YouTube is locked
before you're even awake.

A Fella routine blocks YouTube starting the moment you wake up and holds until mid-morning, so the first twenty minutes of the day happen somewhere other than a recommended-videos queue.

Trusted by 500+ people

Matthew KFounder, FellaGuide

For a lot of people, the first phone check of the day has a name, and it's YouTube specifically, since its autoplay and recommendations remove the moment where you'd normally decide to stop. Fella does not have a feature named for mornings. It has routines: a schedule you set once that starts a real blocking session automatically, applied here to the hours right after you wake up, scoped to just YouTube.

Set it before bed, not in the morning

Build a routine that starts before you wake and ends mid-morning. Select YouTube on its own, and the routine locks it before there's a chance to open it out of habit.

Leave your alarm and anything else you need first thing unselected. Selection in Fella is per app, so the block only covers what you choose.

This blocks the app, not one tab inside it

Be clear about what this actually does. Fella blocks the entire YouTube app during the session. It does not separate a long video from a recommended one or from the Shorts feed, because those all live inside the same app.

If keeping long-form YouTube available while removing just Shorts matters more, see our block YouTube Shorts guide.

Still reachable for anything real

A morning block should never mean cut off. Leave Phone and Messages off the blocked list so you can still be reached the normal way. For the one time YouTube genuinely can't wait, each session includes a single 5-minute emergency unlock, then the block resumes automatically for the rest of the morning.

Beyond the morning routine

For the habit side of why the first check happens at all, see our stop checking your phone in the morning guide, or block social media in the morning if it isn't just YouTube. For blocking YouTube all day, not just the morning, see how to block YouTube on iPhone.

Fella, up close.

  • Built with Apple’s Screen Time controls.
  • One 5-minute emergency unlock per session.
  • Apps stay blocked by default.

Everything you need to stay focused, right from Home.

Fella Home screen showing focus routines and session lengths

Blocking YouTube in the morning: FAQ

Own Your Attention
Starting Right Now

Trusted by 500+ people