How to turn on ShortBlocker on your Android phone

The steps, on any Android phone

1. Install ShortBlocker from Google Play and open it.
2. Switch on the app you want to block. The free plan blocks one app at a time; Premium blocks all five.
3. ShortBlocker shows a short notice about why it needs access. Read it and tap Open settings.
4. Android opens its Accessibility settings. Find ShortBlocker in the list of apps (where exactly depends on your phone, see below) and tap it.
5. Switch it on, then tap Allow when Android asks you to confirm.
6. Go back to ShortBlocker. Short videos in the app you chose are blocked from then on.

Google Pixel Samsung Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO OnePlus, Motorola, Oppo and others Keeping it on

Google Pixel

On a Pixel, and on other phones with a similar stock Settings app:

1. Open Settings, then Accessibility.
2. Under Installed apps (called Downloaded apps on older versions of Android), tap ShortBlocker.
3. Switch on Use ShortBlocker.
4. Tap Allow.

Samsung Galaxy

On Samsung phones running One UI:

1. Open Settings, then Accessibility.
2. Tap Installed apps (called Installed services on older versions of One UI and on tablets).
3. Tap ShortBlocker.
4. Switch it on, then tap Allow.

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO

On Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO phones running HyperOS or MIUI:

1. Open Settings, then Additional settings, then Accessibility.
2. Tap Downloaded apps (called Downloaded services on older versions of MIUI).
3. Tap ShortBlocker.
4. Switch it on and confirm. Android may ask you to wait a few seconds before the confirm button works.

Xiaomi phones also have a battery saver for each app. Open Settings, Apps, Manage apps, ShortBlocker, then set Battery saver to No restrictions and switch on Autostart.

OnePlus, Motorola, Oppo, Realme, Vivo and other phones

Phone makers rename these menus, but the route is the same:

1. Open Settings, then Accessibility. On some phones it is inside Additional settings.
2. Open the list of apps you have installed. It is called Installed apps, Downloaded apps or Downloaded services.
3. Tap ShortBlocker, switch it on and tap Allow.

Can’t find it? Use the search at the top of Settings and type “Accessibility”.

Keeping ShortBlocker switched on

ShortBlocker’s home screen shows when access is on. If it ever asks you to set up access again, tap it and switch the service back on.

Some phones, especially Samsung, Xiaomi, Oppo, Realme and Vivo, have battery settings that limit background apps. To keep ShortBlocker running, open Settings, Apps, ShortBlocker, Battery, and choose Unrestricted (or No restrictions).

To switch ShortBlocker off, go back to the same Accessibility screen and turn it off, or use the pause button in the app to pause blocking for up to 24 hours.

If a short video is ever missed, or something is blocked by mistake, tap Report a screen in the app (or Wrong? on the blocked notice). It takes two taps and we’ll fix it.

If the switch is greyed out

Android 13 and later can grey out the switch for an app that was installed from a downloaded file instead of Google Play. Installing from Google Play doesn’t need this.

If it happens, open Settings, Apps, ShortBlocker, tap the three dots at the top right, choose Allow restricted settings, then repeat the steps above. If you don’t see the three dots, try to switch the service on once first and then look again.

More guides

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• Block TikTok, keep friends’ videos
• Block YouTube Shorts, keep videos
• Block all of them at once
• ShortBlocker: features, plans and FAQ
• Interactive demo