How to watch your time spent in apps on Xiaomi Poco X3: a detailed guide

Have you ever caught yourself spending too much time on social media or games on Xiaomi Poco X3? or want to understand which apps are eating up your day? In this article, we’ll look at all the ways you can view app usage statistics, from standard MIUI features to hidden features and third-party services.

The MIUI-based Poco X3 smartphone offers several built-in tools to monitor activity, but not everyone knows where to look for them. We will show not only obvious ways, but also little-known tricks — such as how to save a time report or set up notifications for exceeding limits. And if standard features are not enough, we will share trusted third-party applications with advanced analytics.

Important: MIUI resets statistics when you reboot your device or reset your settings, and if you want long-term data, you'll have to use third-party solutions, which we'll talk about later.

1. Standard statistics in MIUI: where to find and how to read

The easiest way to do this is to use the built-in Time of Use (or Digital Well-Being feature in newer versions of MIUI) feature, which is available on all Xiaomi devices, including the Poco X3, and does not require any additional software installation.

To open the report:

1. Go to Settings → Time to Use (or Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls in MIUI 12+).
2. Click on the graph at the top of the screen – this shows the total time the device is used per day.
3. Scroll down to see detailed statistics for each application.

In the report you will find:

• 📊 Total screen time per day/week.
• ⏱️ Time in each annex, indicating percentage of total.
• 📱 Number of screen unlocks.
• 🔄 Frequency of use (how many times you opened the app).

Note: statistics are updated in real time, but reset after the phone is restarted. If you need data from the past days, use third-party apps (for these, see section 4).

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To reset the statistics manually, click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the Time of Use screen and select Reset. This is useful if you want to start tracking time from scratch.

Hidden functions of MIUI: Advanced statistics and data export

Few people know, but MIUI has hidden opportunities for deeper analysis of application usage, such as exporting a report to a file or setting up limit notifications.

How to enable advanced settings:

1. Open the Settings. → Time of use.
2. Slap the gear icon (⚙️) top-right.
3. Activate the switches: 🔔 Limit Notifications – The phone will alert you if the time in the app exceeds a predetermined threshold. 📄 Data export – allows you to save statistics in.csv format for analysis on PC. 👁️ Show time-of-use notifications - weekly summaries.

Exporting data only works in MIUI 12.5 and later. If you have an older firmware version, update it or use third-party applications (section 4).

• Date and time of start/end of the session.
• Application name and package (com.facebook.katana for Facebook, etc.)
• Duration of use in seconds.

The file is saved in the Download/UsageStats folder and can be opened in Excel or Google Sheets to plot graphs.

3. Limit setting and parental controls

If you want to not only watch statistics, but also limit the time you use certain apps, MIUI has a built-in Parental Control tool that is useful for both self-discipline and limiting children's access to games or social media.

How to set limits:

1. Go to Settings → Parental Controls (or Settings → Digital Well-Being → Parental Controls).
2. Create a profile (for yourself or your child) and set a password.
3. Choose the apps you want to set limits for and set the maximum usage time per day.
4. Activate the option “Block after the time has expired”.

When the limit is reached:

• 🚫 The application will be blocked (you will need to enter a password to unlock).
• 🔔 There will be a notification of exceeding the limit.
• 📉 In statistics, the time of use will be marked in red.

The restrictions are reset at midnight local time, and if you want to manually reset them, you have to delete them and recreate the profile.

4. Third-party applications for screen time analysis

If MIUI is not built-in, you can use third-party apps that offer more flexible settings, detailed analytics, and cross-platform synchronization (like with a PC or tablet).

Top.-3 applications for Xiaomi Poco X3:

Before installing, check the permissions of the application — some request access to special features (for example, to track the use of other programs). This is normal, but if you are confused by the number of permissions, choose ActionDash or StayFree — they are more “lightweight”.

Make sure that in the settings MIUI Access to statistics of use is allowed|Check the app reviews in the Play Market|Set up exceptions for system applications (calls, SMS)|Sync data with your Google account for backup-->

5. How to check time in games separately from other apps

Games are often hidden in general statistics, but MIUI has a way to categorize them in a separate category, which is useful if you want to track only gaming activity or limit the time spent playing for a child.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. In the top menu, select the tab "Games".
3. Click on the chart icon (📈) top-right.
4. Here you will see some statistics on the games, including: 🎮 Total time of gaming sessions. 🔋 Battery consumption during games. 📶 Use of mobile data.

This section may also include:

• 🔕 Disable notifications during play (Do Not Disturb mode»).
• ⚡ Optimize performance for a specific game.
• 📵 Block background activity of other applications (for example, messengers).

If the game doesn't appear in the list, check if it's marked as "game" in the app's settings.

1. Click the game icon on the main screen.
2. Select Application Information → Category.
3. Set the "Game" type.

💡

The MIUI game statistics only take into account the active time on the screen. If the game is running in the background (for example, downloading updates), this time will not be counted.

6. Statistical problems: why data is not displayed or reset

Sometimes Poco X3 users find that their app usage statistics are not updated, show zero values, or are reset for no reason.

Frequent problems and solutions:

If the problem is not solved, try resetting the statistics settings:

1. Go to Settings → All settings → Use time.
2. Press three points (⋮) top-right.
3. Choose Reset Data.

Warning: Resetting will remove all usage history. If you care about data, export it first (Section 2).

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management.
2. Find the Settings app and select Clear the cache.
3. Reboot the phone.

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7. Alternative methods: ADB and system logs

For advanced users who want to get the most detailed statistics, there is a way to upload data through the ADB (Android Debug Bridge), which will allow you to see not only the time of use, but also the history of launches, switches between applications and even activity in the background.

Instructions for Windows:

1. Install ADB Tools on your PC.
2. Turn on Developer Mode on Poco X3: Go to Settings → About Phone. Tap 7 times on MIUI Version.

USB debugging

Settings → Additional → For Developers

adb shell dumpsys usagestats

In conclusion, you will find:

• 📅 Date and time of last activity.
• ⏳ Duration of sessions in milliseconds.
• 🔄 Switching between applications.
• 📦 Packet names (com.whatsapp, com.instagram.android, etc.).

For ease of analysis, redirect the output to the file:

adb shell dumpsys usagestats > usage_log.txt

Note: ADB requires caution: Do not change system settings through ADB if you are not sure of your actions, this can cause malfunctions in the phone.

FAQ: Frequent questions about the time of use of applications on Poco X3