Short videos are on the rise thanks to TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Instagram has its section for short videos known as Reels which is huge. But now, the Facebook app has begun including Instagram Reels on the News Feed of its users as well.
This may be good for some, but it’s frustrating to see random Reels while swiping down the News Feed for others. Use this guide if you can’t stand Instagram Reels and are looking for methods to turn them off.
How To Disable Reels Videos in Facebook App?
- Hide Reels Directly from the News Feed on the Facebook App (Easiest Method)
- Use Facebook on a Web Browser
- Disable Auto-Play for Reels and Videos
- Uninstall the Facebook App and Install an Older Version of it (for Android)
- Use Third-Party Facebook Clients
1. Hide Reels Directly from the News Feed on the Facebook App (Easiest Method)
You can’t completely turn off Reels, but the Facebook app does provide you the option to see fewer posts like it. This is a standard Facebook option available for any post, and it’s also present for Reels. Follow below to show your disinterest in Reels, so you get fewer Reels in your News Feed:
- Open the Facebook app.
- Browser through your News Feed and find a Reel or the Reels section.
- Tap the three dots at the top right corner of the Reel/post.
- This usually opens a list of options called the three dots menu. On Reels, you’ll see only one option ‘Hide. See fewer posts like this’.
- Tap ‘Hide.’
- It’ll remove that short video or the entire Reels section.
This option doesn’t ensure that Reels or short videos will be turned off completely, but you may see less Reels if you keep selecting this option whenever you see a Reel in your News Feed. This is by far the easiest and safest method to turn off Reels.
To make Reels even less irritating, combine this trick with Method 3. This way, any Reel you see on your News Feed won’t play automatically, and then you can use the ‘Hide’ option to tell Facebook that you’re not interested in it.
2. Use Facebook on a Web Browser
Reels are exclusive to the Facebook app at the time of this writing. You won’t find Reels in your News Feed if you browse Facebook through a web browser on your mobile or computer.
- Open a browser on your phone.
- Go to Facebook and login.
- Browser Facebook without Reels.
To create an app-like icon of Facebook web version for mobile on your phone:
- Open Facebook on a web browser.
- Tap the three dots at the top right corner of the screen to open the options menu (for Chrome).
- Select ‘Add to Home Screen.’
- It’ll create a shortcut for the Facebook mobile site. You can now open Facebook on your browser from your home screen.
A drawback of this method is that the mobile site of Facebook is not as responsive and robust as the Facebook app, so your Facebook experience might suffer.
But if you’re using a tablet, then this method is recommended for you. Because when you open Facebook on your tab, you’ll see the web version similar to desktops and laptops. If you don’t get the web version for desktop on your tablet, follow these steps (for Google Chrome):
- Open Facebook on Chrome.
- Tap the three dots at the top right corner and checkmark the box next to ‘Desktop Site.’
- It’ll load the page again.
- Now, tap the address bar and type web.facebook.com.
- You’ll now see the desktop version of Facebook on your tablet.
3. Disable Auto-Play for Reels and Videos
If you don’t want to leave the Facebook app (don’t like the Facebook web for mobile) and want to stop Facebook Reels from playing automatically, you can easily accomplish this with a few taps. Follow these steps to turn off auto-playing Reels:
- Open the Facebook app.
- Tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger icon) at the top right corner.
- Select the Settings icon at the top right corner.
- Pick ‘Media’ from the Facebook Settings list.
- Under the ‘Autoplay’ section, tap the box next to ‘Never Autoplay Videos’ to select this option.
- Go back and enjoy Facebook without Reels and other videos playing automatically.
- You can also mute the audio of these auto-play videos from the mentioned list.
The autoplay disabling option is also useful if you’re on a metered data connection and want to prevent these auto-playing videos from eating up your MBs or GBs.
4. Uninstall the Facebook App and Install an Older Version of it (for Android)
This is the most drastic method to remove Reels and short videos from the Facebook app. As the Reels option is on the newer version of the Facebook app, you can uninstall the new version and install a version that doesn’t have the Reels feature.
- Tap and hold the Facebook icon on your phone’s home screen and select ‘Uninstall.’
- Now, open a web browser app and search on Google’ Facebook apk.
- Select a website and get the Facebook app. Make sure to select an old version of Facebook.
- Install the app.
After the installation, you need to disable auto-updates to prevent the app from updating to the latest version.
- Open Google Play Store.
- Search ‘Facebook’ and open the Facebook app page.
- Tap the three dots at the top right corner.
- Uncheck the option ‘Enable auto-update.’
Warning: This method is risky regarding security because you’re uninstalling the latest official version of the app and installing an older version from an unofficial source. Using older versions of apps isn’t recommended by experts.
Moreover, this method also includes installing the Facebook app from a source other than Google Playstore.
Keep in mind that Google Play Store provides security protection against malware, stalkerware, and other threats by scanning and keeping safe apps only.
Installing an app outside the store may expose you to digital security issues. For disabling Reels on Facebook, using Method 1, 2, or 3 is better.
5. Use Third-Party Facebook Clients
There are third-party Facebook apps available that have a Facebook app-like interface. Many of them offer additional features that the Facebook app doesn’t provide. These are web browsers specially developed for browsing Facebook and Messenger so that they won’t have the Reels feature.
- Open Google Play Store.
- Search ‘Facebook app’ and browse through the list of apps other than the official Facebook app.
- Select and install an app.
But installing an app other than the official source takes us to the security issue we discussed in the last section.
Your Facebook account has massive information of yours, and using the platform through a third-party app can expose your data to the developer of the app.
This is why we recommend using the first three methods for disabling Reels and short videos on the Facebook app.
How To Remove Your Own Instagram Reels on Facebook?
The Reels of all Instagram Reel creators are shown on Facebook by default. So, if you upload a Reel on Instagram, it will be watchable on Facebook as well. Most short video creators are happy with this feature.
But if you don’t want your Reels to be shared on Facebook, you can turn it off from the Instagram app. Follow these steps:
- Open the Instagram app.
- Tap your profile picture at the bottom right corner.
- Select the three horizontal lines or the hamburger menu button and choose ‘Settings.’
- From the Settings menu, pick ‘Privacy.’
- Choose ‘Reels’.
- Turn off the toggle for ‘Recommend on Facebook.’
Conclusion
You can’t completely disable Reels within the Facebook app, but there are easy ways to make them less frequent and less irritating on your News Feed. You can also use the mobile site Facebook to browse the site without Reels.
