4 ms·

Show HN: uBlock filter list to blur all Instagram Reels

125 points by shraiwi 7mo ago

A filter list for uBO that blurs all video and non-follower content from Instagram. Works on mobile with uBO Lite. related: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47016443 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47016443

apples_oranges 7mo ago
i was hoping Instagram would add a toggle to get rid of this stuff!
- xeckr 7mo ago
  Too bad that would hurt their bottom line.
- in_a_hole 7mo ago
  On the mobile app you can tap the Instagram logo and there's an option to show only posts from your follows. It's not sticky, unfortunately. Also if you're on android I recommend: distractionfreeapps.com/ They make a bootleg version of the app with the ability to remove certain feeds, e.g. reels, discover, stories
  - iib 7mo ago
    It's sticky on the web though: https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following
kgwxd 7mo ago
I did something similar for myself a few years ago: ||instagram.com^
hmokiguess 7mo ago
I don't use the app so I confess I'm a little confused, I saw your screenshot and it seems like the end result is just scrolling through nothing. Why would you want that? Isn't it better to just not open it altogether? Like, block the entire thing? Why scroll through a bunch of blur
- Forgeties79 7mo ago
  Same reason people use app timers when they can elect to not use the app instead.
- shraiwi 7mo ago
  The screenshot was to demonstrate what blocked posts look like. I scrolled past the posts of my friends since I didn't want to dox them, but organic posts do show up near the top of my feed. The goal isn't to scroll through nothing, but rather have a clean feed that shows me just my friends and nothing else.
  - SirMaster 7mo ago
    So why blur and not just hide?
    - yard2010 7mo ago
      It says in the post OP didn't want to fix the layout (and it is implied that empty space is less friendly than blurred content)
  - diath 7mo ago
    When you press "For you" at the top in the Instagram app (or the logo if it doesn't fully load), you can switch to "Following" and it will show you posts from only your friends from the past 30 days, and if you're using Instagram in the browser, you can bookmark https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following if you want it to be the default page you go to.
maurelius2 7mo ago
> I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was. Christ, I'm old.
varenc 7mo ago
From the gist: > I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was This sure makes me feel old. It's a great goal though. I miss the golden era of Facebook when it was really just friend content.
- sodapopcan 7mo ago
  It took a nosedive the day the news feed was released. I remember people were angry about it and it's one of those things that didn't just take getting used to, it still sucks all these years later.
kelnos 7mo ago
> I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was. Hell, you're trying to make Instagram be what Instagram used to be. Back in the early (pre-Meta) days, it was just a reverse-chronological feed of the posts from people you followed. A decent part of why I bailed on Instagram back in 2019 or so was because it had stopped being this for a while (posts reordered, some not even shown, so many ads).
- hbn 7mo ago
  You can still get a chronological feed if you tap the Instagram logo at the top and click "Following" But you can't turn that mode on as a default, and it essentially kicks you from the normal app hierarchy into a separate barebones screen. I find it's all for naught anyway because my friends have long since stopped making regular posts on Instagram, it's more common to use stories.
  - CincinnatiMan 7mo ago
    Do Stories show up differently than posts? Asking as someone that has not used Instagram beyond looking at a few specific profiles.
    - hbn 7mo ago
      Stories are the purpley-yellow rings at the top of the main page with people's profile pictures. Or if you go to their profile you'll see the ring around their profile picture. Stuff you post there stays viewable for 24 hours. Posts are the stuff that appears in the main feed and your profile permanently (unless you remove it manually) You can also get into the difference between posts are reels but... they've kinda fuzzied that over the years.
  - kelnos 7mo ago
    Right, you used to be able to do that with Facebook, too (haven't been on there in forever, don't know the current state), but, right, it would reset to the usual slop after a little while. This sort of garbage is just yet another reason why I don't want to be on these platforms. "Oh, you prefer it this way? No, fuck you, we know better as to what you want." > my friends have long since stopped making regular posts on Instagram, it's more common to use stories. Ugh. I don't know what my friends have been doing these days on Instagram, but the last thing I want to spend my day doing is watching short-form video clips posted by my friends. The photo stream (yes, with occasional short videos), was wonderful.
deafpolygon 7mo ago
My solution is rather simple: don’t use Instagram.
- spike021 7mo ago
