Watch one.
Then stop.
Bloom is a free, open-source Android app that stops Instagram Reels doomscrolling. The reels your friends send still play.
How to block Instagram Reels, quietly.
Bloom is an Android accessibility service. It watches only Instagram and steps in the moment a Reel viewer opens from the wrong place. Choose a way in:
How much time does doomscrolling cost you?
Drag to your daily Reels time. It adds up faster than it feels.
That is 0 months over ten years.
How to stop doomscrolling: 5 steps that work
Willpower loses to infinite scroll. Change the setup instead.
- Name your trigger. Boredom, bedtime, a queue? Notice when the scroll starts.
- Remove the shortcut. Take away the Reels tab and the next-video swipe. Bloom does this for you on Android.
- Keep the social part. Friends' reels still play, one at a time, so you can react without falling in.
- Move the phone. Charge it away from your bed and out of reach during meals.
- Replace, don't just remove. Pick one thing for those minutes: a book, a walk, a call.
Two minutes. Once.
After this it keeps running by itself. Tap a step.
Does my data leak? No.
Bloom can't send anything off your phone, and you can check that yourself.
Accessibility is a powerful permission. Install Bloom only from this page or its GitHub repo.
Download the Bloom Android app.
Android 8 or newer. One tap, direct download. No account, no store.
Desktop extension: unzip it, open chrome://extensions (or edge://extensions), turn on Developer mode, choose Load unpacked.
On a computer?
Scan with your phone to download.
Android may warn about apps from outside the Play Store. Tap Install anyway.
Questions about stopping doomscrolling
How do I stop doomscrolling on Instagram Reels?
Remove the easy path instead of relying on willpower. Bloom does this on Android: the Reels tab, Explore reels and profile reels are blocked, and a reel from a friend plays once with no next video. Pair it with phone-free bedtimes and fewer notifications.
Is there an app that blocks Instagram Reels but keeps messages and Stories?
Yes. Bloom is a free Android app that leaves Stories and messages alone and only steps in when a Reel viewer opens from somewhere other than a chat.
Can I still watch reels my friends send me?
Yes. A reel opened from a chat plays, and you can like and reply. If you swipe to the next one, Bloom takes you back to the reel you came for.
Does Bloom work on iPhone?
No. Bloom is Android only, because iOS doesn't let apps watch or control other apps this way. A desktop extension for Chrome, Edge and Firefox is available on this page.
Does Bloom collect my data or leak anything?
No. The app asks for no internet permission, so Android won't let it connect. It reads Instagram's screen structure in memory to spot the Reel viewer, and only stores an on/off switch and a daily count.
Is Bloom free and open source?
Yes. Bloom is free, has no ads or account, and the source code is public on GitHub. The APK on this site is built from that code.
How do I install Bloom?
Download Bloom.apk, open it and allow installs from your browser if asked. Then turn Bloom on in Settings, Accessibility, and set its battery to Unrestricted. The in-app guide walks you through it in about two minutes.
Could using Bloom affect my Instagram account?
Bloom doesn't log in, call Instagram's servers or change the Instagram app. It uses Android's accessibility service on your own phone, the way many focus apps do. Instagram's terms discourage modifying its service, so there are no guarantees from their side.