How to limit the time of use of the application on Xiaomi: 5 working ways

Monitoring smartphone time has become a challenge for many users. Xiaomi’s MIUI-powered smartphones offer several built-in tools to limit the use of individual apps, from standard digital well-being to advanced parental controls, which are useful not only for parents who want to limit their children’s screen time, but also for those who want self-control in their use of social networks, games or instant messengers.

In this article, we will discuss all available ways to limit the time of application operation on Xiaomi, Redmi and other devices. POCO — From basic settings to hidden system features, you'll learn how to set daily limits, block apps on schedule, use third-party utilities, and even circumvent limitations (if necessary). MIUI smartphone models.

1. Digital Well-Being: The MIUI Integrated Tool

The Digital Wellbeing feature, which has been introduced in MIUI since version 10, has become the standard for all modern Xiaomi smartphones, allowing users to track device usage times, set limits on applications, and even block them after a set time has expired, with the main advantage of being easy to set up and no need to install additional software.

To activate the restrictions:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Digital Well-Being and Parental Control
• 📊 Select the Control Panel (or Dashboard in new versions)
• ⏱️ Tap on the schedule of using the desired application and click the Hourglass (timer icon)
• 🔢 Set a daily limit in minutes or hours

Once the limit is reached, the app will be blocked until the next day, and a notification will appear on the screen. Importantly, this method only works for user profiles (not for guest accounts). Some models (Xiaomi 12T, Redmi Note 11) may require additional activation of the feature in the Special Features menu.

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If the Digital Well-being feature is not in the settings, upgrade the MIUI to the latest version or check the firmware region – in the Chinese versions (China ROM), this tool can be hidden.

Parental Controls: Strict Restrictions for Children

For more rigorous control (e.g., over a child's device), MIUI has a separate parental control module, unlike Digital Well-Being, it can:

• 🔒 Set strict time limits with the impossibility of circumvention
• 📅 Set up a schedule of use (for example, only on weekdays from 17:00 to 19:00)
• 🎮 Block specific categories of applications (games, social networks)
• 📊 Get weekly activity reports

Algorithm of settings:

1. Go to Settings → Digital Well-Being → Parental Controls
2. Create a child profile (you will need to link to your Mi Account)
3. Select applications for restriction and set limits
4. Activate the option to request permission to renew if you want to allow additional time manually

On the POCO F3, Xiaomi 11 Lite and later, parental controls are integrated with Google Family Link, allowing you to manage restrictions remotely via the web interface, but this will require you to link the device to a Google account, without which some of the features will not be available.

3. Hidden MIUI functions: traffic consumption restriction

A little-known way to limit activity in apps is to use mobile traffic limits, a method that is suitable for games and social networks that actively consume the Internet, and when the limit is exhausted, the application either stops working or goes offline.

How to set up:

1. Open the Settings. → SIM-maps and mobile networks → Transfer of data
2. Select a Traffic Limit and set a daily/weekly limit.
3. In the section Using traffic by application, mark the programs for which you want to apply the restriction.
4. Activate the option to disable mobile data when exceeded

This only works for mobile internet — there are no restrictions on Wi-Fi networks, and some firmware (MIUI 13 for Redmi 10) has a bug: once the system is updated, the traffic limits are reset, so they need to be checked once a month.

4. Third-party applications for advanced control

If the built-in MIUI tools aren't enough, you can use third-party utilities, which offer advanced features like:

• 📈 Detailed statistics for each application (up to minutes)
• 🔄 Flexible schedules (e.g. blocking social media during working hours)
• 🛡️ Password protection against cancellation of restrictions
• 🌍 Remote management (for parental control)

Top.-3 apps:

Before installing, check compatibility with your version of MIUI. On Xiaomi with HyperOS (new 2026 models), some apps may require additional permissions in the Special Access menu.

5. Restriction through Do Not Disturb mode and profiles

A non-obvious way to reduce application time is to use customized rules-based Do Not Disturb (DND) mode, such as setting up automatic shutdowns of social media notifications during business hours, which reduces the desire to open them.

Instructions:

1. Go to Settings → Notifications and Status bar → Do not disturb
2. Select the Automatic Rules → Add a rule
3. Set a schedule (for example, from 9:00 to 18:00)
4. In the Exclusions section, mark the Applications and select the ones you want to restrict.
5. Activate the option to Block Notifications

Nana POCO X3, Redmi Note 9 and other models with MIUI 12.5+ There is an additional option Profiles (Settings) → Profiles: You can create a separate Job or Study profile with a limited set of available applications and automatically switching on schedule.

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Do Not Disturb mode doesn't block the apps themselves, it only blocks their notifications, it's a psychological method of reducing usage time, not a rigid restriction.

6.How to circumvent restrictions (and how to prevent them)

Any time limits can be bypassed, and Xiaomi users have found several ways to do this:

• ⏳ Application data reset: in Settings → Annexes → [name] → Warehouse → Clear the data resets the time counter (does not work on all versions) MIUI)
• 🔄 Rebooting the device: on some firmware after rebooting, restrictions are reset
• 🕒 Changing system time: If you manually reverse the clock, the timer can “set back"
• 📥 Installation of the application clone through Double Apps in the settings

To prevent circumvention:

• Use parental controls with a link to your Mi Account – it’s harder to get by
• Set a password for settings (Settings → Lock and password → Lock settings)
• Turn off the developer mode (you can reset the restrictions via adb).

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On Xiaomi, with an unlocked bootloader, you can completely remove system digital well-being apps via ADB or TWRP. This is a radical method, but it deprives the device of all built-in control functions.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

When setting the restrictions, Xiaomi users encounter typical errors:

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI Global Stable (e.g. Redmi) 9A) Digital Well-being may not be available due to regional constraints. MIUI Europe ROM Use Google Digital Wellbeing from the Play Market.

Other common problems:

On Xiaomi 13 and POCO F5 with HyperOS, some digital well-being features are moved to the Security menu. If you don't find the right settings, search by settings (the magnifier icon at the top of the screen).

FAQ: Answers to Frequent Questions