How to use YouTube with search only, without the Home feed (iPhone, 2026)
minulo can leave only the search box on YouTube Home on iPhone, for free: open YouTube inside minulo and turn on Everything on home but search.
YouTube's own way is to delete and turn off your watch history. Its help says that if you don't want video recommendations on Home, you can do that, and recommendations on Home are removed once there is no relevant recent history. The catch is that your history stops being saved. minulo's switch works only inside minulo, so the official YouTube app doesn't change.
- Install minulo, tap Add a service and choose YouTube.
- Tap the gear next to YouTube and turn on Everything on home but search. Shorts and Comments can be hidden the same way.
- Search, Subscriptions and Watch later open straight from the minulo home screen.
- In the Block tab, choose the official YouTube app, free for up to 2 hours per block.
Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about YouTube come from the YouTube Help pages listed below, checked on 2026-11-02. Menu names can change with updates.
YouTube’s way: delete and turn off watch history
YouTube's help on recommendations says: "If you don't want video recommendations on Home, you can delete and turn off your watch history." Its watch history page says that when you have no relevant or significant recent watch history and have turned it off, features like recommendations on the YouTube homepage are removed.
To pause watch history on iPhone: sign in to the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, tap Settings, then Manage all history, tap the Controls tab and unselect Include the YouTube videos you watch. For what else changes on Home, see what happens to Home when you turn off watch history.
What that costs you
Videos you watch stop being saved to your history, so finding something you watched last week gets harder. If you still have plenty of recent history, pausing alone may not empty Home, which is why YouTube pairs it with deleting. We found no setting in YouTube's help that hides Home while keeping your history.
Search-only YouTube with minulo
minulo opens YouTube's own website inside the app and hides the items you turn on. Everything on home but search leaves only the search box on Home. Home recommendations is a lighter option, and Shorts and Comments are separate switches. Search, Subscriptions and Watch later open from the minulo home screen. Your watch history can stay on. Hiding is free with no time limit.
In the Block tab you can lock the official YouTube app with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block. Schedules and Hard Mode are in minulo Pro.
Limits, so you can decide honestly: hidden parts 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. 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.
Can you hide the YouTube Home feed on iPhone?
Not with a switch in the YouTube app, as far as YouTube's help shows. Deleting and turning off watch history removes Home recommendations. In minulo, Everything on home but search leaves only the search box, for free.
Why is my YouTube Home page empty?
If your watch history is off and you have little or no recent history, YouTube removes recommendations from Home. Turning history back on brings them back as you watch.
Do I have to turn off watch history to use minulo’s search-only Home?
No. minulo hides Home inside minulo, so your history can stay on.
Can I still see my subscriptions?
Yes. Subscriptions and Watch later open straight from the minulo home screen.
Does minulo change the official YouTube app?
No. Home is hidden only inside minulo. To stay out of the official app, lock it in the Block tab, free for up to 2 hours per block.
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