Each time I open Reddit as of late, it appears like I am simply asking to see outrage bait. Meaning posts from AITA, posts from AIO (Am I Overreacting), and posts about political turmoil. As a author, I must examine Reddit to maintain a tab on attention-grabbing new app launches, frequent issues individuals face with know-how (in order that I can write concerning the options), and typically, to unravel a distinct segment drawback that I face with my very own tech. But when I by accident open Reddit’s default dwelling web page, my psychological well being begins tanking, and my ideas change into angrier, too.
Sure, a whole lot of dangerous issues are happening on the earth proper now, however I do not need to hear about them on a regular basis. My mind wants a break from all of that infrequently. Sadly, Reddit would not supply straightforward instruments to filter out undesirable posts out of your feed, however a couple of months in the past, I found Protego ($1), a Safari extension that provides this performance. Protego helps you to create a customized blocklist to cover every kind of shock gas on Reddit. You’ll be able to block key phrases, hyperlinks to particular domains, social media websites, and robotically get redirected to Reddit’s legacy UI (which has far fewer distracting widgets that attempt to enhance engagement).
Create Reddit filters utilizing Protego
Credit score: Pranay Parab
First, open Protego in your iPhone, iPad, or Mac, then go to the Filters tab and choose Key phrases. Hit the + button and choose Add Key phrase Checklist. This allows you to add a number of key phrase filters to Reddit in a single go. It is advisable to add a comma between key phrases, eg: AITA, AIO, Elon Musk, and many others. Protego additionally helps wildcards, which helps you to block a number of variations of an offending phrase. As an example, if you wish to block the time period AITA and associated phrases akin to AITAH, then merely add AITA to the blocklist, and it will block any phrases that begin with AITA.
If you’re finished including key phrases, you possibly can share your blocklist with others for those who like. Protego helps you to export blocklists in a JSON file, which it imports seamlessly. To make use of this characteristic, open the app and go to Filter > Checklist Administration.
Block posts that hyperlink to particular web sites
Credit score: Pranay Parab
In its most up-to-date replace, Protego added the flexibility to dam particular domains. You’ll be able to allow this by going to Filter > Social Media within the app and turning on the switches subsequent to social media platforms you’d moderately keep away from. For me, it was a no brainer to dam posts that hyperlink to X, Instagram, Threads, LinkedIn, and Fb. Different choices embrace YouTube, Snapchat, Pinterest, Bluesky, Mastodon, and some extra social media websites. You too can block customized domains by going to Filter > Domains. Hit the + button right here and choose Add Area Checklist. Simply as you added a number of key phrases earlier, you should utilize this manner so as to add many domains to the blocklist in a single go. There are a number of well-known websites that thrive on faux information, sensationalism, and low-quality content material, and making your personal block record will hold these websites off Reddit in Safari.
Whereas this characteristic is nice, Protego nonetheless wants the flexibility to filter out subreddits out of your feed. With this characteristic, I can simply cover posts from subreddits recognized to publish faux rage bait tales and those who include political propaganda that I might moderately not see. The developer is working on this characteristic, and it will hopefully be obtainable within the close to future.
Just a few extra quality-of-life enhancements
Credit score: Pranay Parab
Lastly, Protego has a couple of good Reddit tweaks that make the positioning so much simpler to browse. These options are within the app’s Settings tab. You’ll be able to ask the app to robotically swap you to Reddit’s legacy UI, which seems much more spartan however would not have annoying recommended content material and autoplaying movies. The extension additionally permits you to cover promoted posts and Reddit adverts, and on cell Safari, it hides Reddit’s annoying open-this-in-the-app banner. You too can ask it to robotically cover or collapse automoderator feedback in all threads.
All of this stuff make Protego a must have for anybody who makes use of Reddit on Safari for iPhone, iPad, or Mac. A single buy unlocks the app on all platforms, and the extension syncs your settings and key phrase filters throughout units. After establishing the app, opening r/fashionable or r/all now not ruins my day. I see extra content material round sports activities, nature, canines and cats, video video games, and even heartwarming posts from area of interest subreddits like r/quilting. This has diminished the dominance of a few of Reddit’s largest communities in my opinion of the favored feed, and I am now seeing extra of the sorts of posts that drew me to this website within the first place. It is nonetheless removed from perfect, provided that the discourse on Reddit continues to be dominated by the sorts of posts I’ve hidden, however hey, no less than I can simply distance myself from them now.
