Opal: Screen Time for Focus

Name: Opal: Screen Time for Focus
Rating: 4.68675 (7470 reviews)

Productivity

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Opal: Screen Time for Focus

Productivity

4.7

7.5K ratings

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OPAL OS CORPORATION

In-App Purchases

$0.99 – $99.99

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User Reviews for Opal: Screen Time for Focus

Promising But Seriously Flawed

Opal seemed like a promising choice to reduce digital distractions. It had a cute design and clever idea of introducing friction for unblocking, rather than blocking everything all the time. unfortunately, for the last year I’ve used the app, it has consistently had serious issues in executing on this promise. Back when it was a VPN-based blocker, it seemed to block personal hotspot and certain phone calls, issues that stopped when I turned off the VPN and switched to Opal’s new setup. This forced me to disable the VPN and forget to turn it back on for extended periods. Now, after Apple introduced an ability for apps to block things, Opal is still flawed. It doesn’t seem to automatically renew blocking unless the app is opened, making it nearly useless since I won’t remember to keep opening the app to make the blocking kick back in. The app frequently freezes for me, which wastes a significant fraction of my time as I try unlocking things. It also has unusual limitations in terms of how much it can block. Overall, Opal has had consistently poor execution for an entire year now and I certainly will not be renewing my subscription.

Brendonwbw, Nov 05, 2022

this app is actually great

this app forces me to be intentional about my phone usage, as i constantly start one task and end up getting sucked into something completely irrelevant and lose track of time. i added all my highest time wasting apps to my list and i have opal on all day long 7am-10pm.when i want to do something in one of these apps i “take a break” and decide how much time i want to spend, then i go and do exactly what i meant to for the amount of time i intended, without losing track of time.for me it’s the perfect balance because i don’t want to delete the apps i love, i just don’t want to use them unintentionally. i LOVE the function that makes you wait a few seconds to choose “take a break” too. and I can customize the apps depending on what i’m working on.i haven’t gotten to the point of syncing with different focus modes yet, but i’m excited to get to know the app more in the future. thank you, opal!

GoldSpruce, Nov 24, 2022

Love it, but..

I love the app! But it is too expensive. As a highschool student on multiple sports teams, I do not have any time to get a job in order to pay for this great app. And I believe that my generation struggles immensely with focusing when our phones are right in front of us. Although with that, a lot of us cannot ask our parents for 100 or even 75 dollars for an app on our phones (let alone an app that is a subscription, and will eventually run out). If it was a one time purchase I would have bought it ages ago. But instead, I have been looking for a less expensive alternative (By the way, none of them are as good as Opal).I have seen a couple of apps have an option for a one time purchase or for a subscription, and honestly I think that would be very beneficial for people like me. Or even for people younger than me.. I mean, if I saw the big 100 when I was in middle school or elementary, I wouldn’t even consider buying it. So please consider a one-time purchase, or at least a subscription for less than 60 dollars. I hope you take this into consideration because I am sure that I am not the only person who has not purchased because of the jarring price. Thanks

High School Student 🖍, May 18, 2022

Leaving this app after some time

I used to have a Pro account for this app and found it really useful before the last major update. I liked that you could configure it in a way where it would ask you what your intention was if you wanted to unblock apps for a certain amount of time. It helped me be mindful about what I was doing. They got rid of that feature now, which was a huge bummer for me but not a dealbreaker.I understand that in the last major update they went from a VPN to using Screen Time, which made it easier for them to block the apps themselves, and not just the data. This is helpful. However, it seems like a huge oversight on their behalf that now I’m somehow still able to access social media websites on my web browser. So when Opal blocks my Instagram app, I can still go on my safari and access Instagram in no time. I reached out to their customer support for a solution. Apparently you can’t block specific websites, only the ones your screen time deems as “most visited” ones. There’s no way around this other than blocking every single website on your phone and then just manually adding the ones you wanna visit which is unrealistic, as I oftentimes work from my phone and I don’t know exactly which sites I need to go on. So this app virtually doesn’t work anymore. I can still go on Facebook or Instagram or any of those sites through my browser. It’s useless. Unfortunately I can’t get past this and I’ll have to find another app to help me block social media

jessiek234, Jan 28, 2023

100% worth it with new free plan!

