Why monitor screen time on your smartphone?
Screen time is not just a stat, itโs a real measure of how you interact with your gadget. On the Xiaomi Redmi 9 (as on other smartphones running MIUI), this feature helps you control your phone addiction, analyze habits, and even save battery life. For example, if you notice that you spend 5 hours a day on social networks, it can be an occasion to reconsider your priorities.
Redmi 9 owners often face the problem of where exactly these statistics are hidden in the settings? The fact is that depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13 or 14), the path to data may differ. In addition, on some firmware for Redmi 9, the Digital Well-being function is disabled by default and requires manual activation. In this article, we will discuss all working methods, from standard tools to third-party applications.
It's important to understand that screen time is only recorded when the display is active, and if you're listening to music with the screen off or taking calls, those minutes are not counted, and statistics are reset when you reboot your phone or reset your settings.
Method 1: Through the built-in Digital Wellbeing app
The most reliable and accurate method is to use the standard Digital Wellbeing app, which is pre-installed on all Xiaomi Redmi 9s with MIUI 12 and later, which not only shows the total screen usage time, but also distributes it across applications, and allows you to set limits.
To find the statistics:
- Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
- Scroll down and select Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls.
- Click on the pie chart at the top of the screen โ here is the total usage time for today.
- For detailed statistics, tap on Show all apps or App dashboard.
If you don't have Digital Well-being displayed, it's disabled to activate it:
- Go to Settings โ Applications โ Application Management.
- In the search, enter Wellbeing.
- Select the application and click Enable.
Check the version. MIUI (should be 12.+)|Update the firmware through Settings โ The phone.|Remove the app cache in Settings โ Annexes|Reset the settings to factory (extreme case)-->
Note that Digital Wellbeing only collects data after it first runs, if you turn it on today, the statistics from the past days canโt be displayed, and some system processes (e.g. com.android.systemui) can be shown in statistics as separate โappsโ โ thatโs fine.
Method 2: Through battery settings (alternative method)
If for some reason Digital Wellbeing is not available (for example, on custom firmware), you can use the data from the Battery section, which shows not only the charge consumption, but also the time of the screen activity during the last discharge cycle.
Instructions:
- Open Settings โ Battery and Performance.
- Slip on the battery consumption schedule (usually it is at the top of the screen).
- At the bottom of the chart will appear the screen line indicating the time in the format ChCh:MM.
This method has limitations:
- ๐ It only shows the time from the last charge (not for a calendar day).
- ๐ Does not distribute time across apps โ only the overall screen activity.
- โ ๏ธ It can be reset when the phone is restarted.
๐ก
If you don't have a schedule in the Battery section, try turning off the power saving mode in Settings โ Battery โ Energy saving mode. Sometimes this helps restore the collection of statistics.
For more accurate data, it is recommended to combine this method with Digital Wellbeing. For example, if the battery shows 4 hours of screen, and in Wellbeing - 3 hours and 45 minutes, the difference may be explained by background activity (for example, notifications that briefly turned on the display).
Method 3: Third-party applications for screen time monitoring
If the standard instruments MIUI You don't like it, you can install specialized apps from Google Play, which offer advanced analytics, widgets, even family controls.-3 Verified options for Xiaomi Redmi 9:
| Annex | Features | Cons |
|---|---|---|
| ActionDash | Detailed statistics on applications, widget for the main screen, history for 7 days | Advertising in the free version requires permission to access the use |
| Digital Wellbeing (from Google) | Googleโs Official Solution for Family Access Integration | Does not work on some custom firmware, limited history |
| StayFree | App limits, weekly reports, minimalist design | Paid functions (for example, application blocking) |
To install any of these applications:
- Open the Google Play Market.
- Enter the name of the application in the search.
- Click Install and wait for the download to be completed.
- Launch the application and provide the necessary permissions (usually Usage Statistics and Overlay on top of other applications).
Why can apps show different screen time?
When choosing a third-party app, pay attention to the feedback of Redmi 9 users - some utilities may conflict with MIUI optimizations and show incorrect data. Also remember that such programs require constant access to usage statistics, which can slightly increase battery consumption (by 1-3% per day).
How to Reset Screen Time Statistics?
Sometimes users want to "reset the meter" -- for example, after the weekend or before the start of the new week -- depending on the tracking method, you can do this in different ways:
- ๐ In Digital Wellbeing: Open the app โ tap on the icon โฎ (three points) in upper right corner โ Select Reset. The statistics will be zeroed from midnight of the day.
- ๐ In apps like ActionDash: Go to the app settings โ Find the Reset Usage Data.
- ๐ In the Battery section: Reset occurs automatically when you recharge to 100% or reboot your phone.
๐ก
Resetting statistics in Digital Wellbeing does not affect the actual time of use - it only resets the displayed data. The phone will continue to record the activity of the screen in the background.
Important: If you use parental controls or family access, resetting statistics may require confirmation from the administrator (for example, through a PIN-Also on some firmware MIUI The reset function can be blocked โ in this case, only reinstalling the Digital Wellbeing application through Settings will help. โ Annexes.
Frequent problems and their solutions
Xiaomi Redmi 9 users sometimes encounter errors when trying to watch screen time, and here are the most common cases and ways to fix them:
โ ๏ธ Note: If after the update MIUI no longer displayed statistics in Digital Wellbeing, try clearing the cache of the com.miui.wellbeing application via Settings โ Annexes โ Application management. 80 percent of the time, it solves the problem.
Problem 1: The Battery section does not show the screen time.
- ๐ Make sure your phone is not connected to charging โ some versions MIUI hide the schedule when charging.
- ๐ Reboot the device โ it will reset temporary data collection errors.
- ๐ฑ Check if the energy saving mode is turned on โ it can block the collection of statistics.
Problem 2: Monitoring apps show knowingly incorrect data (e.g., 20 hours of screen time per day).
- ๐ ๏ธ Remove and reinstall the app โ there may have been an error on the first run.
- ๐ Check Permissions: App needs rights to Usage Statistics and Notifications.
- ๐ค If you use MIUI 12 or lower, update the firmware โ older versions have bugs in API third-party.
Problem 3: After resetting the settings, the statistics are gone.
It's normal to reset to factory settings, and all data, including screen time history, is deleted. It's impossible to recover it. To avoid future data loss, export your Digital Wellbeing reports regularly. โฎ โ Export data).
Every day.|Once a week.|Only when the battery is down.|Never looked.-->
How to reduce screen time on Xiaomi Redmi 9?
If the statistics show that you spend too much time on your phone, here are some practical tips for Redmi 9:
- โฐ Use app timers in Digital Wellbeing: set a limit on social media or games (e.g. 1 hour a day) and when the time runs out, the app will be blocked.
- ๐ Include Dark Theme in Settings โ Display โ this will reduce the load on the eyes and reduce the desire to once again take the phone.
- ๐ต Set up Do Not Disturb Mode for the night or work hours so you donโt get distracted by notifications.
- ๐ Remove the shortcuts of frequently used apps from the home screen โ research shows that this reduces the time of use on the home screen. 20-30%.
Redmi 9 also has a hidden Read feature that turns the screen into black and white (grey), which reduces the appeal of the content and helps you focus on the text.
- Open the Settings. โ Special facilities.
- Choose a color filter (or color correction).
- Activate the Shades of Grey mode.
To drastically reduce time, you can use the Focus Mode (available in Digital Wellbeing) feature, which temporarily blocks all distracting applications, leaving only calls and SMS. Set up a schedule (for example, from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays) and the phone will go into โwork modeโ.