Is minulo safe? What it can see, what it can't, and its limits (2026)
minulo has no account and never receives your social media password: you sign in on each network's own website inside the app. It sends only anonymous usage data and error reports to an analytics tool (PostHog), tied to a random ID rather than to you. When you block apps with Screen Time, Apple gives minulo opaque tokens, so it can't see which apps you picked. Here is everything it sends and stores, how to delete it, and what minulo can't do.
This page is written by the developer of minulo (Ayumu Kitabayashi). Facts about minulo come from its privacy policy and support page, facts about Screen Time from Apple's developer documentation, and the privacy labels from the US App Store, checked on 2026-10-23.
| Item | Does minulo get it? | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Your social media ID and password | No | You type them on the network's own sign-in page, and they go straight to that network. minulo does not receive, store or send them to the developer. |
| Login cookies | Stay on your iPhone | Kept in the storage area iOS gives each app. Other apps and the developer can't read them. |
| Pages you view, what you type, your DMs | Not sent | The script minulo adds to a page reads the text on screen to spot things like suggested posts, but it doesn't save or send that text. |
| Which apps you chose to block | Can't see | Apple hands minulo opaque tokens instead of app names. |
| Your records (which network you opened and when, how many times you turned back, settings) | Only on your iPhone | The developer has no way to view them. If iCloud Backup is on, they are included like any other app's data. |
| Anonymous usage data | Sent to PostHog | Kinds of actions (app opened, a block started), which network and which entry (Reels, Shorts) you turned back from, app and device language, region setting, iOS version, paywall steps, and the optional age range and "how did you hear about us" answers from setup. Tied only to a random ID the app makes. |
| Error reports | Sent to PostHog | Sent after removing URLs, @names and email addresses. |
| Whether you came from an App Store search ad | Checked once | Asked from Apple (AdServices) on first launch. No advertising identifier is used. |
| Name, email address, location, advertising identifier | Not collected | No ad SDK, and no tracking across other companies' apps or websites. |
How does signing in work?
minulo shows the website of the network you choose (for example instagram.com) inside the app, and you sign in on that site's own page. Your ID and password go straight to the network. minulo's connection to each network is the same one a browser makes and does not pass through a minulo server. As full pages, the app opens only the 10 supported networks and the Google and Apple sign-in pages. Embedded frames such as reCAPTCHA checks are allowed so that sign-in works.
Two-step verification works the way it normally does on that network.
What does the Screen Time permission let minulo see?
Blocking the official Instagram, YouTube or TikTok app uses Apple's Screen Time (Family Controls) permission. When you pick apps in Apple's app picker, Apple gives minulo tokens, not names. Apple's documentation says: "To protect the user's privacy, FamilyActivitySelection holds opaque values that represent categories, applications, and web domains selected by the user."
minulo keeps those tokens on your iPhone and hands them back to Screen Time to lock the apps. It can't turn them back into app names, so the developer can't see which apps you chose. Apple's documentation also says that if you revoke the permission, the tokens it issued stop working.
What does the App Store privacy label say?
On the US App Store (checked 2026-10-23), minulo lists only Data Not Linked to You: Purchases (purchase history), Identifiers (device ID), Usage Data (product interaction, advertising data), Diagnostics (crash data, other diagnostic data) and Other Data. There is no Data Linked to You or Data Used to Track You section. "Advertising data" is the one-time check of whether you came from an App Store search ad. Apple notes that these labels come from the developer and are not verified by Apple.
Is there an account? Who runs the server?
There is no minulo account and no sign-up. The developer's only server is for "Refer a friend". It is contacted only when you use that feature, and it receives a referral code, a passphrase the app creates to check the code, and Apple's signed proof of purchase when a referred friend buys. No names, email addresses, social media accounts or pages you viewed are sent.
The Mac app and the Chrome and Safari extensions contain no analytics. In the iPhone app, the camera and microphone are used only when you take a photo or video in Snapchat inside minulo; it goes straight to Snapchat.
