How to watch the time of use of applications on Xiaomi: all ways to MIUI 12-14

Monitoring smartphone time has become an integral part of digital hygiene. Owners of Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO devices often wonder how to track how many hours are spent on social networks, games or instant messengers — especially if it is a child’s gadget or trying to optimize their own productivity. Unlike iOS, where Screen time is displayed on the main settings screen, in MIUI this tool is hidden deeper, and its capabilities vary depending on the version of the shell.

In this article, we will look at all the available methods for viewing application usage statistics, from built-in MIUI 12-14 tools to third-party solutions like Digital Wellbeing and ActionDash. We will focus on the nuances of why data may not be saved after a reboot, how to circumvent restrictions on some models (for example, POCO F5 or Redmi Note 12), and what to do if the Digital Well-Being section is Suddenly disappeared after an update. For those who want to not only watch but also limit time in applications, we will give instructions on setting limits and parental controls.

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

The basic tool for monitoring activity is the Digital Wellbeing section (or Digital Wellbeing on global firmware), which is located depending on the version of MIUI:

• 📱 MIUI 12/13: Settings → Annexes → Digital well-being
• 📱 MIUI 14: Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Control (may require activation via Additional)
• 🌍 Global firmware: similar, but English-language, digital wellbeing and parental controls

If the menu is not on the menu, check:

1. Update MIUI to the latest version (old builds may not have feature).
2. Make sure that the device does not have custom firmware installed (such as LineageOS) where the tool can be removed.
3. On some models (such as the POCO X3 Pro), the section is hidden – try to find it through Search in the settings (the magnifier icon at the top of the screen).

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If there is no Digital Well-Being section, try resetting the Settings app through Settings → Apps → App Management → Settings → Storage → Clear the data. This will return hidden menu items.

After opening the section, you will see:

• 📊 Timetable of use by day of the week (by annex).
• ⏱️ Screen time – total hours of activity.
• 🔄 Unlock frequency (how many times you have picked up your phone).
• 📵 Notifications - statistics on received allerts.

⚠️ Attention: On devices with MIUI for Russia (e.g. Redmi) 10C Xiaomi 12T) This is due to the local firmware, the solution is to use third-party applications (see section 3).

Detailed statistics through "Security" (for MIUI 12-13)

In older versions of MIUI (before the 14th), some of the digital well-being features were duplicated in the Security app, which is relevant for owners of Xiaomi Mi 9, Redmi Note 8 Pro and other devices from 2019-2021:

1. Open the Security app (shield icon).
2. Go to Optimize or Accelerate (name varies).
3. Tap on Application Use or Application Activity.
4. Choose a period: Today, Week or Month.

This is the following:

• 🕒 Time in Foreground (active use).
• 🔄 Starts – how many times the application was opened.
• 📶 Traffic – Mobile data consumption (useful for limit tariffs).

⚠️ Note: Some of the scoring for POCO (for example, POCO X4 Pro) section Using applications in Security may show incorrect data due to performance optimizations. ADB-teams (section 4).

3 Third-party applications: Digital Wellbeing, ActionDash and others

If the built-in MIUI tools don’t suit you (for example, due to resetting statistics or lack of detail), install one of the specialized applications. We tested 5 popular solutions on Xiaomi 13 Ultra and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ – the best options:

• 📱 Digital Wellbeing (Google): Google's official Android-integrated app, showing screen time, number of unlocks and notifications. MIUI It may conflict with the system tool.
• 📊 ActionDash: Extended statistics with graphs by day/week, categorization of applications (social networks, games, work.
• 🔍 App Usage: Minimalist tracker with data export to CSV. Suitable for productivity analysis.
• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Link (Google): For parental controls, allow you to set limits on children's devices.

To avoid duplication of data:

1. Turn off system digital well-being in MIUI settings.
2. Give the third-party application permission to access Special Access (Settings → Applications → Permissions → Special Access → Application Use).
3. Set up auto start for the background (Security → Auto start).

On devices with MIUI 14 and Android 13+, apps like ActionDash can show under-time due to Google’s new background restrictions. To fix this, add the app to the “Do Not Optimize” list in the battery settings.

Advanced method: obtaining statistics through ADB

If you want raw usage time data (for example, for analysis or automation), you can extract it through ADB, a debugging tool for Android.This method is suitable for tech-savvy users and works on all versions of MIUI, including POCO Launcher.

Instructions:

1. Turn on Developer Mode: Settings → About Phone → MIUI Version (shap 7 times)
2. Activate USB Debugging in Settings → Additional → For developers.
3. Connect your phone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell dumpsys usagestats For date filtering, use: adb shell dumpsys usagestats --since 1672531200000 (where 1672531200000 is timestamp in milliseconds).

The result will be in the format of:

Package [com.android.chrome]:




Last time used: 2023-11-15 14:30:45




Total time in foreground: 1h 23m 45s




Launch count: 12

⚠️ Attention: MIUI 14 Android 13+ The dumpsys usagestats command may return blank data due to new privacy restrictions. In this case, pre-execute: adb shell appops set com.android.settings android:get_usage_stats allow

5. Parental controls: time limits for children

If you're setting up a phone for a child, the built-in MIUI tools allow you to not only look at statistics, but also set strict limits.

1. Open Settings → Digital Well-Being → Parental Controls
2. Create a profile of your child (you will need to link your Mi Account).
3. Select the apps to restrict (such as TikTok or YouTube).
4. Set a daily limit or sleep schedule (blocking overnight).

Features:

• 🔒 Limits work even if the child restarts the phone.
• 📵 You can block the installation of new applications without a password.
• 📊 Parents receive weekly activity reports.

For devices without Mi Account (e.g., on the POCO M4 Pro with global firmware), use Google Family Link:

1. Install Family Link on your phone and your child’s phone.
2. Link your child's account to yours.
3. Set up restrictions in the app (including bedtime).

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Parental controls in MIUI block circumvention of restrictions through the mode of the aircraft or resetting settings - this requires an adult password.

6.Why statistics may not be retained or discarded

Xiaomi users often face a problem: time data is suddenly zeroed.

If the problem persists:

1. Check if the device is power-saving mode (it can block background activity).
2. Clear the cache of the Digital Well-Being app in Settings → Apps → App Management.
3. For POCO-Try switching to a standard launcher MIUI (instead POCO Launcher).

7. Alternative methods: widgets and automation

For quick access to statistics, you can use:

• 📱 Digital Well-Being Widget: Add It to Home Screen Through Long Press → Widgets → Digital well-being.
• ⚙️ Tasker + AutoInput: Automatically open stats on a schedule (e.g. every night at 21:00).
• 📊 IFTTT: Set up notifications when you exceed the limit (integration with Google Sheets for logs).

Example of widget settings:

1. Long press on the main screen → Widgets.
2. Find Digital Wellbeing or Digital Wellbeing.
3. Select a size (4×1 or 4×2) and place it on the screen.
4. Slip through the video for quick access to detailed statistics.

For advanced users:

Example of script for Tasker (opens statistics on double tap on the icon):



A1: Launch App [App: Digital Well-Being Data: Exclude From Recent Apps:Off]

FAQ: Frequent questions