Ever wonder how many hours a day it takes to scroll through social media or watch videos? Xiaomi’s MIUI-based smartphones offer built-in screen time monitoring tools to help you understand the real-world usage of the gadget, and these statistics not only show the overall duration of activity, but also distribute it across applications, from instant messengers to games.
Unlike the iPhone, where Screen Time works on a single algorithm, on Xiaomi, access to statistics depends on the version of MIUI and the device model. For example, on the Redmi Note 12 with MIUI 14, the path to settings is different from the POCO F5 with MIUI 13. We will analyze all the current methods, from standard tools to third-party applications, and also tell you how to set the restrictions for yourself or your child.
Importantly, data is only collected when statistics are collected on, and if you've previously disabled Digital Well-being in your settings, there may be no information from the past, so you'll have to wait for new data to accumulate or use alternative methods.
Method 1: Embedded Digital Well-Being in MIUI
The main time analysis tool is the Digital Wellbeing section, which is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices with MIUI 10 and later.
- Open the settings (cog icon).
- Scroll down to the App block and select Digital Well-being.
- Click on the Control Panel (or Use Statistics in older versions).
Here you'll see:
- 📊 Total use time for today/week.
- 📱 Top apps by duration (for example, TikTok – 3 hours, WhatsApp – 1 hour).
- 🔔 Number of screen unlocks.
- 📅 Timetable of activity by hour (peak periods).
On the POCO X5 Pro and other models with MIUI 14, Concentration is added to show how much time you spent without distracting notifications. If this partition is missing, update the firmware through Settings → About Phone → System Update.
Method 2: Quick access through the notification panel
You want to dig into the settings? On MIUI 12-14, you can open the statistics directly from the notification curtain:
- Swipe your finger down from the top of the screen to open the notification bar.
- Tap the Digital Well-Being icon (a pie chart icon) If it's not there, click Edit (a pencil) and add the widget manually.
On the Redmi 10C and some budget models, this widget may not be available due to the limitations of the MIUI version.
The advantage of this method is that the data is updated in real time, and you can quickly assess current activity, for example, if you see that it is already 2 hours on Instagram, this will signal you to switch to business.
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Add the Digital Well-Being widget to the home screen: hold your finger in the free space → The Widgets → find the relevant item, so that statistics are always at hand.
Method 3: Through Security Settings (for older versions of MIUI)
If you have a Xiaomi Mi 9 or another model with a MIUI 9-11, the Digital Well-Being section might be called something else.
- Open Settings → Memory and Performance.
- Choose Battery Use (sometimes time stats are hidden here).
- Scroll down to the Time of Use or Application Activity block.
Some firmware (e.g. MIUI 10 for Redmi Note 7) display data as a graph without app-specific detail.
- 🔍 Install a third-party application (see Method 5).
- 📲 Update the firmware to MIUI 12+, where the statistics are more detailed.
⚠️ Note: On custom firmware (for example, LineageOS) built-in statistics MIUI Use Google Digital Wellbeing or ActionDash.
Method 4: Google Digital Wellbeing (for devices with Google services)
If your Xiaomi has Google services installed (which is relevant for global versions), you can use their tool:
- Open the Settings. → Google → Digital Well-Being and Parental Control.
- Press the Control Panel.
- Select the tab Graph for detail by day.
Differences from MIUI:
| Function | MIUI Digital Wellbeing | Google Digital Wellbeing |
|---|---|---|
| Details by annex | ✅ Yes.-10) | ✅ All applications are) |
| Time limitation | ✅ There are (only for individual applications) | ✅ Available (flexible timers) |
| Notification statistics | ❌ No. | ✅ There is. |
| Synchronization between devices | ❌ No. | ✅ Yes (via Google account) |
If both tools show different data, Google’s numbers take precedence – they take into account activity in the background (for example, playing music on YouTube Music with the screen off).
Why is MIUI and Google data different?
Method 5: Third-Party Applications for Advanced Analysis
Built-in tools provide basic information, but if you need detail (like time in a specific Telegram chat or analysis by app category), install one of these apps:
- 📊 ActionDash – Shows 30 days of history, compares to previous periods, suggests ‘goals’ to reduce time.
- 🔍 App Usage – captures usage time with an accuracy of a second, exports data to Excel.
- 👨👩👧👦 StayFree – Ideal for Family Control (reports for each family member).
- 🛡️ Digital Detox – Blocks Distraction Apps on Schedule.
Example of working with ActionDash:
- Download the app from Google Play.
- Permit access to usage statistics (request will pop up).
- Go to the Stats tab → select the period (day/week/month).
Warning: After you delete the third-party application, its data is erased. To save history, export the reports to PDF or CSV through the application settings.
Check out the Android version (requires 8.0+)
Disable battery optimization for the app
Allow access to usage statistics in Android settings
Sync your data with the cloud (if you have a function)-->
How to set limits on the time of use
Knowing the statistics is just the first step, and to really reduce your phone time, use the built-in constraints:
- Open Digital Well-Being → App Timers.
- Select an app (like TikTok) and set a limit (like 1 hour a day).
- Activate the Lock option after expiration.
MIUI 14 has added the Concentration Mode function:
- 📵 Block notifications from selected applications.
- ⏰ Automatically activated on schedule (for example, from 21:00 to 7:00).
- 📊 Shows a report on compliance with the regime.
For parental control:
- Create a child profile in digital well-being.
- Set limits on games and social networks.
- Set your sleep time (lock the device at night).
⚠️ Attention: Restrictions are bypassed through Guest mode or reset settings. To avoid this, set a password for settings in Security. → Application lockdown.
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On the POCO F4 GT and other Xiaomi gamers, the app timers do not work for games in Game Turbo mode. To limit game time, turn off this mode in the settings.
Frequent problems and their solutions
Problem 1: Statistics are reset after rebooting.
Solution: Include data saving in Settings → Applications → Digital Well-being → Store History.
Problem 2: Time is not counted on YouTube.
Solution: YouTube in the background (for example, when playing music) is not always fixed by MIUI. Use Google Digital Wellbeing or turn off background play in the app settings.
Problem 3: There is no section on “Digital Well-Being.”
Decision:
- Update the firmware to MIUI 12+.
- Install Google Digital Wellbeing from the Play Store.
- Check the region of the device: on the Chinese versions of MIUI, the function may not be available.
Problem 4: The data is not the same as the real time.
Solution: MIUI only counts activity with the screen on. If you're listening to a podcast with the display off, you don't record time. Use App Usage Tracker to accurately measure that.