YouTube is the platform for share videos most popular around the world. As of October 2023, it has almost 2.5 billion of monthly active users. But the competition is fierce. and proposals for shorter videos like Instagram or TikTok already have 2,000 and 1,218 million of active users per month. It is not surprising that YouTube launched Shorts, YouTube Shorts or YouTube Shorts. A alternative to long and horizontal video always in a vertical and shorter format. Hence the shorts in English.
But not all YouTube consumers are happy with YouTube Shorts. Precisely, if you consume videos from this platform instead of doing so on the competition, it is because you can see long-form content, between 15 minutes and two hours, on any topic imaginable. If you want short videos, you already have TikTok or Instagram. But YouTube wants to encompass both worlds. So that there is little we can do against.
However, all is not lost. There are ways to trick YouTube or tell it that we don’t want its Shorts. With some patience, you will be able to avoid them, reduce your visibility and who knows, maybe even hide them at all while you continue enjoying old YouTube content. But it’s not going to be easy, considering the changes that YouTube constantly makes. However, here are some tricks and tips to avoid YouTube Shorts.
Disable YouTube Shorts one by one
One way to end YouTube Shorts in its mobile version is hide them one by one. That is, we are going to tell YouTube that we are not interested in those videos. In this way, the app’s algorithm You will understand that we do not like videos that he proposes to us. And by hiding short videos, it will stop recommending them.
For hide YouTube Shortsone by one:
- Open the YouTube app on iOS or Android
- Scroll through the tab Start until you find the YouTube Shorts
- Tap the icon with three dots in the upper right corner of each Short
- Select the option I’m not interested
- Repeat these steps with each video
Delete YouTube Shorts row
The previous trick works for the YouTube app. But if you also suffer from Shorts on your desktop browser, in that case you can hide an entire series from one go of short videos. Which will save us time and effort compared to the steps to follow on your iPhone or Android mobile.
So, when you enter YouTube and scroll down until you find YouTube Shorts, simply click on the x or cross which you will see above to the right of that series of short videos. Goodbye to Shorts. At least, for now. And as the message you will see below says, “the shelf will be hidden for 30 days.”
The web version of YouTube on your mobile
This tip has to do with the previous one. If you access YouTube from an Android phone or tablet, iPhone or iPad, to get rid of YouTube Shorts you have to go one by one. However, in the web version this is not the case. At least for now. This means that you can access YouTube from your mobile web browser and hide YouTube Shorts with the push of a simple button.
This option has its advantages. The main, you delete an entire row of YouTube Shorts simply by tapping on the X or cross to the right of Shorts. The second advantage is the one we saw in the previous trick. As indicated in an informational message, hiding YouTube Shorts on the Home page has a duration of 30 days. So that time we gain to stop watching Shorts instead of long videos.
Use an old version of YouTube
If your Android mobile phone is already one or two years old, you may be able to go back to one old version of YouTube prior to the incorporation of YouTube Shorts. The key is to use the version before 14.13.54 of YouTube for Android. This version is the first to add YouTube Shorts. so you should use YouTube 14.12.56 or earlier to forget about them.
This trick is not 100% effective, since your phone may come with a later version of YouTube than the ones we have mentioned. But by trying, you don’t lose anything. To uninstall YouTube updates and go back to version that your mobile phone had from the factory, you will have to follow the following steps:
- Opens Settings from android
- Go into Apps either Applications
- Tap on YouTube to enter its profile
- Check which version you have installed. It’s below everything
- Now click on the three dots in the upper right corner
- Choose the option Uninstall updates
- When it finishes, you will see that the installed version is older than the one you saw before
Install an alternative YouTube client
Another exclusive trick for Android. In this operating system there are many alternative and unofficial applications that you can use instead of the official app. An example is YouTube. If you want to avoid Shorts, you can try applications like NewPipe or SmartTube. Among other things, they add improvements to the official client. And they avoid uncomfortable news such as advertising or YouTube Shorts.
To install these apps you will have to go to their official website and download their APK installer. To do this you will have to give your Android web browser permission to download and subsequently install. This has its risks, since these installers They do not go through Google Play surveillance. So try to make sure that the installer is the official one. In exchange, you will be able to enjoy YouTube content and avoid YouTube Shorts.