Mello: Shorts & Reels Blocker

Stop doomscrolling without deleting your apps. Mello is a Shorts and Reels blocker that limits only the short-video feed: Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and TikTok get a few minutes each, while your DMs, normal YouTube videos and the rest of your phone keep working.

Why Mello is different
Most app blockers lock the whole app, so people switch them off: Instagram is also where friends message you, and YouTube is also where you learn things. Mello tells the difference. It counts only the minutes you spend inside the Reels or Shorts player, so a tutorial or a chat never eats into your limit. Less social media addiction, no lost messages.

How it works
• Pick your apps: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and X are built in
• Give each one its own screen time limit (10 minutes by default)
• A small floating counter shows the minutes left while you scroll
• Run out and Mello sends you home and starts a curfew for that app only (1 hour by default). Then its minutes come back
• Need a moment? Once per curfew, watch a short ad for 5 more minutes

See where your time goes
• Minutes left for each app on the Today screen
• A day-by-day calendar of your short-video time
• Charts over 7 days, 2 weeks, 1 month or 3 months, split by app
• Streaks for days you stay under your limits, a digital detox habit you can see
• Mello the owl cheers you on as you get close to your limit: calm, never shaming

For families and shared phones
• Optional PIN locks your limits and settings
• Optional "ask before uninstalling" makes Mello harder to remove
• English, Bahasa Indonesia and Arabic

Free, or Mello Pro
Free covers Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, TikTok and X, plus one more app of your choice, with every feature included. TikTok, X and apps you add are timed as a whole. Mello Pro is a monthly subscription that lets you limit up to 10 more apps, such as games or other social apps, and removes ads.

Private by design
Mello checks only whether a short-video player is on screen, never what you watch, type or send. Your limits and history stay on your device and are deleted when you uninstall. No account, no sign-in. The free version shows ads from Google AdMob, and anonymous usage statistics are collected with Firebase Analytics; see the privacy policy.

Why Mello needs Accessibility
Mello uses Android's Accessibility Service only to detect which app is in front and when the Reels or Shorts player is on screen in the apps you choose, so it can count that time and start a curfew at your limit. Nothing it sees leaves your phone. Mello is a focus and digital wellbeing tool, not a parental control lock: anyone with the phone can turn its Accessibility Service off.

Made by OneDiv Labs, a small independent studio. Questions or ideas: [email protected]