With Whitelist, all Apps and Websites will be blocked except the ones you select during your Session.

Why use Whitelist?

By default, Focus Sessions use a block list, asking you to select apps and websites you want to block for the duration of your session. With whitelist, you can flip this around - and block all apps and websites on your phone except the ones you explicitly select.

Whitelist allows you Enable apps you really need for the moment in the real world. Some people will go as far as switching to a brick or dumb phone, or using it as a secondary device, and there are also great companies like Light Phone who build specific devices for this. With Opal Whitelist, you can turn your iPhone into a brick phone (or dumb phone) temporarily at times you choose.

Here are a few popular use cases for whitelist:

- Going Outdoors, whitelist:

Camera, Text/Whatsapp (optional), Maps/Navigation, Uber/transport

- Work Focus, whitelist:

Text/Whatsapp (optional), Mail, Slack (optional)

- Weekend With Family, whitelist:

‍Camera, Music, Text/Whatsapp (optional), Maps/Navigation, Uber/transport, Mail (if you need tickets or QR codes for activities)

How to use Whitelist:

Here is how to set up a Whitelist:

Step 1: Review "Always Allowed" Apps

Your iPhone Screen Time settings has an "Always Allowed" list of apps, which is generated automatically by Apple. Apps that are in the "always allowed" category will always be allowed, and supersede any restrictions Opal puts in place.

Start by making sure apps you want to block are not in the "Always Allowed" category of your iPhone's Screen Time settings. Go to your iPhone's Settings => Screen Time.

We recommend keeping apps you deem essential, such as Messages or Camera, in the "Always Allowed" category.

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Step 2: Create an App group with a Whitelist

1. Go to your App Groups. You can find this either under Settings => Protection Center, or when you Start or Edit any Session (Apps Blocked)
2. Open an existing App Group or Create a New App Group
3. At the top, you will see a toggle to Select between Block Apps or Whitelist : Select Whitelist
4. Select only the Apps and Websites you want to use, everything else will be blocked (excepting Always Allows apps, see step 1).
5. Save

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Step 3: Select this App Group for your Session

You can now start a new session or edit existing sessions with your new whitelist app group.

That's it! Any session which uses your Whitelist App Block will block all apps and websites, except the ones you selected.

Here's a video summary: