An Opal alternative that makes you actually study
Opal is a genuinely good app blocker. But for students it has a gap: when your apps are blocked, nothing happens next. You're just… blocked. QuizLocky fills that gap by making the unlock productive — you pass a quick quiz built from your own study notes, and that earns your screen time.
What Opal is
Opal is a focus app for iPhone that blocks distracting apps during timed sessions. You schedule focus time, your chosen apps go dark, and Opal tracks how much focus time you banked. It's built for professionals guarding deep-work hours as much as for students.
QuizLocky vs Opal
| Opal | QuizLocky | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens when you tap TikTok | It's blocked until the session ends | A quiz from your own notes opens — pass it and you've earned scroll time |
| What ends the lock | Waiting, or overriding the session | Studying — 10 minutes of quizzing earns about 20 minutes of screen time |
| Built-in study content | None | AI turns your notes, PDFs or photos into flashcards and quizzes |
| Who it's built for | Anyone doing focused work | Students with exams, notes and a scrolling habit |
| Platform | iPhone | iPhone |
When Opal is the better choice
- You want pure distraction blocking with schedules and focus stats, and you don't need study features
- You're guarding work hours, not revising for exams
- You want the habit change without any quiz friction
When QuizLocky is
- You're a student and the time you win back should become study time
- Willpower-based blocking hasn't stuck — you want the urge itself to trigger revision
- You want flashcards and spaced repetition built into the same app that guards your screen time
Common questions
Does QuizLocky block apps like Opal does?
Yes. QuizLocky uses Apple's Screen Time framework, the same system-level blocking Opal relies on. The difference is what unlocks them: in QuizLocky you pass a quiz generated from your own study material instead of waiting out a timer.
Can I use QuizLocky and Opal together?
Technically yes, since both use Screen Time, but for most students one is enough. If your goal is studying more, QuizLocky covers the blocking and the studying in one app.
Is there a free trial?
Yes, 3 days free on the App Store. If you cancel before it ends you pay nothing.
Make your scroll urge study for you
QuizLocky is free for 3 days. Set it up tonight, and tomorrow the next time your thumb heads for TikTok, you'll learn something first.
Download on the App StoreiPhone only · uses Apple Screen Time · cancel anytime
Also comparing: Forest · Brick · Quizlet · or read how to stop scrolling and actually study.