How to watch your time spent in apps on Xiaomi: a complete guide

Controlling the time spent in a smartphone has become a pressing task for most users.Shameo-based Xiaomi smartphones MIUI They offer several ways to track activity in applications, from embedded tools to third-party solutions, and this article will help you understand how to get detailed statistics on application usage, set limits, and even export data for analysis.

It is important to understand that the functionality may vary depending on the version. MIUI (12 to 14) and the model of the device. For example, on the Redmi Note 12 Pro+ And Xiaomi 13 Ultra, the statistics interface may be visually different, but the working principles remain similar. We'll look at all the current methods, including the hidden features of the system, which many users do not even know.

If you want to not only watch time in apps, but also manage it, there's a section on setting up restrictions and notifications in this article, and for those who prefer detailed analytics, we've compiled a review of the best third-party apps with advanced features.

1.Inline statistics of the use of the MIUI

The easiest way to get time data from apps is to use the built-in Digital Wellbeing tool, which is available on all Xiaomi devices. MIUI 12 and newer, to find her:

1. Open the Settings;
2. Go to Digital Well-Being and Parental Controls.
3. Select the Control Panel tab.

Here you'll see a pie chart of time by application category (social media, games, productivity, etc.) To view any application in detail, tap it for use today, yesterday or week. MIUI: You can immediately set a time limit for a specific application.

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If there is no Digital Well-Being section, update MIUI to the latest version or check for the presence of the function in the section Additional in the settings.

An important nuance: the built-in statistics are reset when you reboot your device, and if you want long-term data, consider exporting or third-party applications, which we'll talk about later.

2. Viewing time through "Battery and performance"

Few people know, but you can get information about the time of the applications through the Battery section, which is useful if you want to understand which applications consume not only time, but also battery power.

1. Go to Settings. → Battery and productivity;
2. Select the use of the battery;
3. Put the badge on. ⋮ (three points) in upper right corner;
4. Select the Time of Use.

In this section, you'll see a list of apps with active usage and backgrounds, for example, if Telegram shows 4 hours of active time and 12 hours in the background, this is a signal of overconsumption of resources, the data here is updated in real time and not reset when rebooted, unlike Digital Well-being.

Note that in the battery partition, the time may be slightly different from the data in Digital Well-being, which is due to different calculation algorithms, the first one only counts active interaction with the screen, and the second one captures any application processes.

3. Export of time-of-use data

If you need data to analyze on a computer or save history, MIUI It allows you to export statistics to a file, and it's hidden in the back of the settings, and it's not available on all models, but it's worth a try:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone;
2. Tap 5 times on the item Version MIUI, activate the developer mode;
3. Go back to the main settings and open additionally. → For developers;
4. Find the application log option and enable it;
5. After 24 hours, return to this section and select Export Data.

The file will be saved in.txt or.csv format (depending on the version). MIUI) In the Download folder, you'll find detailed logs with time stamps for each application to start and close:

• 📊 Creating personal productivity reports;
• 🔍 Analysis of smartphone usage habits;
• 📱 Transferring data to another device for synchronization;
• 🛠 Diagnostics of autonomy problems (if the application is running in the background for too long).

The exported data can be opened in Excel or Google Sheets for visualization, for example, by plotting social media usage by day of the week.

4. Third-party applications for detailed analytics

Built-in tools MIUI They give you basic information, but you can use specialized applications for deep analysis.-3 solutions tested for compatibility with Xiaomi:

1. ActionDash visualizes usage times in the form of graphs and compares with previous periods, and there is a "Purpose" function to limit time in specific applications.
2. Digital Wellbeing (from Google) – an alternative to the built-in tool with more flexible settings. Requires installation via Google Play;
3. StayFree — shows not only the time, but also the number of screen unlocks for each application. PDF.

When choosing a third-party application, pay attention to:

• 🔒 Russian language (important for comfortable use);
• 📱 Compatible with your version of Android (on Xiaomi it is usually the same) 11-13);
• 🛡 Permissions required (avoid programs that request access to the Internet) SMS or contact);
• 💰 Premium features (e.g. cross-platform synchronization).

