Last year I built an Android app to block Reels and Shorts while keeping "healthy" features like stories and DMs. I didn't want to block the whole app. I just wanted to message friends and see their posts without losing an hour scrolling on Reels. For context, this was the HN post for the Android version: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44923520

When people asked for an iOS version, I thought it was not possible. Apple is way more restrictive and doesn't allow that level of app access.

But I ended up building the iOS app using a different approach. On iOS, it uses WebApps. It's not exactly the same experience as the native app, but it works surprisingly well.

I also combined it with iOS Shortcuts to auto-redirect the native apps to WebApps, so I can keep Instagram installed for notifications but get sent to the WebApp without Reels and any feed when I tap.

Curious what you think, especially about the WebApp approach on iOS.