  there are plenty of positive things that can come from using a platform like Instagram.
  - dylan604 7mo ago
    That's what they said about facebook. That's what they said about twitter. Not once has it actually been true for me.
  - deafpolygon 7mo ago
    name at least 10 things; if there’s plenty, this should be easy.
    - spike021 7mo ago
      sure. * made friends to meet up with locally in the bay area from multiple hobbies (roadtripping, photography). * made friends to meet up with in japan: * i've now made at least a couple dozen friends who i've visited for meals, road trips, baseball games. * been invited by other friends to come and take photos at their events and workspaces (like one works for a famous car tuner shop in Saitama and they asked if I could take photos of the owner as he fabricated parts for his race car) * made another friend who's an expat living in Japan who takes photos as a job for various tourism agencies/local governments who i've hung out with * made friends while in japan with people who also have shiba inu dogs and we keep in touch between visits using IG I could go on and on.
- HelloUsername 7mo ago
  > My solution is rather simple: don’t use Instagram. Then this post is not for you, why even comment
  - 7mo ago
gutafoki 7mo ago
I think this is already possible. You can snooze suggestions and then if you scroll to the top of Instagram, you can select "Following" instead of "For you". Maybe this is not possible in browsers though, I've only ever done this on my phone.
steadeepanda 7mo ago
[dead]
CarlJW 7mo ago
Great! The more solutions to filter unwanted content on the internet the better. Sometimes we find ourselves stuck having to use a particular platform because that's where the group chat is. I've had great success with Firefox and the Social Focus extension. Works on a number of different sites including YouTube, Reddit and Instagram. https://socialfocus.app/ https://socialfocus.app/
- hsuduebc2 7mo ago
  I would love have something like this on a phone but only solution which I thought of other than stop using the app is decompile whole app, remove the reels and recompile it again which is not very viable solution.
  - throawayonthe 7mo ago
    not that i love this solution but that's exactly what the revanecd project does here are their available patches for instagram: https://revanced.app/patches?pkg=com.instagram.android https://revanced.app/patches?pkg=com.instagram.android
    - solstice 7mo ago
      Whoa thank you!
    - hsuduebc2 7mo ago
      Thanks! Will try.
  - TheCapeGreek 7mo ago
    I use ScreenZen for mobile - it can block specifically short form content so you can stick to the actual social parts.
    - CarlJW 7mo ago
      I use timelimit.io for managing screen time. Nice granular controls and schedule based rules. I apply the 80/20 rule. 8 minutes allowed, followed by 2 minutes blocked. Then at night I reverse it. 2 minutes allowed, 8 minutes blocked. Just enough time to make one search query and then get off my phone. Or if I do get trapped by something, it's only for a short time. https://timelimit.io/en/ https://timelimit.io/en/
h4kunamata 7mo ago
Instead of using apps, use Brave browser and you will think that Instagram is a comepletely new social media. I run PiHole + Unbound + OPNSense firewall at home, everything is filtered, plus Brave browser shield filter. I also run GrapheneOS so I banned myself from using apps and use the mobile version instead, duuuuude, Instagram is actually usable. To upload videos however, I must use its app, duuuuude, it is just ADs, suggestions, shorts and shit. If people tried to use Instagram via Brave browser instead of the app, that alone would explain to you why I hate apps and how apps allow companies to push shit into you all.
- Larrikin 7mo ago
  Instead of promoting the Chrome ecosystem, you can just run Firefox with AdNauseum.
  - h4kunamata 7mo ago
    >promoting the Chrome ecosystem So sharing an opinion you do not agree with is now called "promoting"? WoW You no longer need to install extension that often are compromised, its Shield & Privacy is able to block YouTure Shorts and what not, no other browser does that or it does and Google find a way to bypass it. We do not have access to the Shield lists, so neither does Google. I used Firefox for years until it become useless, things might have changed now but too late. And because I do not agree with your pov, I won't call it promoting Firefox, you do whatever pleases you!!
    - Larrikin 7mo ago
      Yuck
  - TheCapeGreek 7mo ago
    Firefox has lost the plot, Orion is close but still has the odd UI bug that makes it tough to recommend, Safari is just Safari. There is no truly good, independent, feature complete browser out there right now if you want to avoid Chrome and have something that a) works and b) isn't hostile to the userbase. Brave at the very least said they'd keep supporting Manifest v2 extensions, though not sure how you'd acquire them anymore unless Chrome web store has kept the listings up.
permo-w 7mo ago
Does Instagram even have reels in the browser? If it has I've never noticed them
yarivk 7mo ago
[flagged]
TheCapeGreek 7mo ago
Nice. Love seeing simpler solutions like this pop up.

