Introduction: Why monitor screen time on a smartphone?
Modern smartphones, including the Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro, have become an integral part of our lives — we spend several hours a day behind their screens. But how do we know how much time is spent on useful tasks and how much is spent on meaningless scrolling of social networks? MIUI Helps monitor device usage, analyze habits, and even set limits for individual apps.
On the Redmi 8 Pro (as with other Xiaomi models with MIUI 10–14 firmware), this option is hidden in the digital well-being settings. However, not everyone knows where to look for it, especially if they have not previously encountered such tools. In this article, we will analyze all the ways to access screen time statistics, learn how to adjust the limitations and reveal the hidden features of the feature, which even the official instructions do not speak about.
Important: on Redmi 8 Pro, the path to settings may vary depending on the MIUI version and regional firmware. If you haven’t found the right item in our guide, check the system version in Settings → About Phone → MIUI version and compare it to the compatibility table below.
Where is screen time on Redmi 8 Pro: a step-by-step path
The fastest way to open screen time statistics is through the Digital Wellbeing menu. Here's the exact route for the Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro:
- Open the Settings app (the gear icon on the home screen).
- Scroll down and select Digital Well-Being and Parental Control (some firmware may simply refer to Digital Well-Being).
- Slip on the tab Information panel – here you can see the general statistics of the use of the device for the day.
- For detailed analysis, go to Usage Statistics or Screen Time (depending on the MIUI version).
If you have MIUI 12 or newer, the path may be a little different.
Settings → Digital Well-Being → Graphic icon (at the top of the screen) → Detailed statisticsOn the Redmi 8 Pro with MIUI 10–11, the section sometimes hides deeper:
Settings → Additional settings → Digital well-being → Screen time☑️ What to do if you don’t see the Digital Well-Being section"
What does the screen time statistics show?
The screen time tool on Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro collects data about your activity and visualizes it in a convenient format.
- 📊 Total usage time – how many hours and minutes you spent on your phone today, yesterday or in a week.
- 📱 Top Apps – Ranking of programs that spent the most time on (indicating the percentage of total screen time).
- 🔄 Unlock frequency – how many times you turned on the screen (useful for analyzing smartphone dependency).
- 📅 Day/weekly dynamics – graphs showing how activity has changed by day.
- 🛑 Exceeding limits – notifications about applications that have been used for longer than a given time.
A unique feature of MIUI: on the Redmi 8 Pro, statistics take into account not only active screen use, but also the background work of applications (for example, listening to music in Spotify with the display turned off), this allows you to more accurately analyze the real time of interaction with the smartphone.
Example of data display:
| Parameter | Example of meaning | What does it mean? |
|---|---|---|
| Total screen time | 4 hours 27 minutes | Total time with active display per day |
| Top appendix | TikTok - 1 hour 45 minutes (38%) | The most used program and its share |
| Screen unlocking | 128 times | Number of display inclusions (average — 80–150/day-day) |
| Background activity | YouTube Music - 30 mins | Time of use without active screen |
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If the statistics are reset after the reboot, check the sync settings in your Mi Account. Go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account → Sync and enable the Digital Well-Being option.
How to set screen time limits for individual applications?
One of the most useful features of Digital Well-Being is the ability to limit the time you use specific applications, which helps you fight procrastination or control your kids' time playing. Here's how to do it on Redmi 8 Pro:
- Open Settings → Digital Well-Being → Information Panel.
- Slip the hourglass icon (or select the App Timers tab).
- Click Add Timer and select the app from the list (like Instagram or PUBG Mobile).
- Set a daily limit (from 5 minutes to 23 hours 55 minutes).
- Activate the switch to turn on the timer.
After activation of the limit:
- 🔔 You will receive a notification 5 minutes before the time expires.
- ⏳ When the limit is exhausted, the application icon will turn grey, and when you try to open a reminder will appear.
- 🔓 The restriction can be circumvented through the settings → Digital well-being → Timers. → Reset the timer (requires a password or fingerprint).
What to do if the timer is reset by itself?
The important thing is that on Redmi 8 Pro, the limits are only for your current user profile, and if you use Child Mode or multiple accounts, you'll have to duplicate the settings for each user.
Hidden screen time features in MIUI: what your Redmi 8 Pro can do
Few people know, but there are additional tools in Xiaomi’s Digital Well-Being that are not advertised in the basic settings.
- 📈 Comparative statistics: click on the graph in the dashboard and hold your finger – you will be able to compare data for two different days.
- 👁️ Focus Mode: temporarily blocks all notifications and distracting apps (located in Digital Well-Being) → Focus mode).
- 📵 Scheduled silent mode: automatically turns off sounds at specified hours (for example, during sleep).
- 👨👩👧 Family Control: Allows parents to remotely limit screen time on children's Redmi 8 Pro through their Mi Account.
And what's particularly interesting is Focus Mode, which is not just time-limiting, but completely hides the apps you select from the menu and search, so you can activate them.
Settings → Digital Well-Being → Focus Mode → Select Apps → Set TimeIn this mode:
- 🚫 Blocked programs become unavailable without the restriction being lifted.
- 🔔 All notifications from them are suspended.
- ⏰ On the lock screen appears countdown timer.
Screen time issues on Redmi 8 Pro: Why aren't the statistics working?
Sometimes users of Xiaomi Redmi 8 Pro are faced with screen time not displayed or reset, and here are the main reasons and ways to eliminate them:
| Problem. | Possible cause | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics not updated | Digital Well-Being Service is offline | Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → Digital Well-being and enable Auto-Run |
| Data is reset after rebooting | No synchronization with Mi Account | Enable synchronization in account settings |
| There is no section on Digital Well-Being. | Outdated version of MIUI (below 10.0) | Update the firmware through Settings → About the phone → System update |
| App timers don't work | Conflict with the battery optimizer | Add “Digital Well-Being” to Battery Exclusions |
Critical error: If the Digital Well-being section is completely gone after the MIUI update, try resetting the application settings:
Settings → Applications → Application Management → Three dots (menu) → Reset application settings⚠️ Note: Some custom firmware (like LineageOS or Pixel Experience) may not have screen time at all, so use third-party apps like Digital Wellbeing (from Google) or ActionDash.
Alternative applications for screen time control
If embedded tools MIUI You don't like it, you can use third-party solutions.-3 supplant 8 Pro:
- 📱 Google’s Digital Wellbeing (Google) is an official Google app with advanced analytics and Sleep Time feature.
- 📊 ActionDash visualizes data in clear graphs and offers weekly reports.
- 👨💻 StayFree – a lightweight application with the ability to set strict limits and block applications on a schedule.
To install any of these applications:
- Download APK from the official website or from Google Play.
- Allow installation from unknown sources in Settings → Applications → Special Permissions → Installation of unknown applications.
- Launch the application and provide access to special features (necessary for activity tracking).
Important: Third-party applications may conflict with built-in Digital Well-Being, and if you notice a double-counting of time or error, disable one of the solutions.
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The built-in screen time in MIUI consumes less battery than third-party applications because it is integrated at the system level.