Built-in tools MIUI|ActionDash|Digital Wellbeing (Google)|StayFree|Other|Not tracking.-->

Important: Once you install a third-party tracker, give it time to collect data (usually 24 hours).Some applications, like ActionDash, may conflict with the built-in Digital Well-Being, in which case, disable the system tool in the settings.

5. Set up restrictions and notifications

Knowing the time spent in apps is only useful when you can manage it. MIUI It allows you to set limits and get overuse alerts. Here's how it works:

1. Discover Digital Well-Being → Control panel;
2. Select an app (such as TikTok or Instagram)
3. Put the badge on. ⏰ (timer);
4. Set a daily limit (from 5 minutes to 23 hours 55 minutes);
5. Activate the Notification option when exceeded.

When the limit is almost exhausted, the system will show a notification with a proposal to close the application. MIUI 14, there's an optional focus mode that blocks distracting apps for a given period:

Opening up "Digital Well-Being"|Select "Focusing Mode"|Add applications to the blacklist|Set a schedule or run manually-->

An interesting feature: In focus mode, you can configure exceptions for important notifications (such as calls or messages from specific contacts), which is useful if you don’t want to miss urgent messages from colleagues or family.

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Focus mode on Xiaomi blocks not only the launch of applications, but also their background activity – this helps save battery power.

6. Hidden opportunities: ADB and system logs

For advanced users who need the most accurate data, there are methods using the ADB (Android Debug Bridge.This allows you to get raw usage logs straight from the system.Warning: the method requires technical skills and can lead to failures if used incorrectly.

Here's the basic instruction:

1. Enable Developer Mode (as described in Section 3);
2. Activate Debugging on USB developer-side;
3. Connect your smartphone to your PC and execute the command: adb shell dumpsys usagestats --help
4. For exporting statistics for the last 7 days: adb shell dumpsys usagestats --proto-output

The result will be displayed in the console in protobuf format. For easy viewing, you can redirect the output to the file:

adb shell dumpsys usagestats > usage_stats.txt

These data include:

• 🕒 Exact Start and Closure Time of Each Application;
• 📱 Foreground/background information;
• 🔄 Data on switching between applications;
• 📡 Network activity (for some versions of Android).

To visualize data from ADB You can use Python scripts or specialized tools like UsageStatsViewer, which is suitable for enthusiasts who want to do a deep analysis of their digital habits.

7. Features on different Xiaomi models

The functionality of time tracking may vary depending on the device model and version. MIUI. Here are the key differences you should know about:

On devices with MIUI for POCO (for example, POCO X5 Pro) the interface may look different, but the functionality remains similar. POCO Some limitations related to digital well-being are disabled by default, so they need to be manually activated.

On Xiaomi tablets (like the Pad 6), the statistics are divided into two modes: mobile and tablet, which is useful if you use the device in different scenarios – for example, for working with the keyboard and for entertainment with a stylus.

8. Frequent problems and their solutions

When working with time statistics in applications, Xiaomi users face typical problems, and here are the most common ways to solve them:

⚠️ Note: If after the update MIUI The Digital Well-being section is missing, try resetting the Settings app settings via Settings → Annexes → Application management → ⋮ → Reset the settings. It'll bring back the hidden menu items.

• 🔄 Statistics not updated: Reboot your device or clear the app cache Digital Well-being in your app settings;
• 📊 No data for past days: In MIUI By default, you only store your statistics for 7 days. Use third-party apps for long-term analysis;
• 🔒 You can’t set a limit on some models (e.g. Redmi) 10A) Restrictions are blocked. Solution to update MIUI Or use Google’s Digital Wellbeing;
• 📱 Applications are not displayed in statistics: Check if data collection for a particular application is disabled in its settings (Section of Permissions) → Special permits).

If none of the methods worked, try resetting your Digital Wellbeing settings to factory-based:

1. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management;
2. Find Digital Well-Being;
3. Select Warehouse. → Clear the data.

After that, the system will start collecting statistics again, and keep in mind that all the previously set limits and settings will be reset.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions