Where to watch screen time on Xiaomi Redmi: official and hidden methods

Why Xiaomi’s screen stats are different than other smartphones

Screen time on Xiaomi Redmi is not just a number in settings, but a whole self-control tool that many users underestimate. Unlike the iPhone or Google Pixel, where data is collected by one system (Screen Time and Digital Wellbeing respectively), Xiaomi smartphones offer two sources of statistics: built-in MIUI monitoring and Google services. This often causes confusion - why the numbers differ by 20-30%?

The fact is that MIUI counts the screen activity from unlock to turn off the display, including screensaver and menu time, while Google Digital Wellbeing focuses only on app usage. For example, if you've been browsing Instagram for 10 minutes and looking at wallpaper for 5 minutes, MIUI will show 15 minutes, and Google will only 10, a difference that is critical for those who strictly limit their time on a gadget.

Another nuance is that on Redmi models with MediaTek processors (for example, Redmi Note 12 4G), statistics can be reset after restarting due to an error in the MIUI 13.5-14.0 firmware. The manufacturer does not comment on the problem, but it can be avoided by alternative methods, which we will discuss below.

Official method: statistics in the settings of MIUI

The most obvious way is to use the built-in MIUI tools, which works on all Redmi models (from Redmi 9A to Redmi Note 13 Pro+) and does not require additional applications.

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Go to Screen Time (some versions of MIUI call it Digital Well-Being).
3. Click on the usage statistics or the Daily Report.
4. Choose a period: Today, Week or Month.

Here you'll see:

• 📱 Total screen usage time for the selected period.
• 📊 Diagram by app with time in each (for example, 2 hours in TikTok, 1 hour in Telegram).
• 🔔 Number of phone unlocks (useful for dependency assessment).
• 🌙 Sleep time (if Do not disturb mode is enabled).

Is the developer mode enabled (can reset data)

Updated to the latest version of MIUI

Is the data synchronized with Xiaomi account?

Power saving modes are turned off (can block the collection of statistics)-->

On models with MIUI 14 (e.g. Redmi Note 12 Pro), the Comparison function with the previous week, which shows the dynamics of habits change. If this section is missing, update the firmware through Settings → About Phone → System Update.

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If the statistics are not updated, try manually synchronizing the data: go to Settings → Accounts → Mi Account and click Sync.

Alternative: Google Digital Wellbeing

If the built-in MIUI statistics seem inaccurate or too general, use Google's service. It's available on all Redmis with Google Play pre-installed services (except for models for China without GMS).

• 🎯 More detailed analysis by application categories (social networks, games, work).
• 📈 Ability to set limits on applications with automatic lock.
• 🔄 Sync between devices (if you use one Google account on multiple devices).

To open up Digital Wellbeing:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls.
2. Click on the Control Panel (or Dashboard in English).
3. Select the Statistical tab.

Note that Google only counts active app usage, ignoring the time on the home screen or menu. For example, if you searched for an app in a folder for 5 minutes, it won't make it into the report, but there's a unique feature called Focus Mode that temporarily disables distracting notifications.

Built-in MIUI

Google Digital Wellbeing

Both in turn

I don't watch screen time.-->

Hidden Features: Advanced Statistics through Engineering Menu

For advanced users who need precise data on each screen turn on, there is a way through an engineering menu.This method works on all Redmis with Qualcomm processors (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro, POCO X5 Pro) and requires developer mode activation.

Instructions:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For developers and enable USB debugging.
3. Install the MTK Engineering Mode app (for MediaTek) or Qualcomm Service Menu (for Snapdragon) from Google Play.
4. Open the app and go to Usage Statistics or Screen Time.

Here you will find:

• 📅 Logs of on/off screen with the accuracy of a second.
• 🔋 Data on battery consumption during screen activity.
• 📶 Information about background processes that work in parallel.

On Redmi with MediaTek processors (like Redmi 10C), the path is different: once the developer mode is activated, type ##4636## in the dialer, then select Usage Statistics, which is out of sync with the cloud and resets after the reboot.

Comparison of methods: which method is more accurate?

To understand which source of statistics to trust, we ran a test on the Redmi Note 12 Pro (MIUI 14) with parallel use of MIUI Screen Time, Google Digital Wellbeing and the engineering menu.

Bottom line: if you care about the big picture (e.g., for addiction control), use MIUI. If you want detailed application data, Digital Wellbeing. For technical analysis (battery debugging, screen check) an engineering menu will do.

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The difference 10-15% It's normal between methods, but you just pick one source and track the dynamics of it, not compare absolute numbers.

Problems with statistics and how to fix them

Sometimes screen time is lost, reset or not updated, and here are the typical reasons and solutions:

• ⚡ Reset after reset: characteristic of MIUI 13.5-14.0 Fix – Update your firmware or use Google Digital Wellbeing.
• 🔄 Not synced with your account: check if sync is enabled in Settings → Accounts. → Mi Account.
• 🛑 Statistics are reset every day: reset the Security app cache (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Security → Warehouse → Clear the cache).
• 📵 No data on some applications: add them to the whitelist in Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery.

On Redmi with Android 12+ (such as Redmi K50), there may be a "Statistics Unavailable" error due to privacy restrictions.

1. Go to Settings → Privacy → Special Access → Usage Statistics.
2. Enable access for Digital Wellbeing and Security.
3. Reboot the phone.

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If the statistics are gone after the MIUI update, try to roll back to the previous version via Settings → About Phone → System Update → Three points → Select an update package (you need a firmware file).

How to export data for analysis

If you keep a diary of your gadget usage, or if you want to analyze statistics in Excel, you can export it.

• 📄 Isa MIUI Screen Time: Open the Settings → Screen time. → Statistics. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner. Select Export data (the file will be saved in Downloads in.txt format).

From Google Digital Wellbeing

1. Go to Digital Wellbeing → Three Points → Settings.
2. Select Export Data (a.csv file will be created).

The files contain:

• Date and time of start/end of the session.
• Application name and package (com.instagram.android).
• Duration of activity in milliseconds.