How to check screen time on Xiaomi Redmi 8T: official and hidden ways

Xiaomi Redmi 8T is a popular smartphone with a shell MIUI, which offers users advanced tools for monitoring activity. One of the most popular features is screen time tracking, a metric that helps to monitor dependence on a gadget, analyze productivity or simply understand how many hours a day you spend at the phone. However, finding these statistics is not as obvious as it may seem: depending on the firmware version and regional settings, the path to data may differ.

In this article, we will look at all the current ways to view screen time on Redmi 8T, including built-in MIUI tools, Google Digital Wellbeing services and third-party applications. We will focus on the nuances that arise when using different versions of the shell (for example, MIUI 11 vs MIUI 12.5), and also explain how to interpret the data and what to do if the statistics are not displayed. For convenience, we have prepared a comparative method table and a checklist for quick access to the desired settings.

1. Official method: statistics in the MIUI settings

The most reliable method is to use the built-in Use Time (or Screen Time in newer versions of MIUI) feature, which collects data on screen activity time, unlock rates, and even app distribution. On the Redmi 8T, the path to it may vary depending on the firmware version, but the general logic is maintained.

To find the statistics:

• 📱 Open the Settings app (cog icon).
• 🔍 Scroll down and select the "Time of Use" section (in MIUI 12+) or "Screen time" (in MIUI If there is no such item, try the path: Settings → Accounts. → Time of use.
• 📊 You'll see a graph of today, yesterday or weekly data, and you'll see the top apps by usage time and unlock number.

Important: If you don’t find this section, it’s possible that the feature is disabled in the Mi Account settings to activate it:

1. Go to Settings → Mi Account → Cloud → Sync.
2. Make sure the “Time of Use” slider is on.
3. Restart the device and check again.

⚠️ Note: Some of the firmware for Redmi 8T (For example, the global version MIUI 11.0.8) statistics may be reset after the reboot. This is a bug that has been fixed in newer versions. If you encounter this problem, update the software or use alternative methods in the following sections.

Google Digital Wellbeing: an alternative for users of Google services

If you don’t like the built-in MIUI statistics (for example, due to data resets or lack of detail), you can use Google Digital Wellbeing.This tool is available on all smartphones with Google Mobile Services (GMS), including Redmi 8T. Its advantage is a deeper analysis of usage habits, including:

• 📱 Total screen time per day.
• 📊 Distribution by application category (social networks, games, productivity).
• ⏰ Number of notifications and frequency of phone checks.
• 🛌 Time before bed (if the "Do Not Disturb" mode is enabled»).

To activate Digital Wellbeing:

1. Go to Settings → Google → Digital Well-being and Parental Control.
2. Click on the icon "Control Panel" (graphic with clock).
3. If the service is disabled, follow the prompts on the screen to set it up.

Note that Digital Wellbeing may conflict with the built-in MIUI statistics. If the data in both services differ, Google takes priority, its algorithms take into account the background activity of applications more accurately.

💡

If Digital Wellbeing is not displaying data, check if sync is enabled in Settings → Accounts → Google → Account Sync. Sometimes deleting the cache of the Google Play Services app helps.

Third-party applications: when embedded tools are not enough

If you need advanced analytics (such as weekly reports, comparisons with other users, or data export), it’s worth considering third-party apps. 8T fit:

Before installing, check the permissions of the application: it must request access to the “Use Statistics» (android.permission.PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS). Without it, the data will not be collected to issue a permit:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Permissions → Special Access → Usage Statistics.
2. Select the installed application and turn on the switch.

⚠️ Note: Some applications (such as ActionDash) may conflict with Redmi's energy-saving modes 8T. If the statistics are not updated, add the application to the auto-optimization exceptions: Settings → Battery → Optimizing the battery → All applications → Find the right one and select “No restrictions».

4. Hidden MIUI features: how to get advanced statistics

The MIUI shell hides some useful tools that are not displayed in the main menu, one of which is the MIUI Lab, where you can find experimental features, including detailed usage statistics, to activate it:

Enter the phone code ##4636 in the app##|Go to the section "Battery Information"|Click on the menu icon (three dots) → "Show full statistics"|Go back to "Settings" → Find a new section called "Laboratory"-->

Once activated, the Lab section will have a "Time of Use (Extended)" item.

• 📅 30 days activity history (only 7 days in the standard version).
• 🔋 Correlation between time of use and battery consumption.
• 📱 Data on the background activity of applications (how long they worked in the BACKGROUND).

Importantly, this method only works on MIUI firmware 12 and later. On MIUI 11, code ##4636## will only open the test menu, without access to the lab. If you have an older version, update the software or use alternative methods.

5.Why statistics may not show up (and how to fix it)

Sometimes Redmi 8T users are faced with screen time not being fixed or showing zero values.

If none of the methods worked, try resetting the statistics settings:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find “Time of Use” (or “Digital Wellbeing”) and clear the cache and data.
3. Restart your phone and wait 24 hours, and the statistics will start to re-collect.

6 How to analyze data and optimize usage

Just knowing screen time is not enough, it's important to understand how this data can be put into practice. Here are some tips:

• 📉 Compare the days: If on weekdays screen time is 4-5 hours, and on weekends – 8 hours+, This is a signal of possible addiction. Try setting limits on social media.
• 🔋 Connect to the battery: B MIUI You can see which apps are the most power-consuming, and if YouTube or TikTok are the most time-consuming and power-consuming apps, you should limit their use.
• 🛌 Watch the night: If screen time after 23:00 is more than 1 hour, it can negatively affect sleep.Enable Do Not Disturb mode or use Reading (black and white filter).

For automatic optimization:

1. In Digital Wellbeing, set up app timers (e.g., 1 hour a day for Instagram).
2. In MIUI, activate Focus Mode (Settings → Time to Use → Focus Mode) and it blocks notifications from selected applications for a given period.
3. Use the Adaptive Battery (Settings → Battery) to limit the background activity of energy-consuming applications.

💡

Screen time of more than 6 hours per day is considered high and may indicate digital addiction, with the optimal balance for productivity being 3-4 hours (excluding work tasks).

FAQ: Frequent questions about screen time on Redmi 8T