forest does
The US App Store page for Forest: Focus for Productivity says: "Stay off your phone and a tree grows. Leave early and it withers." It lets you create Allow Lists to block distracting apps during focus sessions on iOS 16 or later, and its Time Guard can block apps on a schedule and limit when you can open them. Forest also plants real trees through a partnership with Trees for the Future.
Why Reels come back after a Forest session
A focus timer covers the time you planned to study. The pull to scroll usually comes in the gaps: the 10-minute break, the walk to class, the hour after you close your laptop. Once the session is over, Instagram opens on Reels again, and a five-minute break turns into forty. minulo works in those gaps. You open Instagram inside minulo to check messages, and the Reels tab and suggested posts are not there.
Use Forest for study blocks and minulo for the breaks
- Keep Forest for the session. Start a Forest session for your study block, with only the apps you need on the Allow List.
- Hide Reels and Shorts in minulo. Install minulo, sign in to Instagram and YouTube inside it, and turn off Reels, Explore, suggested posts and Shorts. Hiding is free.
- Lock the official apps. In minulo's Block tab, allow Screen Time and choose the official Instagram, YouTube or TikTok app. A free block lasts up to 2 hours.
- Check messages in minulo on breaks. During a break, open Instagram inside minulo to reply to DMs. The Reels feed isn't there to pull you in.
Both apps use iPhone Screen Time to block apps. We haven't tested them together, so if a block doesn't behave as you expect, try one at a time. minulo Pro (US $9.99 a month or $39.99 a year) adds blocks longer than 2 hours, schedules by day and time and Hard Mode.
Limits, so you can decide honestly: Reels and Shorts are hidden only inside minulo, and the official apps don't change. While minulo blocks an official app, that app's notifications don't arrive, and minulo sends none of its own. Posting Stories, voice messages and calls aren't available. minulo is for iPhone, with a Mac version that works in Safari and Chrome, and there is no Android version yet. It is new, with few ratings. See what minulo can't do.
Does Forest block apps on iPhone?
Yes. Its App Store page says Allow Lists block distracting apps during focus sessions on iOS 16 or later, and Time Guard can block apps on a schedule.
Does Forest stop Reels after the session?
No. When the session ends, Instagram and YouTube open as usual. minulo hides Reels and Shorts inside its own view all day.
Can I still use Instagram DMs during a Forest session?
Only if Instagram is on your Allow List, and then Reels are allowed too. With minulo, DMs work inside its view while Reels are hidden.
Is there a Forest alternative that blocks only Reels?
minulo hides Reels, Explore and suggested posts on Instagram and Shorts on YouTube, one item at a time, and keeps DMs, search and your following feed. It has no tree or timer.
Is Forest free?
Forest is free to download on the US App Store, with in-app purchases including monthly and annual subscriptions.
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