This app works better than any other app blocker on iOS. Case and point, when I deleted the app after the free trial expired, I was on my phone until 5am! It works by making you become more intentional with your phone usage. What I love most is that it changes the way you interact with your phone. The intentionally you set includes not only what you want to do but the amount of time you think you need. Then, it automatically turns back on so you’ll never use your phone more than you need to. That was my problem; I was using my phone without intention and without a way to stop once I started. Despite this, I could not justify the cost of the app. Before the free plan, it was not worth it since I am a student and have negative income. Thank you to the team at Opal for making the app more accessible with the new free plan. It doesn’t have any of the extra bell and whistles that the paid plan has but it’s enough to stop my phone addiction. 10/10 would recommend.

KaXoTiC, Nov 12, 2021

It works now after recent update

I originally left a bad review, but their team quickly reached out to me and came out with an update that fixed the issue I was having with the scheduled sessions. If your phone addiction is severe and the Apple focus times aren’t restrictive enough for you, this app will solve that. I use the scheduled sessions throughout the day when I need to be productive. If you’re like me and have zero willpower when it comes to breaking your phone addiction, you’ll need to use the deep focus mode during the schedules so the app doesn’t allow you to take breaks from the session. After the recent update, you can no longer edit your scheduled session time while the session is running as a way to “cheat” your way out of it. This is exactly what I needed, so I’m happy with the app now.I really like the learning section that has educational content on things like focusing, digital wellness, and healthy habits.

KG0271, Jan 14, 2022

People with ADHD rejoice

This app is the best money I’ve ever spent. It’s excellent for two reasons; 1. Once you’ve been locked out of an app, if you want to go into it you have to first go to the opal app, and then wait for a 10 second count down before you can “take a break” up to 15 minutes - effectively unlocking your apps. This is great because it’s a lot of steps, so you only do it if you really need to. You can take as many “breaks” as you want during a session, it’s just a pain which makes me more likely to stay out of those apps entirely. 2. It will automatically lock you out of an app WHILE YOU'RE IN IT. For example, if you have opal set to lock you out of Instagram at 9pm and you are on Instagram at 9pm, the screen will suddenly go dark with the message that opal has begun. This - for me - is life changing as it helps break the cycle of endless scrolling without me having to set anything up before I open apps, which I often do without noticing.

liveforwines, Feb 22, 2023

I finished a book for the first time in years.

At first I was like, “This is silly. I’m not paying for self-control.” But in the week trial, I finished 2 books, something I haven’t been able to do in years. For some very serious reasons, I struggle with mindfulness and disassociating by scrolling on my phone. Opal’s focus on maintaining mindfulness really helped me in a way I didn’t anticipate. I appreciated the easy, friendly interface, and I love the option to allow yourself to pause from using Opal or set your app to not allow you to override it until the timer is up. It’s been really helpful. It’s been 6 days and I believe I’ve only taken about 2 hours total to get back to focusing on either reading or errands or simply breaking the momentum with my phone, but those 2 hours were so valuable to me. You can either beat yourself up for not having the self-control, or you can understand yourself and give yourself the grace and handicap where you might need them. I love Opal!

Pizzasong, May 11, 2021

Great app, a few pieces of feedback

Overall, I love Opal! It’s really helping me stay on task during my assignments, and I think that the UI is absolutely gorgeous. This is really smart! One thing I wish the app did was disconnect the VPN when it’s not actively blocking apps and only connect to it when Opal is turned on, it’s a little bit of a privacy concern having the VPN connected when it’s not doing anything. It would be much better for privacy if the VPN was only connected when Opal is on, instead of having to scroll down to the bottom of the settings page to disconnect the VPN. At the very least, move the disconnect VPN button to somewhere more accessible (the main home screen would be best). I get that it’s necessary for the scheduling to work, but maybe instead there could simply be a pop-up warning the user that disabling the VPN will turn off scheduling (if there’s any enabled schedules) when you hit the disconnect button, instead of hiding it away. he amount of features you can use with the free tier is really great, too! They don’t force you to upgrade to the Pro plan to use the app, all the main functionalities are available for free and the other paid ones (like Scheduling and Focus Timer) let you try them out to see how it works.