125 points by shraiwi 7mo ago

apples_oranges 7mo ago

i was hoping Instagram would add a toggle to get rid of this stuff!

xeckr 7mo ago
Too bad that would hurt their bottom line.
in_a_hole 7mo ago
On the mobile app you can tap the Instagram logo and there's an option to show only posts from your follows. It's not sticky, unfortunately. Also if you're on android I recommend: distractionfreeapps.com/ They make a bootleg version of the app with the ability to remove certain feeds, e.g. reels, discover, stories
- iib 7mo ago
  It's sticky on the web though: https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following

kgwxd 7mo ago

I did something similar for myself a few years ago: ||instagram.com^

hmokiguess 7mo ago

I don't use the app so I confess I'm a little confused, I saw your screenshot and it seems like the end result is just scrolling through nothing. Why would you want that? Isn't it better to just not open it altogether? Like, block the entire thing? Why scroll through a bunch of blur

Forgeties79 7mo ago
Same reason people use app timers when they can elect to not use the app instead.
shraiwi 7mo ago
The screenshot was to demonstrate what blocked posts look like. I scrolled past the posts of my friends since I didn't want to dox them, but organic posts do show up near the top of my feed. The goal isn't to scroll through nothing, but rather have a clean feed that shows me just my friends and nothing else.
- SirMaster 7mo ago
  So why blur and not just hide?
  - yard2010 7mo ago
    It says in the post OP didn't want to fix the layout (and it is implied that empty space is less friendly than blurred content)
- diath 7mo ago
  When you press "For you" at the top in the Instagram app (or the logo if it doesn't fully load), you can switch to "Following" and it will show you posts from only your friends from the past 30 days, and if you're using Instagram in the browser, you can bookmark https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following https://www.instagram.com/?variant=following if you want it to be the default page you go to.

maurelius2 7mo ago

> I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was. Christ, I'm old.

varenc 7mo ago

From the gist: > I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was This sure makes me feel old. It's a great goal though. I miss the golden era of Facebook when it was really just friend content.

sodapopcan 7mo ago
It took a nosedive the day the news feed was released. I remember people were angry about it and it's one of those things that didn't just take getting used to, it still sucks all these years later.

kelnos 7mo ago

> I'm trying to make Instagram be what my parents said Facebook was. Hell, you're trying to make Instagram be what Instagram used to be. Back in the early (pre-Meta) days, it was just a reverse-chronological feed of the posts from people you followed. A decent part of why I bailed on Instagram back in 2019 or so was because it had stopped being this for a while (posts reordered, some not even shown, so many ads).

hbn 7mo ago
You can still get a chronological feed if you tap the Instagram logo at the top and click "Following" But you can't turn that mode on as a default, and it essentially kicks you from the normal app hierarchy into a separate barebones screen. I find it's all for naught anyway because my friends have long since stopped making regular posts on Instagram, it's more common to use stories.
- CincinnatiMan 7mo ago
  Do Stories show up differently than posts? Asking as someone that has not used Instagram beyond looking at a few specific profiles.
  - hbn 7mo ago
    Stories are the purpley-yellow rings at the top of the main page with people's profile pictures. Or if you go to their profile you'll see the ring around their profile picture. Stuff you post there stays viewable for 24 hours. Posts are the stuff that appears in the main feed and your profile permanently (unless you remove it manually) You can also get into the difference between posts are reels but... they've kinda fuzzied that over the years.
- kelnos 7mo ago
  Right, you used to be able to do that with Facebook, too (haven't been on there in forever, don't know the current state), but, right, it would reset to the usual slop after a little while. This sort of garbage is just yet another reason why I don't want to be on these platforms. "Oh, you prefer it this way? No, fuck you, we know better as to what you want." > my friends have long since stopped making regular posts on Instagram, it's more common to use stories. Ugh. I don't know what my friends have been doing these days on Instagram, but the last thing I want to spend my day doing is watching short-form video clips posted by my friends. The photo stream (yes, with occasional short videos), was wonderful.

deafpolygon 7mo ago

My solution is rather simple: don’t use Instagram.

