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How to install Opal shortcut automations

You can start and stop an Opal session using iOS Shortcuts and Shortcut Automations. You can also set Focus Filters attached to your shortcuts to choose which App Group will be blocked.

What are Shortcuts?

A shortcut on iPhone, iPad, or Mac is a quick way to get one or more tasks done with your apps. The Shortcuts app lets you create your own shortcuts with multiple steps. Read more about it in the Shortcuts User Guide.

What do Opal Shortcuts do?

You can Start and Stop an Opal session using iOS Shortcuts, and Shortcut Automations.

Why use Opal Shortcuts?

Alone, this is an added redundancy to our screen-time blocking that removes apps from the home-screen in the first place. But shortcuts can be extra powerful when paired with “Automations”, for example:

  • Start Opal when I arrive at my office (location based)
  • Start Opal when I open the TikTok app.

See the article below for some inspiration.

Here are a few ways to use iOS Shortcuts + Opal

How do I set up Opal Shortcut Automations?

Here are the steps:

  • Open the Shortcuts App on your iPhone or iPad, which is natively installed on your phone
  • Navigate to Automations
  • Create any Automation you want, search for ‘Opal’ when you select an Action

Going further: using Focus Filters

There are a few ways you can go further:

  • Select a Focus Filter to choose which App Groups will be blocked
  • Sync Opal with Focus Mode

Read How to Block Apps with iPhone Focus Mode and Focus Filters together with Opal

Voilà!

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