How to watch the time spent in the applications on Xiaomi: all the ways

Ever wonder how many hours a day it takes to scrolle TikTok, messaging apps, or games? Xiaomi’s MIUI-powered smartphones offer a few built-in tools to monitor activity, from basic statistics to detailed reports on each app, but not everyone knows where to look for that data and how to interpret it correctly.

In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can check your time in apps, from standard MIUI features to hidden Google Digital Wellbeing features and third-party utilities, how to enable statistics on where data is stored from past days, and why the numbers sometimes don’t match, and how to limit the time you use the most voracious apps if they get out of control.

Important: Monitoring functions may vary depending on the version MIUI (Especially in firmware for the global and Chinese markets, and in smartphone models, we'll give you all the nuances for the current versions. MIUI 14 and HyperOS.

1. Built-in statistics in MIUI: where to look and how to read

The easiest way is to use the built-in Time of Use tool (formerly Digital Well-Being) that is available on all Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones with MIUI 10 and later. Data is collected automatically, but sometimes activation is required.

To open up the statistics:

1. Go to Settings → Time to Use (or Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls in older versions).
2. Slip the chart at the top of the screen — this shows the total time of use of the device per day.
3. Scroll down to the Application Uses block, where a list of programs shows the time and percentage of total screen time.

In this section you will see:

• 📊 Hours of activity – when you used your phone most.
• 🔍 Top apps with time sorting (you can tap on any one to see details).
• 📅 7 Days History – Swipe left to see past day data.
• ⏱️ Average use time per week (useful for dynamic analysis).

Note that if you have never visited this section, statistics can only be collected after the first opening, and data is reset when you reset your settings or flash your phone.

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If the statistics do not show some applications (e.g. system apps), try to enable the option to Show all apps in the menu with three dots in the upper right corner.

Google Digital Wellbeing: An Alternative Data Source

If you use Google services (like Gmail or YouTube), your Xiaomi can have a Digital Wellbeing app installed, which is similar to built-in statistics but with advanced features, and its advantage is that the data is synced with your Google account and available on other devices.

To open up Digital Wellbeing:

1. Start Settings → Google → Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls
2. Slip the pie chart at the top of the screen.
3. Select the Control Panel tab for detailed statistics.

How is Digital Wellbeing different from standard MIUI statistics?

An important caveat: if you have disabled Google data collection in your account settings, Digital Wellbeing may not be showing complete statistics or even working at all.

1. Settings → Google → Google Account Management → Data and Personalization → Activity in Web Services and Apps
2. Make sure the “on” option is active.

3. Hidden functions of MIUI: advanced statistics

MIUI firmware has hidden tools that don’t appear in the main menu, but allow you to get more detailed information, such as active usage times (when the screen was turned on) and background times (when the app was running in BACKGROUND).

How to include extended statistics:

1. Open the Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 7 times on the line version of MIUI to activate the developer mode.
3. Return to Settings → Additional settings → For developers.
4. Find the option Application Time (beta) and turn it on.

After activation, a new tab will appear in the Time of Use section, where you will see:

• 📱 Screen time – how much of the app was open.
• 🔄 Background time – how much it worked in the BACKGROUND (for example, music players).
• 📶 Mobile data usage – traffic for each application.
• 🔋 Battery consumption – how the application affects the charge.

Note that in some regional firmware (e.g. India or Europe), there may be no application time (beta) option, in which case you can try updating MIUI to the latest version.

4. Third-party applications for in-depth analysis

If you don't have enough built-in tools, you can install specialized tools that offer advanced reports, widgets, even time optimization tips.-3 apps:

• 📊 ActionDash shows detailed statistics with graphs, day-by-day comparisons and app categorizations (social media, games, productivity) and there's a "Goal" feature where you can set limits.
• ⏱️ Digital Wellbeing (from Google, if not installed) – an alternative to built-in, with the ability to export data to Google Sheets.
• 🛡️ StayFree - a minimalist application with a convenient widget and blocker "gluttonous" programs.

Before installing third-party utilities, consider:

⚠️ Attention: Monitoring applications require permission for User Access, without which they will not be able to collect data. → Annexes → Special access → Access to use and enable the desired application.

Some utilities, such as ActionDash, may also conflict with the built-in MIUI statistics by duplicating the data, so if you notice discrepancies, choose one source.

Check out reviews on Google Play (ranked above 4.2)

Provide access to the use (Usage Access)

Disable the built-in MIUI statistics (optional)

Sync your data with your Google account (if necessary)

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5. How to Reset or Disable Statistics Collection

If you want to start counting down from scratch or turn off monitoring altogether (for example, for privacy reasons), this can be done in a few steps.

Data reset to MIUI:

1. Open the Settings. → Time of use.
2. Slip on the three dots in the upper right corner and select Reset data.
3. Confirm the action - the entire story will be deleted.

Disconnection of statistics collection:

• In MIUI: go to Settings → Time to Use → Three Points → Settings and turn off the “Trace Time to Use” option.
• In Digital Wellbeing: Settings → Google → Digital Wellbeing → Three Points → Settings → Turn off “Tracking Usage.”

Once you turn off the monitoring, all the data you've collected will be deleted without recovery, and if you need to turn on the statistics again, the collection will start from scratch.

6.Why data may be inaccurate (and how to fix it)

Users often complain that time in statistics does not coincide with real time, and here are the main reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If none of these methods worked, try updating your firmware or resetting your phone to factory settings (pre-backup). ADB-statistics-dumping:

adb shell cmd stats clear


adb shell cmd deviceidle force-idle

These commands are executed via a PC with a connected phone and enabled debugging over USB.

Frequent Questions (FAQ)

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For the most accurate statistics, use only one data source (either MIUI or Digital Wellbeing), avoid frequent phone reboots, and update your firmware to the latest version.