Reddit is forcing an algorithmic "For You" feed on users. Here's how to remove the algorithm.
Reddit is running an experiment that forces users onto the algorithmic "For You" feed by default. Here's why it's happening and how to work around it on Android.
If you opened Reddit this week and your home feed looked wrong, you are not imagining things. Reddit is currently running an experiment that forces a subset of users onto the "For You" algorithmic tab as their default landing page.
Every time you open the site or refresh, you get dumped back onto the algorithmic feed. There is no setting to change it back. A Reddit admin confirmed as much in the bugs subreddit.
What Is the Reddit "For You" Tab Experiment?
The For You tab has existed for a while, but it used to be something you opted into. This experiment makes it the default. Users in the test group are reporting that the feed surfaces posts from random communities they never joined, including subreddits they deliberately left.
The only workaround right now is clicking over to the Following tab manually, every single time you open Reddit.
Browser extension developers have looked at this too. The uBlock Origin team confirmed that a filter to automatically switch to the Following tab is not reliably possible. The core problem is that the URL does not change between tabs, so you cannot redirect to a "Following" URL. A script that clicks the tab button would likely only fire on initial page load and miss dynamic refreshes.
So if you are in the test group, Reddit has you stuck.
Why Reddit Is Doing This
This is not an accident or a bug. This is what ad-supported platforms do as they mature. The algorithmic feed keeps people scrolling longer, which means more ad impressions. The Following feed, by design, only shows content from communities you chose. That is a user preference, but it is also a ceiling on engagement.
Reddit went public in 2024. The pressure to grow advertising revenue is now structural. The For You tab is one mechanism for that.
The pattern is familiar. Instagram buried the chronological feed behind multiple taps for years before making it harder still. LinkedIn's feed has been algorithmic-first for a long time. Now Reddit is following the same playbook.
How to Actually Fix This on Android
If you are on Android, there is a way to use Reddit without fighting the algorithmic feed at all.
decaf is an Android app that loads Reddit inside a sandboxed browser with content filters applied. It hides posts from communities you do not follow, so even if Reddit's For You tab is active underneath, what you see in the feed is only posts from your subscribed subreddits.
It also filters out sponsored posts and, if you want, AI-generated text that Reddit's own AI search is increasingly surfacing across the platform.
The app does not require any special permissions, no accessibility service access, nothing that touches your system outside the WebView sandbox. Your Reddit session stays on your device.
It is a one-time purchase, $5.99, no subscription.
What About the Official Reddit App?
The official app will keep reflecting whatever experiment Reddit is running on your account. If you are in the For You test group, the app defaults you to the algorithmic feed the same way the mobile web does. There is no in-app setting to lock the default to Following.
Old Reddit (old.reddit.com) still defaults to your subscribed communities on desktop, but Reddit has been deprecating old.reddit features over time, and it is not available as a usable mobile experience.
Third-party Reddit clients like Apollo were shut down in 2023 when Reddit changed its API pricing. The options that existed before are gone.
Is This Change Permanent?
Reddit has not said. The admin response in the bugs thread framed it as an experiment, which means it could be rolled back or it could be the test run before a full rollout.
Given that Reddit's incentives run in one direction here, it is reasonable to expect the algorithmic default to stick in some form. Platforms rarely run experiments that increase ad inventory and then reverse them.
The Broader Pattern
This is the same story that has played out on every major social platform over the past decade. The feed that shows you content from people and communities you chose gets deprioritized in favor of a feed the platform controls. The goal is to keep you watching things you did not ask for, because that is where the advertising opportunity is.
Reddit built its reputation on communities. The subreddit model, where you subscribe to topics you care about and see posts from those communities, is what made Reddit different from Facebook or TikTok. The For You tab moves Reddit closer to those platforms.
If you want Reddit to work the way it used to, you need to work around the defaults the platform sets for you. On Android, decaf is how to do that.
decaf is available on the Google Play Store. It works on Instagram and LinkedIn as well, filtering sponsored posts, Reels, and suggested content from those platforms using the same approach.