Notifications: what to expect
minulo itself sends no push notifications. Notifications from Instagram, TikTok and the rest come from their official apps. If you leave an official app unblocked, its notifications arrive as usual and you can reply inside minulo. While minulo blocks an official app with Screen Time, that app's notifications don't arrive.
How do I delete my data or stop using minulo?
- Delete the app. Everything minulo recorded on your iPhone is erased, and you are signed out of every network inside it.
- Remove the Screen Time permission. The tokens for the apps you chose stop working, so the blocks end.
- Chrome extension: its rule choices are kept in Chrome sync, separately from the iPhone. Check Chrome's settings too if you stop using it.
- Android waitlist: if you left your email address, write to workflowai.japan@gmail.com to have it deleted.
Hard Mode (Pro) makes turning blocks off take a few minutes on purpose, but you can delete minulo at any time.
What minulo can't do
- It can't change the official apps. On iPhone no app can edit what another app shows. Reels and Shorts are hidden only when you open the network inside minulo. To stop yourself from opening the official app, lock it with Screen Time.
- No notifications while an app is blocked, and minulo has none of its own.
- No Stories posting, voice messages or calls, because the web versions of these networks don't have them. "Take a break" opens the official app for the minutes you choose.
- Hidden parts can come back for a while when a network changes its screens. The hiding rules are checked every week.
- iPhone, Mac and Chrome/Safari only. There is no Android version yet.
- Free blocks last up to 2 hours (you can start another one right away). Schedules, longer blocks and Hard Mode are Pro.
- It is new. minulo launched in September 2026 and doesn't have enough US ratings for the App Store to show an average yet. It is not meant for children under 13.
How do other apps like this work?
SocialLite and UNDOOMED take the same basic approach as minulo: they show each network in their own in-app browser, and you sign in on the network's own website there. What each one collects is up to its developer, so the fairest comparison is the privacy label each developer gives Apple.
| App | Data Used to Track You | Data Not Linked to You |
|---|---|---|
| minulo | None listed | Purchase history, device ID, product interaction, advertising data, crash data, other diagnostic data, other data |
| SocialLite | Identifiers | Purchase history, user ID, device ID, advertising data, product interaction, email address, name, phone number |
| UNDOOMED | None listed | Device ID, product interaction, crash data |
US App Store, checked 2026-10-23. None of the three lists Data Linked to You. Labels are written by each developer and Apple does not verify them, so read the privacy policy of any app you sign in to.
Is minulo safe?
minulo has no account and never receives your social media ID or password: you sign in on each network's own website inside the app, and the connection does not go through a minulo server. It sends only anonymous usage data and error reports to PostHog, tied to a random ID rather than to you. Your records stay on your iPhone, and deleting the app erases them.
Is minulo legit?
Yes. minulo is on the App Store (seller: ayumu kitabayashi) and is made by ReliefNote, a sole proprietorship in Hokkaido, Japan, founded in July 2025 by Ayumu Kitabayashi. Hiding Reels and Shorts is free. It is a new app (September 2026), so it has few ratings so far.
Can minulo see my Instagram password?
No. You type your password on Instagram's own sign-in page shown inside minulo, and it is sent straight to Instagram. minulo does not receive, store or send your ID or password. Login cookies are kept in the storage iOS gives minulo, which other apps and the developer can't read.
Does minulo collect my data or track me?
It collects anonymous usage data (actions like starting a block, which network you turned back from, language and region settings, iOS version), error reports with URLs and names removed, and whether you came from an App Store search ad. It does not collect your name, email, location or advertising identifier, and it does not track you across other companies' apps or websites. Its App Store label lists only Data Not Linked to You.
Can minulo see which apps I block with Screen Time?
No. Apple gives apps opaque tokens for the apps you pick, to protect your privacy. minulo stores those tokens on your iPhone and passes them back to Screen Time, but it can't tell which apps they stand for.
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