Feature Request for Absolute User Self-Control in Opal App

[QuantPhenomenon]

Dear Opal Team,

I am writing to propose several enhancements for the Opal app, which I believe could significantly improve its functionality and user experience. These features are crucial for users like myself who struggle with self-control regarding app usage:

1. Whole App Lock Feature:

• Request: Implement a feature to lock the entire Opal app for a user-specified duration. This would prevent access to the Opal app itself, ensuring that settings cannot be altered before and/or during scheduled focus times.

• Rationale: Currently, users can bypass app restrictions such as Deep Focus by uninstalling Opal if the “App Uninstall Protection” is off. A total app lock feature would ensure that even in moments of weakness or impulsiveness, the schedule remains intact. An example from another app which is completely free, ScreenZen, effectively uses this to block its own access for 15 seconds up to 180 minutes, which has proven beneficial. This feature would also allow users like myself, who chronically struggle with digital self-regulation, to be forced to stop, breathe, and think for a few minutes before considering altering the block schedule. With ScreenZen, I have the total app lock set to 60 minutes. Through this free app ScreenZen, I also have App Uninstall Prevention turned on, making it just a little harder for me to manipulate Opal. I prefer the Opal App since it has a premium feel to the UI, but it’s not complete. So I have to compensate this inability using the free ScreenZen to support Opal.

• Suggestion: Offer a “Lite View” option where users can see their stats but can’t alter settings during the Whole App Lock period for the selected time limit. This feature should be placed under “Advanced Settings” with a clear warning.

2. Continuous App Uninstall Protection:

• Request: Enable “App Uninstall Protection” to remain active indefinitely, not just during active blocking sessions.
• Rationale: This would prevent users from uninstalling Opal to circumvent scheduled blocks, making the app’s control more robust. The feature would enhance the integrity of Opal’s blocking capabilities, ensuring that even outside of sessions, the app remains secure. This would prove useful if the Whole App Lock Feature were to be implemented, preventing one from being able to just uninstall the Opal App while the Whole App Lock Feature is active in order to redownload the app and continue with one’s digital addiction.

3. Multiple Adjustable Pre-Block Notifications:

• Request: Introduce a notification system that alerts users anywhere from 5 minutes up to 60 minutes before a scheduled block starts.
• Having multiple alert capabilities is crucial as this would remind me once again that my time is limited. As someone who is chronically ADHD, I can tell you one alert is not enough. I have to use Apple’s Reminder to alert me of the appointed time of my pending block session. Also, 5 minutes is cutting it too short in some cases, especially when I’m tunnel-visioned by an “important” task. Two alerts would suffice. I have a 30-minute and a 10-minute alert active on my Reminders app in conjunction with Opal’s five-minute reminder.
• Rationale: This allows users to wrap up important tasks, reducing the frustration of being cut off mid-activity. This feature would be particularly useful in conjunction with the app lock feature proposed above.

Conclusion:

As a premium customer, I rely on Opal to provide superior features that genuinely aid in managing digital distractions. The absence of these features necessitates reliance on free alternatives like ScreenZen, which already incorporate similar functionalities, which I use to support Opal’s app experience.

I appreciate Opal’s unique design and community features, but the addition of these practical utilities could solidify Opal’s position as the final app blocker on the market.

Thank you for considering these requests. I am confident they will enhance user satisfaction and retention, making Opal not just the leading app, but the final indispensable tool for digital self-discipline.

Much Love.

[Robbie_Lockie]

as a fellow ADHD sufferer, I endorse this message!

[QuantPhenomenon]

Opal team,

I’m operating at full mental capacity 14 hours a day, handling high-stakes work and constant deadlines. By the end of the day, my willpower is depleted, and sometimes my self-control depends on the ‘miracle’ of a dead phone battery.

Until Opal includes a feature that fully locks the app and enforces a 30-minute to 1-hour delay before allowing any access—preventing any adjustments or pauses to my scheduled block sessions—I, unfortunately, won’t be able to continue using it. Currently, Opal doesn’t offer the level of security I need. It’s fantastic for a standard 9-to-5 setup, where users may have the mental bandwidth to resist the urge to finesse their schedules before blocks kick in. But with my tight deadlines, high stress, and depleted willpower at the end of a long day, I need a more robust support system. For now, I’ll be switching to another app blocker mentioned in my original post, even though Opal has by far the most beautifully designed, premium interface.

I’m still hopeful, though. I paid for Opal because I genuinely love what you’ve created, and I’d return in a heartbeat if the app could help me stay fully accountable. While ‘Deep Focus’ is great once a session is activated, I’m a recovering phone addict who needs blocks active exactly when I’m most likely to bypass them. All it needs is that one feature—to lock me out.

Thanks again, and much love.

P.S. I’ll keep the app on my phone and check in occasionally, hoping to see this feature added in a future update.

[Jacci_Pavlick]

Yesss! I second this absolutely, this is the second post I’ve seen with this request with no reply from Opal staff. I’m shocked not many others have brought this up because it basically renders a start time for a session useless since I can bypass it with 2 clicks. I let my free trial lapse and I was charged for the pro subscription which was my fault, but I wish I noticed this loophole before I had the paid subscription

[kenneth]

Thank you for sharing this detailed report and specific asks, we are reading and I appreciate how specific they are.