i will never pay to not access apps on my phone. On iOS i use ublock origin and userscripts to block all shorts and ads.
Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
61–70 of 131 posts
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#62please add wechat (without short videos)
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#63Doing this as a browser extension is one thing, but selling an interface to Instagram and YouTube sounds like it's very risky. What's your basis for thinking this will work long term? I see you're selling yearly or lifetime subscriptions, suggesting you think the product can exist. There have been many attempts at this in the past that have been taken down, why is Dull different?
In the same vein as adblocking, the fundamental question here is, does a service have the right to control how you DON'T use their service? Are you legally obligated to be mentally influenced by adverts and cannot close your eyes or look away? I'd love to see the EFF or similar take on Big (Ad)tech and settle this in court. They've gone after youtube-dl and lost, Invidious is still there, etc. A somewhat related lega…
It might not be illegal (criminal) to use a tool like Dull or an ad-blocker, but it is almost certainly a violation of the platform tos. This means the platform (Instagram/YouTube) can legally ban your account or block your IP address for using such tools, even if they can't successfully sue the tool's creator in court.
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#64Earlier quoted context omitted.
How?
I can't tell if this is a good faith question, but in the interests of good discussion, there are many ways they can do this. Technical solutions include blocking the user agent, blocking request patterns, client-side feature detection, client-side attestation, but importantly they are not limited to technical solutions, there are also things like cease and desist letters, breaches of contracts, pressure on the softw…
Personally I think the technical solutions are unrealistic, given this is nothing but a safari wrapper.
Legal methods may be more successful.
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#65Doing this as a browser extension is one thing, but selling an interface to Instagram and YouTube sounds like it's very risky. What's your basis for thinking this will work long term? I see you're selling yearly or lifetime subscriptions, suggesting you think the product can exist. There have been many attempts at this in the past that have been taken down, why is Dull different?
Selling it is one thing. Making it a subscription is just crazy to me.
It probably will require constant support to keep filtration working. These big companies don’t like content cutters at all.
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#66Doing this as a browser extension is one thing, but selling an interface to Instagram and YouTube sounds like it's very risky. What's your basis for thinking this will work long term? I see you're selling yearly or lifetime subscriptions, suggesting you think the product can exist. There have been many attempts at this in the past that have been taken down, why is Dull different?
Why does it have to work long term? Claude Code probably built it in 2 hours. Sell it for as long as it works. If it provides some value to some people during that time, good for them.
Interesting perspective! Are we in the „fast fashion“ period of software now?
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#67i like this idea, especially for the parent who dont want their kids to watch reels/shorts of the instagram and youtube apps.
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#68Sounds like a good project, I also hate that Instagram pushes algorithm-driven content into your face everywhere without any options to turn it off, it's good to fight against these toxic dark design patterns. Can also recommend using Instagram with the IGPlus web extension. Or for a native Android version there's also DFinstagram. For YouTube there are many web extensions as well. On Android the YouTube ReVanced pat…
Android has good patches for everything except X thanks to Elon's meddling. There's a cumbersome workaround but I'm just choosing to use it within brave, or other PWAs offerings.
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#69Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Sell it for as long as it works. I agree with this in principle, but this seems conceptually at odds with selling lifetime licenses (which this product does). The lifetime license option reads like a statement of intention that they'll be around for a long time, but when the TOS of the underlying services come into play as they do here, offering (or buying) a lifetime license seems like a gamble.
How about: The creator is trying to make some money and is not super concerned with the long view. For-profit activist software.
It's still questionably legal (at least here in Europe) to sell a yearly subscription for something and then have it stop working halfway through the year.
They should probably care about not getting sued so easily.
Re: Show HN: Dull – Instagram Without Reels, YouTube Without Shorts (iOS)
#70Earlier quoted context omitted.
In the same vein as adblocking, the fundamental question here is, does a service have the right to control how you DON'T use their service? Are you legally obligated to be mentally influenced by adverts and cannot close your eyes or look away? I'd love to see the EFF or similar take on Big (Ad)tech and settle this in court. They've gone after youtube-dl and lost, Invidious is still there, etc. A somewhat related lega…
It might not be illegal (criminal) to use a tool like Dull or an ad-blocker, but it is almost certainly a violation of the platform tos. This means the platform (Instagram/YouTube) can legally ban your account or block your IP address for using such tools, even if they can't successfully sue the tool's creator in court.
Given how broad the CFAA is, Instagram/YouTube could just try framing it as accessing their systems without proper permission, as the ToS disallow such usage.