Xiaomi and Redmi smartphones have become so powerful and exciting that users often lose track of their time spent on social media or games. Digital addiction is a real problem, and controlling it begins with understanding how many hours a day you actually look at the display. The MIUI shell and the new HyperOS have powerful tools to track these statistics, but finding them the first time is difficult because of the localization features.
There are several ways to get accurate activity data: through built-in system utilities, developer menus, or third-party applications. Screen time affects not only productivity but also battery discharge speed, so monitoring these metrics is important for every gadget owner. In this article, we will break down all methods, from standard to advanced, so you can have full control over your digital experience.
Before we go into the settings, it's worth noting that the accuracy of the data can vary depending on the version of the Android operating system. But the basic principles of how meters work have remained unchanged over the past few years. Let's look at exactly where this information is hidden and how to use it correctly to optimize smartphone use.
Using the Digital Well-Being function
The main tool for analyzing activity in Android is the service Digital Wellbeing. On Xiaomi smartphones, it is deeply integrated into the system and provides a detailed breakdown of each application. To get there, open the standard Settings and scroll through the list to Digital Wellbeing and Parental Control. In some versions of the firmware, this section may be called simply “Screen Time” or be located inside the “Special Opportunities” menu.
Inside, you'll see a pie chart showing your total device usage time today, and you can click on a chart to access hourly statistics, which allows you to track what time of day you're most active, and it automatically groupes your apps into categories like social media, gaming, productivity, making it easier to analyze what it's taking you to do.
⚠️ Note: If you turn on Do Not Distract or Sleep, the statistics may not be fully displayed, as the system limits the background activity of trackers during these periods.
One of the key features is that you can set limits. You can set limits like 1 hour a day for Instagram or TikTok. When the time goes out, the app will be unavailable until the next day, although it can be temporarily unlocked. It's an effective way to combat procrastination that works at the system level.
For a deeper analysis, look at the number of unlocks a device has, which often surprises users by showing that the phone is picked up dozens of times an hour even for short notification checks, and reducing the frequency of unlocks is the first step to improving attention span.
Analysis through the Battery menu and performance
An alternative, and sometimes more accurate, way to check activity is to look at the power settings. The logic is simple: if the application worked, it was powerless. Go to Settings → Battery and Performance (or simply Battery). Here you will see a list of processes sorted by the percentage of charge they ate over a period.
By comparing screen time and percentage of charge, you can calculate the actual load. For example, if the navigator used 15% of the charge in 2 hours and the messenger used 10% in the same time, it becomes clear which processes are most demanding. Unlike Digital Wellbeing, it shows the activity of even those applications that worked in the background, not just the time they were open on the screen.
- 🔋 Screen time: Shows how many hours the display was active.
- 📱 Background time: Application duration without active interaction.
- ⚡ Consumption: The amount of charge expended by a particular application.
It's important to distinguish between these. Screen time is the time you interact with the interface. Background time is when an application updates email, downloads messages or tracks geolocation. The first parameter is more important for the overall picture of digital detox, but the second parameter is more important for optimizing autonomy.
☑️ Activity check
It's also worth noting the Battery Optimization feature, which is a menu that shows which apps work without restrictions, and often causes high screen time, as they're constantly exciting with notifications, forcing the user to pick up the phone over and over again.
Hidden capabilities and engineer codes
For advanced users, Xiaomi provides access to hidden menus through engineering mode. USSD-Phone allows you to open diagnostic tools that contain technical statistics that are not available in the normal interface, but be careful: changing the settings in these menus can affect the operation of radio modules or calibration of sensors.
One useful code to check general usage statistics is ##4636##. In the menu that opens, select Usage statistics. This shows a detailed history of running all applications to the exact second and last usage date, which is the raw data of the system that developers often use for debugging, but is also useful for ordinary users to audit.
##4636## → Use of the → Usage statisticsYou can see even apps that don't show up in the standard statistics, like MIUI system services or hidden ad processes, and if you notice suspicious activity from an unknown process consuming screen time, that's an excuse to check for viruses or remove questionable software.
⚠️ Warning: Don't change the settings in the engineering menu unless you know exactly what a particular parameter is for. Resetting this menu to factory values can be difficult without completely resetting your phone.
What if the code doesn't work?
Using these tools requires caution, but gives you the most complete picture of what’s going on inside your smartphone, especially if standard methods show conflicting data or if you suspect a hidden miner or spyware.
Third-party applications for detailed control
If you don't have enough MIUI built-in tools, Google Play offers a variety of alternatives: apps like ActionDash, StayFree, or QualityTime provide more flexible reports and beautiful graphics, and they often take screenshots when you change apps, allowing you to literally "see" your day.
The main advantage of third-party solutions is cross-platform and the ability to synchronize data between devices, you can install such an application on both your phone and tablet, getting a single statistic, and they offer more stringent lock and gamification modes for the process of abandoning addiction.
| Annex | Substantive function | Paid version |
|---|---|---|
| ActionDash | Full analogue of Digital Wellbeing with extended reports | Got (Pro) |
| StayFree | Use limits and blocking of distractions | Got it (Premium) |
| QualityTime | Notifications of exceeding limits and detailed reports | Got it (Premium) |
| AppBlock | Hard blocking of applications on schedule | Got (Pro) |
When installing such programs, Android will request permission to use device usage data. This is a mandatory step without which the application will not be able to collect statistics. Xiaomi will also need to manually allow auto-run and remove background activity restrictions in the battery settings for the tracker application itself, otherwise the system will kill its process to save energy.
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When installing time trackers on Xiaomi, be sure to turn on auto-start and remove battery restrictions, otherwise the statistics will be intermittent.
Parental Control and Family Linkage
The question “how to check screen time” is often asked by parents who want to control their children’s gadgets, and for this purpose, there are remote management tools in the Google and Xiaomi ecosystem. Family Link allows you to see real-time usage statistics on your child’s device while on your phone.
Once you set up a family group, you can not only watch reports, but also remotely lock the device, set bedtime, and limit the time you use specific games, which works even if your child tries to remove the tracker app, as it has device administrator rights.
- 👨👩👧 Remote monitoring: Viewing statistics from the parent's phone.
- 🔒 Blocking: Instant locking of the child’s device.
- ⏰ Limits: Set total use time per day.
Xiaomi devices also have built-in Second Space or Guest Mode space, but they are less suitable for full parental control than specialized solutions. Family Link integrates deeper and provides more flexible behavior scenarios.
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To control children, it is best to use the Google Family Link bundle + built-in MIUI restrictions, this gives a double level of protection and transparent statistics.