Opal - Save Time Daily

Disable distractions, set screen-use intentions with VPN.
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Opal - Save Time Daily
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this app.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Opal - Save Time Daily works by turning off the functionality of other apps on your phone so that you can focus on other things. The app isn't designed specifically for kids and many of the apps it disables, such as Facebook, are for kids 13 years and older. That said, Opal - Save Time Daily works fine for any kid who has their own cell phone. Kids can set timers to block access to more than 100 "distracting" apps for a set period of time. There are eight categories of distracting apps, including dating, adult, and money. Most of the categories break down into specific apps, except the adult category, which simply says that it blocks access to over 200 adult websites. Most of the functions are available with the free version, with some additional options available with a subscription. At the time of review, the only subscription available in the app seems to be a yearly one for $59.99. Opal - Save Time Daily creates its own private VPN network in order to turn off access to other apps, so needs users to grant permission to add VPN configurations. And to use the schedule feature, users need to allow Opal - Save Time Daily to run in the background with the VPN settings always on. Read the developer's privacy policy for details on how your (or your kids') information is collected, used, and shared and any choices you may have in the matter, and note that privacy policies and terms of service frequently change.
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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
Our Editors Recommend
For kids who love time management and staying focused
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