thecommamaster, Jan 20, 2021

It is good but how they calculate the default score is interesting…

It is helpful in setting time limits for how long you can use certain apps per day and blocking apps when you want to get work done. It is sufficiently difficult to unblock the apps so it does help cut back on social media use. When youre in a “focus session” you can take breaks for a few minutes and then it blocks apps again so you dont go into a rabbit hole of scrolling. My one complaint is that most people are probably using this to cut back on social media but it defaults nonsocial media apps to “distracting” or “very distracting” that most people probably dont consider to be distracting. For example it counts bank apps, uber eats/delivery and news apps as “distracting.” Why should I get points deducted if I need to pay my credit card bill? And reading the news should not be in the same category as social media. It’s not a huge deal because you can change how various apps are scored in settings but I think all of these should be “neutral.”

vfbnxd, May 24, 2023

Description

Better than screen time, Opal helps you focus so you can make the most out of every day. 4 hours. That’s the average time you’ll spend looking at your phone today. With a combination of app restrictions, real time feedback and rewards, you can begin to focus better and accomplish your dreams, just like Opal’s members.

Many of the world's top teams and companies companies trust Opal to help protect their focus. You can too. **Opal cut my screen time by 2 hours per day – Marketing at Google ** **Opal cuts off your apps’ internet access to help you stop doomscrolling – The Next Web ** **I’ve been managing my social media time for months and couldn’t recommend it more - Strategy at Twitter ** **Opal Helped Me Quit My Nightly TikTok Habit – Bustle ** BENEFITS 94% of Opal members are less distracted 93% are more productive thanks to the app 90% experience improved mental health 79% save at least 1 hour *daily* thanks to the app Added benefits: - Better screen time management - Improve productivity at work - Reduce stress, be more mindful - Better manage ADHD - Set daily working hours, sleep, and routines - Unplug with family and friends - Stay in focus when you need it most - You're happy and in control of your screen time FEATURES - Focus Report: Diagnose your Focus and measure your progress with clear metrics, important context and compare with your peers. - Focus Score: check your focus level at any point throughout the day. - #1 Blocker: Instantly block apps and websites you choose. It’s safe, precise, and doesn’t affect internet speed. - Sessions: Block apps from your phone while you’re focusing, and you can always take a break to unblock them temporarily. - Calendar: Set daily working hours, sleep and routines, block apps automatically, so you don’t have to remember. - Precious Rewards: Get rewarded on your journey towards better Focus with unique MileStones you can unlock and share with friends. - Leaderboard: Get inspired by others from the community with our daily leaderboard, highlighting the most focused of us directly in the app. - Breaks: Use apps without mindless scrolling. Choose the app you want to use, write your intention, and set a timer. - Focus Mode Integration: Sync your Opal Focus Sessions with iPhone Focus Mode. - Shortcut Integration: Connect iPhone shortcut automations to start/stop Focus Sessions based on app opens, time, location and more! - Focus Reminders: Get timely reminder notifications when you get distracted or reach a time limit. - Focus Mode and Filters: Connect Opal to your Focus to block apps automatically - Deep Focus: Maximum protection, you can’t cancel or bypass the timer you set. - More Fun: Opal is guilt-free and fun. Pick your background and app icon to one that suits your mood. - Widget: Have Opal on your home screen! CREATE A PERSONALIZED APP LIST You can add or remove any App and Website that are distracting to you directly from Opal's settings in the app. You can customize your Opal experience and block all apps and sites on your phone, including: - Facebook - Instagram - Snapchat - TikTok - Youtube - Netflix - Tinder - Hinge - Bumble - Many more: News, Messaging, Dating, Adult/Porn, Money apps etc. PRIVATE & SAFE We use Apple's Screen Time API in order to monitor and block apps you use. Installation is easy and takes a few seconds on your iPhone. Unlike most apps, Opal works entirely on your phone and personal browsing data never leaves your device. HEAR IT FROM THE COMMUNITY "Never in a bazillion years did I think I would be below 3 hours of screen time a day. My mood is SO much better." - Kristi "Weird to think that an app would make me use my phone less but Opal is the only thing helping me focus on deep work days" - Zach "Thanks Opal for being the only way my monkey brain can do homework for more than like 20 minutes" - Daniel TERMS, PRIVACY & CONDITIONS Read on https://opal.so/terms & https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/