Opal is one of my favorite apps. I use it pretty much every day. It helps me stay focused on what really matters (in this case, my studies) and keeps me away from all the distractions on my devices. However, several issues make the app (both on iPhone and Mac) quite frustrating to use. The problems are as follows:
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No synchronization between Mac and iPhone sessions (please don’t tell me this feature is only available to people who pay €100 a year?);
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The absence of the Gem system (which is truly a brilliant idea) on Mac;
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Streaks resetting to zero — I was eagerly waiting to get the 200-day gem, but one morning I woke up and… back to zero. Strange, especially since I’m absolutely sure I haven’t skipped a single session in 180 days — I’ve taken breaks, sure, but never abandoned a session. It’s quite frustrating;
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I’d also like to understand why there’s no automatic update system for the Mac app (and why not release it on the App Store? It’s currently only available directly for Macs — meaning all users could install and update it easily through the App Store, which would be much simpler…);
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Lastly, why are there updates every week? It feels like every update is a bit of trial and error in fixing bugs… Why not create a developer or beta version (for people who want to help detect and fix problems) and then release a big update once a month, for example?
That being said, thank you so much for this app — I recommend it to everyone I can! — but I do wonder about its expansion. It’s great that the app is growing, but before launching versions for Windows or Android, wouldn’t it make more sense to fix the issues with the core version first?
Have a great day!