Differentiate between playing YouTube in the background & active watching

Hi Opal team & community,

I’ve just started using Opal and noticed one issue I’d love to see addressed.

Sometimes I want to listen to content in the background, for example:

  • YouTube videos like podcasts, lectures or audiobooks
  • TikTok livestreams like ASMR, with the screen off

I see these as relaxing or productive, not “wasted screen time.” But right now, Opal blocks this if I’m in a scheduled block or if I’ve hit my limit for those apps.

It would be amazing if Opal could:

  1. Detect when an app is being used for background audio only (screen off, video not actively watched) and not count that toward my screen time limit.
  2. Optionally allow a quick 1–2 minute “grace period” to open the app, select the content, and then keep playing it in the background — even during a block.

This way, people can keep active screen time in check while still enjoying productive or calming audio content.