spike021 7mo ago
there are plenty of positive things that can come from using a platform like Instagram.
- dylan604 7mo ago
  That's what they said about facebook. That's what they said about twitter. Not once has it actually been true for me.
- deafpolygon 7mo ago
  name at least 10 things; if there’s plenty, this should be easy.
  - spike021 7mo ago
    sure. * made friends to meet up with locally in the bay area from multiple hobbies (roadtripping, photography). * made friends to meet up with in japan: * i've now made at least a couple dozen friends who i've visited for meals, road trips, baseball games. * been invited by other friends to come and take photos at their events and workspaces (like one works for a famous car tuner shop in Saitama and they asked if I could take photos of the owner as he fabricated parts for his race car) * made another friend who's an expat living in Japan who takes photos as a job for various tourism agencies/local governments who i've hung out with * made friends while in japan with people who also have shiba inu dogs and we keep in touch between visits using IG I could go on and on.
HelloUsername 7mo ago
> My solution is rather simple: don’t use Instagram. Then this post is not for you, why even comment
- 7mo ago

gutafoki 7mo ago

I think this is already possible. You can snooze suggestions and then if you scroll to the top of Instagram, you can select "Following" instead of "For you". Maybe this is not possible in browsers though, I've only ever done this on my phone.

steadeepanda 7mo ago

[dead]

CarlJW 7mo ago

Great! The more solutions to filter unwanted content on the internet the better. Sometimes we find ourselves stuck having to use a particular platform because that's where the group chat is. I've had great success with Firefox and the Social Focus extension. Works on a number of different sites including YouTube, Reddit and Instagram. https://socialfocus.app/ https://socialfocus.app/

hsuduebc2 7mo ago
I would love have something like this on a phone but only solution which I thought of other than stop using the app is decompile whole app, remove the reels and recompile it again which is not very viable solution.
- throawayonthe 7mo ago
  not that i love this solution but that's exactly what the revanecd project does here are their available patches for instagram: https://revanced.app/patches?pkg=com.instagram.android https://revanced.app/patches?pkg=com.instagram.android
  - solstice 7mo ago
    Whoa thank you!
  - hsuduebc2 7mo ago
    Thanks! Will try.
- TheCapeGreek 7mo ago
  I use ScreenZen for mobile - it can block specifically short form content so you can stick to the actual social parts.
  - CarlJW 7mo ago
    I use timelimit.io for managing screen time. Nice granular controls and schedule based rules. I apply the 80/20 rule. 8 minutes allowed, followed by 2 minutes blocked. Then at night I reverse it. 2 minutes allowed, 8 minutes blocked. Just enough time to make one search query and then get off my phone. Or if I do get trapped by something, it's only for a short time. https://timelimit.io/en/ https://timelimit.io/en/

h4kunamata 7mo ago

Instead of using apps, use Brave browser and you will think that Instagram is a comepletely new social media. I run PiHole + Unbound + OPNSense firewall at home, everything is filtered, plus Brave browser shield filter. I also run GrapheneOS so I banned myself from using apps and use the mobile version instead, duuuuude, Instagram is actually usable. To upload videos however, I must use its app, duuuuude, it is just ADs, suggestions, shorts and shit. If people tried to use Instagram via Brave browser instead of the app, that alone would explain to you why I hate apps and how apps allow companies to push shit into you all.

Larrikin 7mo ago
Instead of promoting the Chrome ecosystem, you can just run Firefox with AdNauseum.
- h4kunamata 7mo ago
  >promoting the Chrome ecosystem So sharing an opinion you do not agree with is now called "promoting"? WoW You no longer need to install extension that often are compromised, its Shield & Privacy is able to block YouTure Shorts and what not, no other browser does that or it does and Google find a way to bypass it. We do not have access to the Shield lists, so neither does Google. I used Firefox for years until it become useless, things might have changed now but too late. And because I do not agree with your pov, I won't call it promoting Firefox, you do whatever pleases you!!
  - Larrikin 7mo ago
    Yuck
- TheCapeGreek 7mo ago
  Firefox has lost the plot, Orion is close but still has the odd UI bug that makes it tough to recommend, Safari is just Safari. There is no truly good, independent, feature complete browser out there right now if you want to avoid Chrome and have something that a) works and b) isn't hostile to the userbase. Brave at the very least said they'd keep supporting Manifest v2 extensions, though not sure how you'd acquire them anymore unless Chrome web store has kept the listings up.

permo-w 7mo ago

Does Instagram even have reels in the browser? If it has I've never noticed them

yarivk 7mo ago

[flagged]

TheCapeGreek 7mo ago

Nice. Love seeing simpler solutions like this pop up.