How to use YouTube with only your subscriptions on iPhone (2026)
In the YouTube app on iPhone, Subs is a feed in the top bar of the Home tab that shows the newest videos from channels you subscribe to. YouTube's help says the app opens on the Home tab, and we could not find a setting that makes it open on Subs instead. Pausing watch history can remove Home recommendations, but the help says the top bar of feeds, Subs included, is not visible while history is paused. If you want subscriptions without the rest, minulo opens YouTube on Subscriptions with Home recommendations and Shorts hidden, for free.
Written by Ayumu Kitabayashi, the developer of minulo. Facts about YouTube come from YouTube Help pages listed below, checked on 2026-10-25. Menu names can change with app updates.
| Option | What it does | Limits |
|---|---|---|
| Subs feed (top bar of Home) | Shows the newest videos from channels you subscribe to, with a list of your channels at the top. | The app still opens on Home. You tap Subs each time. |
| Pause watch history | Home recommendations are removed once you have no relevant recent history. | The top bar of feeds, including Subs, is not visible while history is paused. |
| Not interested / Don't recommend channel | Tells YouTube which videos or channels you don't want. | Home keeps recommending other things. |
| Show fewer Shorts | Fewer Shorts on pages such as Home and Watch Next. | Fewer, not none. |
| minulo (free) | Opens YouTube on Subscriptions. Home recommendations and Shorts are hidden, and Subscriptions only also hides search and comments. | Only inside minulo. The official YouTube app does not change. |
Where the Subs feed is in the YouTube app
- Open the YouTube app. It opens on the Home tab.
- In the top bar of Home, tap Subs.
- Tap a channel picture at the top to go to that channel.
YouTube's help describes Subs as the feed with the newest videos from the channels you're subscribed to, with a list of your subscribed channels at the top. The same top bar holds other feeds, such as Music, Live and, in the US in English, custom feeds.
Why turning off history is not the same as subscriptions only
A common tip is to pause watch history so Home has nothing to recommend. YouTube's help does say Home recommendations are removed when you have no relevant recent history and have said you don't want recommendations based on it.
The help page on feeds adds a catch: feeds and the top bar are not visible if your watch history is paused or turned off. Subs is in that top bar, so pausing history to empty Home also takes away the Subs feed in the app. YouTube's help doesn't describe another way to reach it while history is off. See what happens to Home when watch history is off.
Cutting down what Home shows
If you keep history on and use Subs, you can still trim Home. Tap More (⋮) next to a video and choose Not interested, or Don't recommend channel for a channel you don't want. To see fewer Shorts, scroll to a grid of Shorts on Home, tap More at the top of the grid, and tap Show fewer Shorts. These change what you get. Home keeps recommending.
What minulo does and doesn't do
minulo is an iPhone app that opens YouTube's official website inside the app, starting on Subscriptions. With the gear next to YouTube you can choose Subscriptions only, which hides Shorts, Home recommendations, comments, channel posts and search. Videos from your subscriptions still play. If you want to keep search, choose Hide Shorts and recommendations instead. Your watch history can stay on. Hiding is free.
The official YouTube app itself does not change. minulo can lock it with Screen Time, free for up to 2 hours per block. While it is locked, its notifications don't arrive, and minulo sends none of its own. minulo Pro adds schedules by day and time, longer blocks, Hard Mode and multiple block lists. There is no Android version. minulo is made by the author of this page.
Can I make the YouTube app open on Subscriptions?
We could not find a setting for that in YouTube's help as of October 2026. The help says the app opens on the Home tab, and Subs is a feed you tap in the top bar of Home.
Where is the Subscriptions tab in the YouTube app?
YouTube's help for iPhone describes it as the Subs feed in the top bar of the Home tab. It shows the newest videos from channels you subscribe to and a list of your channels at the top.
Why did Subs disappear from the top bar?
YouTube's help on feeds says the feeds and the top bar are not visible if your watch history is paused or turned off. The help page points you to turning watch history back on.
Can I hide YouTube recommendations and keep subscriptions?
Not with a YouTube setting we could find that keeps Subs in place. In minulo, YouTube opens on Subscriptions with Home recommendations and Shorts hidden, and it's free.
Does minulo change the official YouTube app?
No. minulo shows YouTube's website inside its own app. It can lock the official app with Screen Time, and while it is locked, the official app's notifications don't arrive.
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