The quick pass is what happens when you open a link to a specific post, video or thread from somewhere else, like a chat, an email or a Google result. The page opens straight away, with no pause, for 30 seconds by default. It works on No feeds and Ask first sites, so a friend's link still works while the feeds stay shut.

When do I get a quick pass?

You get one when all of these are true:

  • The site is set to No feeds or Ask first. A Daily limit site with minutes left simply opens, and an Untouched site is not watched. See site modes.
  • The page is a specific page, not a feed. A link to instagram.com/reels or to YouTube's home page never gets a quick pass.
  • You arrived from outside the site: a link in another website, an email, Slack, a messaging app or a search result.

Chrome tells the extension how each page was opened. Typing the address, opening a bookmark, reloading and going back or forward all count as a deliberate visit, so they get the intent gate instead. Clicking around inside the site does not start a new quick pass either.

What happens during the quick pass?

The page loads as usual. A small pill at the bottom of the screen shows "quick pass" and a countdown, with an × to end it early. The time counts toward your daily budget, and the scroll check still runs.

A quick pass covers the thing you came to see, never a feed. If you click through to the home feed or to Reels while the pass is running, that feed is treated as it would be on any other visit: shut on No feeds, behind a pause on Ask first.

What happens when the 30 seconds are up?

The pause screen comes up and says your seconds are up: staying longer is a new decision. You breathe for a moment, say what you are there to do, and pick a window, or press Not now and leave. On a No feeds site, or once your budget is spent, that window is two minutes.

How many quick passes can I get?

Four per site per hour. After that, links to that site get the pause instead, until an hour has passed since the earliest of those four. This stops "paste the address into a chat and click it" from becoming a way round the feed.

The count is per site, so four Instagram links in an hour do not affect a YouTube link.

Can I change the quick pass length?

Yes. On your dashboard, under Tune it, set the quick pass length to 15, 30, 60 or 90 seconds. The change is saved to your account and reaches every linked browser on the next sync.

Thirty seconds is enough to look at a post, read a reply or check a video is the one you were told about. If you often need longer, 60 seconds is a reasonable step up.

Does the quick pass work when the budget is spent?

Yes. Links people send you still open after your daily budget is used up, and after a site's daily limit runs out, as long as you are under four quick passes for that site in the last hour. That is the point of it: shutting the feed should not cut you off from the people who send you things.

Questions

It is a quick pass. The link opens with no pause so you can see what you were sent. When the time is up you can choose to stay for a set window, after a short pause.

Why did I get the pause instead of a quick pass?

Either you opened the page yourself (typed, bookmarked, reloaded, or used back or forward), the link was to a feed, or you have already used four quick passes on that site in the last hour.

Does the quick pass let me into the feed?

No. It covers the page you arrived at. Feed pages follow the site's mode as usual.

Can I make the quick pass longer?

Yes. On your dashboard, under Tune it, choose 15, 30, 60 or 90 seconds.