How to see the amount of time spent in applications on Xiaomi: all the ways

Why Xiaomi Hiddens Time Data in Apps and How to Find It

Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones based on MIUI collect detailed statistics about how much time you spend in each application – but do not always show it to the user directly. Unlike iOS or pure Android, where the screen time feature is put on the main settings screen, in MIUI, this data is hidden deeper, the reason for this approach lies in the philosophy of the Xiaomi interface: the company seeks to minimize “digital stress” without focusing on time spent on social networks or games.

But statistics are still being kept, and can be extracted in several ways. In this article, we will discuss 5 working methods, including built-in MIUI tools, third-party apps, and even hidden system reports. It is important to understand that different versions of the firmware (MIUI 12, 13, 14) may have different menu items, and some features are only available on flagship models (for example, Xiaomi 13 Pro or Redmi K60).

Before you go to the instructions, check your firmware version: go to Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version. If you have MIUI Global or MIUI Europe, all of the methods described below will work. Custom firmware (e.g. Xiaomi.eu) may require additional settings.

Method 1: Built-in statistics "Digital well-being" (MIUI 12-14)

The most obvious and official way to do this is to use the Digital Wellbeing tool that Xiaomi has integrated into MIUI since version 12, which shows not only the total time you use the device, but also the app allocation and the number of screen unlocks.

To find the statistics:

1. Open Settings (the gear icon on the main screen).
2. Scroll down and select Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls.
3. Slip the chart at the top of the screen — this shows the total usage time for today.
4. To see the details by app, click on Show All Apps or scroll down.

In this section you will see:

• 📊 Timetable of activity by hour (peak periods of use).
• ⏱️ Time in each application for today/week.
• 🔄 Number of launches of each application.
• 📵 Time without phone (if focus mode is enabled).

Note that the statistics are reset at midnight local time, and if you need to save data from the past day, take a screenshot or export a report (a feature available in some regions), and you can set application limits here, and the system will notify you if you exceed the specified time.

Method 2: Hidden “Time of Use” report in security settings

Few people know, but MIUI has a second source of statistics, a hidden section in security settings that duplicates some of the data from Digital Well-Being, but sometimes shows more detailed information, including background activity of apps (for example, how long WhatsApp has been running for a long time).

Instructions for access:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the upper right corner, press three dots (⋮) and select the Time of Use.
3. The system may request confirmation by fingerprint or PIN-code.
4. A list of applications will open before you, indicating the time of active use and background work.

This method is useful if:

• 🔍 You need data on a particular application, not general statistics.
• 📉 You suspect that some app is too active in the background (like Facebook or TikTok).
• 🔒 You want to see system processes that don’t show up in Digital Well-being".

An important caveat: on some models (such as the POCO X3 Pro or Redmi Note 10), this partition can be disabled by default.

1. Enable the developer mode (7 times tap the MIUI version in the phone settings).
2. Go to Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Find the option to Enable Time Log and activate it.

Method 3: Export the full report through "Security" (for advanced)

If you want a few days or weeks of detailed data, you can export the full report from the security system, and this method takes a little bit more action, but it gives you the most accurate information, including:

• 📅 Daily breakdown by annex.
• 📱 Screen unlock time and number of sessions.
• 🔋 Effects of applications on the battery (indirectly).

Step-by-step:

1. Open the Security app (the shield icon on the home screen).
2. Go to the Data Management section → Use log.
3. Click on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Export Data.
4. Select a period (e.g., the last 7 days) and confirm the export.
5. A file in.txt or.csv format will be saved in the Download folder.

The report will look something like this:

This method only works on devices with MIUI Global or MIUI China. On European firmware (Xiaomi.eu), the export function can be disabled.

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If the exported file does not open correctly, try importing it into Google Sheets or Excel.

Method 4: Third-party monitoring applications (ActionDash, Digital Wellbeing)

If the built-in MIUI tools don't suit you, you can use third-party apps that offer advanced analytics, including:

• 📈 Comparison with previous periods (week/month).
• 🎯 Goals to reduce time on social networks.
• 📊 Visualization of data in the form of graphs and diagrams.

Top.-3 apps:

1. ActionDash (from the developers of Action Launcher) – shows the use time, the number of unlocks and even the most visited screens in the applications. 🔹 Free version with basic statistics. 🔹 Premium version ($4.99 adds 6-month story.
2. Digital Wellbeing (by Google) is the official Google app that works on the Internet. MIUI. Installed through Google Play. 🔹 Integration with family settings (time control for children). 🔹 Ability to set timers on applications.

StayFree

• 🔹 Free without restrictions.
• 🔹 Supporting a dark topic.

For third-party applications to work correctly, they need special permissions:

🔧 Allow access to the use of applications (Settings) → Annexes → Special access → Access to use)

🔧 Disable Battery Optimization for Tracker (Settings) → Battery → Optimizing the battery → Select an application → No restrictions)

🔧 Enable auto-start (Settings) → Annexes → Application management → Select a tracker → Auto-start)

🔧 Provide access to notifications (if you need to track time in messengers)

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Warning: Some apps (like ActionDash) may conflict with Xiaomi’s built-in Digital Well-Being. If data diverges significantly (more than 20-30%), opt for the built-in tool to get data directly from the system.

Method 5: ADB-Advanced Users (without root)

If you're willing to dive into the technical details, you can extract the time data in applications through ADB (Android Debug Bridge), a method that doesn't require root rights, but requires connecting the phone to a computer.

What you'll need:

• 🖥️ Computer with installed ADB-Drivers (you can download from Google website).
• 📱 Developer mode enabled and debugging by USB smartphone.
• 🔌 USB-Type C Cable (preferably original).

Instructions:

1. Connect the phone to the PC and confirm the debugging permission.
2. Open the command prompt (cmd on Windows or Terminal on macOS/Linux).
3. Enter the command to get a list of packages with time of use: adb shell dumpsys usagestats --help
4. To export your data for the last day, use: adb shell dumpsys usagestats --since $(($(date +%s) - 86400))000
5. The result is saved to file: adb shell dumpsys usagestats > usage_stats.txt

In the file received usage_stats.txt Find the blocks from PackageName, which is the data for each application:

Package [name=com.whatsapp, lastTimeUsed=1715784200000, lastTimeForegroundServiceUsed=1715783500000, totalTimeInForeground=1200000]

Here:

• com.whatsapp is the WhatsApp packet ID.
• TotalTimeInForeground = 1200000 - time in milliseconds (1 200 000 ms = 20 minutes).

⚠️ Attention: Use ADB This can cause some security settings to reset (e.g. Google Pay will stop working before the reboot.

What to do if statistics are not shown or dropped

Sometimes users are faced with the fact that the time data in the applications:

• 🔄 Reset after resetting.
• ❌ Not displayed for some applications.
• ⏳ They hang on one value.

Causes and solutions:

If none of the methods work, check:

1. Is the collection of statistics disabled in Settings → Privacy → Special permissions → Use log.
2. Are there restrictions on children or parental control?
3. Does the second space (Dual Apps) - the statistics are kept separately?

⚠️ Note: On some models POCO (for example, POCO F5) The statistics collection function is disabled by default due to manufacturer policy, and you need to manually enable com.miui.analytics to activate it. ADB: adb shell pm enable com.miui.analytics

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If you use two of them SIM-You'll have a map or two spaces, and you'll have the statistics split separately for each profile.

FAQ: Frequent questions about time in Xiaomi apps