Tap Share, pick the shortcut, and the link that lands on your clipboard is the clean one. No fbclid, no utm_source, no igsh string telling the other end exactly who forwarded the post. You get the bare address that actually points at the content, and nothing else rides along with it.
Inside the shortcut
Most links you copy off social apps come stapled with query parameters that have nothing to do with the page. Facebook adds mibextid, Instagram tacks on igsh, Spotify appends si, and marketing campaigns pile on whole strings of utm_ fields. This shortcut reads the URL you hand it, drops the known tracking parameters, and gives back the stripped version. The author describes the project as being inspired by StopTheMadness, the desktop browser tool that does the same job for trackers and link redirects.
Adding it to your iPhone
- Open this page on the iPhone where you want the shortcut.
- Tap the iCloud install link to open it in the Shortcuts app.
- Scroll the preview and tap Add Shortcut at the bottom.
- It now appears in your library and, more importantly, in the Share Sheet.
Using it day-to-day
The natural home for this one is the Share Sheet. When you hit a post worth sending to someone, tap the share icon, scroll to Share Link without Tracking, and run it. The shortcut hands back the cleaned URL so you can paste it into Messages, a note, or wherever the link was headed. It works on the examples the author lists: Facebook video links, Instagram reels, Netflix titles, Spotify tracks, X status links, Threads posts, and LinkedIn shares all lose their dangling tracking tails.
Worth knowing where Apple already helps. Since iOS 17, Link Tracking Protection quietly removes some identifiers like fbclid and igshid, but only inside Mail, Messages, and Safari Private Browsing, and it deliberately leaves utm_ campaign tags alone. Run a link through any other app and those parameters survive. This shortcut covers the gap, including the UTM fields that Apple’s feature skips.
Quick answers
Does it open the link or just clean it?
The current version is built around sharing, so it returns the cleaned URL for you to send or paste rather than launching it. An earlier release was named “Open Link without Tracking” and leaned toward opening; v1.12 renamed it and simplified the logic around the share flow.
Isn’t Apple already stripping this stuff in iOS 17?
Only partially. Link Tracking Protection runs in Mail, Messages, and Safari Private Browsing, and it ignores utm_ parameters entirely. Anything you copy out of a regular app keeps its full tracking string, which is where running it through the shortcut earns its keep.
Will it break a link that needs its parameters?
It targets known tracking fields, not the ones a site relies on to find a page. A YouTube timestamp or a search query stays put because those aren’t on the tracker list. If a particular site does need a parameter the shortcut removes, you can edit the shortcut’s logic to leave it alone.
Share Link without Tracking
Version 1.12
Scan with your iPhone camera to install, or tap View below.
View
