How to find out how many hours your Xiaomi phone has been running: a complete guide

Ever wonder how long your Xiaomi smartphone actually spent on? This information can come in handy when buying a used device, diagnosing a battery, or just to satisfy curiosity. Unlike the iPhone, where the runtime data is hidden deep in the system, Redmi, POCO and other Xiaomi phones provide several ways to get this information, from standard settings to hidden engineering menus.

In this article, we will discuss all available methods, from simply viewing screen statistics to analyzing system logs through ADB. You will learn how screen time differs from the total CPU activity time, why data may differ from different sources, and what to do if your Xiaomi model does not display the desired information.

Important: Some methods require unlocking the bootloader or developer rights. If you’re not ready for experimentation, start with the first two methods that work on any Xiaomi smartphone without any additional manipulation.

1. Screen time statistics in standard settings

The easiest way to do this is to use Android's built-in statistics, which show the time you've been using your screen (when you interacted with your phone), but doesn't take into account the background work of the processor.

How to see it:

1. Open the settings → Battery and performance.
2. Slip on the battery icon at the top of the screen (or select "Battery Use").
3. Scroll down to the chart and find the screen time bar.

Here you will see two key indicators:

• 📱 Screen time – how many hours the screen was on (e.g. 4h 30m for today).
• 🔋 Active time – total time when the phone is awake (includes background processes).

💡

If your MIUI firmware doesn't have Battery Use, try the path: Settings → Battery → Usage Statistics. On some POCO models, this section is called Battery Analysis.

Limitations of the method:

• 🔄 Data is reset after full discharge or reboot.
• ⏳ Does not show the total time of the phone since the first switch on.
• 📊 The graph only stores the history of the last 7-14 days (depending on the model).

2. View the time of work through the engineering menu (#4636##)

The hidden engineering menu ##4636### is available on most Xiaomi smartphones and provides advanced system information, including device life.This method works without root rights, but requires caution - do not change the settings in the menu unless you are sure of their purpose!

Instructions:

1. Open the Phone app and enter the combination: ##4636##.
2. In the menu that appears, select Battery Information.
3. Find the line Time since boot - this is the time of continuous operation of the phone from the last turn on.

What do the key parameters mean:

Note: if you see Battery health in the engineering menu with a value below 80%, this is a signal of strong battery wear - a replacement is recommended.

3.Use ADB to obtain accurate data on working hours

For advanced users, the most accurate way to request data is through Android Debug Bridge (ADB), a method that shows the total kernel uptime that includes all processes, not just screen activity.

What you need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-driver.
• 📱 Included debugging by USB on the phone (Settings) → The phone. → Version. MIUI → 7 times tap to unlock the developer mode, then Settings → Additionally. → For developers → Debugging by USB).
• 🔌 Cable USB (preferably original).

Step-by-step:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and allow debugging (a request will appear on the smartphone screen).
2. Open the command line (Windows) or terminal (macOS/Linux) and type:

adb devices

(Your device must be authorized.)

1. Follow the command to get the working time:

adb shell cat /proc/uptime

The result will be in the format of:

123456.78 987654.32

Where:

• 123456.78 - System time in seconds (first number)
• 987654.32 - Downtime (not used in this case)

To translate seconds into hours, divide the first number by 3600. For example, 123456/3600 ≈ 34.3 hours.

Install Platform Tools on PC| Enable USB debugging on your phone | Allow connection on your smartphone screen | Check connection with adb devices command

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Advantages of the method:

• ⏱️ Shows the exact kernel operating time, including background processes.
• 📊 Data is not reset during discharge (only when fully restarted).
• 🔧 It works on all Xiaomi models, including the Redmi Note 10, POCO X3, Mi 11.

💡

ADB-The method is the only way to know the actual operating time of the processor, not just the screen, and is critical to measuring the wear and tear of the chipset when buying a used phone.

4. Applications for monitoring the operating time (without root)

If you want detailed statistics with graphs and history, use third-party apps that collect data on screen time, application activity, and even CPU temperature, and we tested 5 popular utilities, the best of which are:

Top.-3 apps:

• 📊 AccuBattery shows screen time, charging cycles and battery wear.The free version is limited to 3 days' stats.
• ⏳ GSam Battery Monitor – Details the activity time of each application and the total device life.
• 🔋 Battery Guru – specializes in battery health monitoring, but also keeps a log of operating time.

How to set up AccuBattery (Step-by-step):

1. Install the app from Google Play.
2. Open the Charging tab and wait for data collection (you need at least 1 full discharge-charging cycle).
3. Go to Statistics. → Time of use.
4. Here you will see a graph of the screen time and total activity time for the selected period.

Please note:

⚠️ Attention: Apps like AccuBattery don't start collecting data until they're installed, they won't show history until they're first launched. If you want data from past months, use this. ADB ore-menu.

Comparison of annexes:

5. Checking the time of operation through service codes (for models on Snapdragon)

Xiaomi phones on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors (e.g. Redmi K40, POCO F3) support special service codes that display advanced system information, including uptime. These codes are not officially documented, but work on most devices.

List of useful codes:

• 📞 ##7780## - Reset settings (do not use!).
• 🔍 ##44336## - Software version and operating time information.
• 🔋 ##284## - Battery test (indicates charging/discharge time).
• ⏱️ ##225## - Event calendar (includes reboot log).

How to use:

1. Open the Phone app.
2. Enter one of the codes (e.g. ##44336##).
3. In the menu that appears, look for System Info or Battery Stats.
4. Look for the lines Uptime or Total Run Time.

Example of output for ##44336##:

Build Time: 2023-10-15




Uptime: 4 days, 3:25:10




Battery Level: 42%

Warning:

⚠️ Warning: Some service codes (e.g. ##7780###) can reset your phone to factory settings. Never enter codes you don't know how to do! The full list of secure codes for Xiaomi can be found on the forum XDA Developers.

6. Analysis of system logs for advanced users (requires root)

If your Xiaomi phone has root access, you can extract the full system logs, where each device is logged on/off, which is the deepest level of analysis that will show the exact time since the first on.

Instructions:

1. Install a file manager with root support (such as Root Explorer).
2. Go to /data/log/ folder.
3. Find kernel.log or boot.log files.
4. Open the file and find the lines from boot_completed shutdown.

Example of a log:

[12-25 08:15:22.456] boot_completed=1




[12-26 23:45:10.789] shutdown=1




[12-27 07:30:05.123] boot_completed=1

To automate the process, use the script:

adb shell su -c "grep 'boot_completed' /data/log/kernel.log"

This will show all the timestamped records of the system, and when you calculate the difference between the first and last timestamps, you get the total time the phone has been running for the entire period.

Advantages of the method:

• 📜 Complete history of on/off switches.
• 🔍 Ability to analyze the causes of sudden reboots.
• 📅 Data is saved even after resetting (if not formatted) /data).

Disadvantages:

• 🔓 Requires root access.
• 🛠️ Difficult for beginners (risk of damaging the system).
• ⚠️ On some firmware MIUI Logs can be disabled.

Frequently asked questions