Opal - Save Time Daily
By Mieke VanderBorght,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Disable distractions, set screen-use intentions with VPN.

A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this app.
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Opal - Save Time Daily
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
OPAL - SAVE TIME DAILY needs permission to disconnect apps and configure its own VPN settings. Once set up, try the first challenge: a 10 minute focus session in which you can't refresh data in social media, video, news, or other kinds of "distracting" apps. During that time, there's no way to cancel the session, so it ends only when the clock runs out. After that, leave Opal running in the background to continue restricting access to other apps. Pause the session to allow access to specific apps for a set amount of time, and for a specific purpose. You can also set schedules to turn app access on and off at specific times of the day. Look at your stats report to see how much time you've spent away from distracting apps. Adjust the app categories (social media, video, productivity, money, messaging, dating, news, and adult) and some of the specific apps that get turned off during sessions.
Is It Any Good?
By intentionally disabling certain apps on their phone, kids may be able to use this tool to help them avoid distractions. The developers' goal with Opal - Save Time Daily is to help users make purposeful, intentional decisions about when and for how long they want to use certain apps on their phone. They make big claims about improving productivity, quality of sleep, family or friend time, and more. Sure kids can just simply put their phone away, or turn it off -- and that would certainly do the trick. Opal - Save Time Daily assumes that taking such drastic steps, and sticking to them, requires too much will power -- and for some, that assumption may be true. Opal - Save Time Daily also nicely allows kids to be more selective about what they disable. Kids can keep their phone handy for phone calls, but turn off social media, for example. Most of the major time sucks are there, and can be chosen individually or as part of a category. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an option to turn off access to a web browser.
One downside is that, although apps don't load anything new when they've been disconnected, they do continue to display cached data. That means that there's still something to look at or scroll through when kids open an app. And, although the developer's promise that all data and networks are localized on your phone only, not everyone will be pleased about having a VPN running constantly in the background. Finally, the stats report is based on lots of assumptions and isn't all that useful. But overall, Opal - Save Time Daily may be worth a try for kids having trouble disconnecting from their phone.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how it feels when Opal - Save Time Daily blocks access to their favorite apps. Is it frustrating to not be able to check in on the latest posts? Does it feel freeing? What are you able to accomplish when not constantly checking your phone?
Be a good role model. Show your kids that you can also set your phone aside to give your full attention to your work, a family outing, or eating dinner together.
What are your family's expectations around screen time? How much is OK? When is it OK to use devices, and when are devices off-limits? Can an app like Opal - Save Time Daily help set limits?
Several apps out help parents track kids' screen time. Check out the important things to consider here.
App Details
- Devices: iPhone, iPod Touch
- Skills: Self-Direction: goal-setting, time management, working efficiently, Responsibility & Ethics: making wise decisions, Tech Skills: using and applying technology, Health & Fitness: mental health
- Pricing structure: Free to try (one-week free trial; most functions are available for free then subscription $59.99/year)
- Release date: March 9, 2021
- Category: Health & Fitness
- Publisher: Opal OS
- Version: 1.18.1
- Minimum software requirements: iOS 13.2
- Last updated: March 15, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Download
Our Editors Recommend
Top Time-Management Apps
18 Apps to Help Kids Stay Focused
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate