How to put a timer on the application in the Xiaomi phone: 5 working ways

Have you ever caught yourself on TikTok or Instagram for an hour longer than you planned? Or can your child not break away from Genshin Impact even during dinner? Xiaomi, Redmi and POCO smartphones based on MIUI offer built-in tools to monitor the time of use of applications — and today we will learn how to use them.

In this article, you’ll find 5 proven ways to set a timer to any application, from standard Digital Well-Being features to hidden focus mode capabilities and third-party utilities. We’ll also explain how to get around the restrictions (if you forgot your password) and why the timer sometimes resets after a reboot. All instructions are relevant for MIUI 14/15 and new models of 2026.

Whether you want to limit yourself to procrastination or block games for a child, there is a solution for any task, and if you are a user of POCO F6 or Xiaomi 14 Ultra, pay attention to the unique feature “Intelligent Timer”, which automatically adjusts the limits depending on your schedule.

1. Standard timer via Digital Well-being

The easiest way is to use Google’s built-in Digital Wellbeing feature, which is available on all Xiaomi smartphones with MIUI 12 and later, including the Redmi Note 13 Pro+ and Xiaomi 13T.

To set a limit:

• 📱 Open the Settings. → Digital Well-Being and Parental Control
• ⏱️ Select Toolbar → Application Timers
• 🔍 Find the app you want in the list (like YouTube or Free Fire)
• ⚙️ Press the gear next to the name and set the daily limit (from 5 minutes to 23 hours 55 minutes)

Once the timer is activated, the application will be blocked after a predetermined time, and to unlock it early, you will need to enter a digital well-being PIN (if installed), if the code is forgotten, you can only reset it through a reset, which is more detailed in the section on circumvention of restrictions.

Make sure the app is updated to the latest version|

Check if the developer mode is on (not necessarily, but useful for debugging)|

Remember the PIN of digital well-being or write it down.|

Turn off autosynchronization of time if the timer resets after resetting-->

Note: if you are using MIUI 14 on Xiaomi 12S Ultra or newer models, an additional Adaptive Limit switch has appeared in the settings. When activated, the system will automatically reduce the time you use the application if you exceed the limit for several days in a row.

Focus Mode: Scheduled Locking

If you need to not just limit your time, but completely block access to distracting apps at certain hours (for example, from 21:00 to 7:00), use Focus Mode, a feature that is useful for students, freelancers or those who work from home.

Algorithm of settings:

1. Go to Settings → Digital Well-Being → Focus Mode
2. Click Add Mode and select Set Up Manually
3. Enter a name (e.g., “working hours”) and select the days of the week.
4. Set a time interval (for example, 09:00-18:00)
5. In the Blocked Applications section, mark those that need to be restricted (e.g. Telegram, VK, games)
6. Activate the mode with a toggler.

Unlike a regular timer, Focus Mode blocks apps tightly — you can’t open them even after you reboot your phone. The only way to unlock them is to enter a PIN or turn off the mode in settings. The POCO X6 Pro and other models with MIUI 15 have an Exclusion option that allows you to leave access to individual contacts or system utilities (for example, Camera or Phone).

App timers |

Focus mode |

Appendix side (e.g. ActionDash)|

Don't use restrictions.|

3. Parental controls: timer for children

If you are setting up a phone for a child (like a Redmi A3 or a POCO C65), standard timers may not work, they are easy to bypass, in which case you should use Parental Controls with a link to your Mi Account.

Instructions for setting:

• 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Open Settings → Digital Well-Being → Parental Controls
• 🔑 Sign in to your Mi Account (children don't need to know password!)
• 📱 Select a child profile (if not, create a new one)
• ⏰ In the Time Limits section, set:

The advantage of this is remote control, you can change your settings or unlock your child's phone through the Mi Account site, even if you don't have one, and it also keeps detailed statistics about what apps were running, how much time was spent playing games or social media.

Part of the Annex for Advanced Control

If the built-in MIUI features aren't enough, you can install third-party utilities that offer advanced features such as:

• 📊 Weekly and monthly reports
• 🔄 Flexible schedules (e.g. different weekday and weekend limits)
• 🚫 Geolocation blocking (e.g., banning games at school)
• 📱 Cross-platform synchronization (control from iPhone or PC)

Top.-3 apps:

Before installing third-party utilities, check their compatibility with your Xiaomi model. For example, on the POCO M6 Pro with MIUI 15, some applications may conflict with built-in Digital Well-being, causing crashes. To avoid problems, turn off standard timers before setting up third-party ones.

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If the timers are reset after installing a third-party app, try turning off battery optimization for it. Go to Settings → Applications → Application Management → [Utility Name] → Battery Optimization → No Limits.

5. Hidden features: timer via "Sleep Mode" and "Do Not Disturb"

Few people know, but MIUI has alternative ways to limit the time you use apps without digital well-being, such as using Sleep Mode or Do Not Disturb with additional settings.

Method 1: Sleep regimen

This feature is designed to reduce eye strain at night, but it can be adapted to block apps:

1. Go to Settings → Screen → Sleep Mode
2. Activate the Schedule and set the time (e.g. 22:00–07:00)
3. Enable the option to limit the use of applications
4. Select the applications that will be blocked at the specified time

Method 2: Don’t bother with exceptions

If you need to block all apps other than important ones (for example, leave only Phone and Messages):

1. Open Settings → Sounds and vibrations → Do not disturb
2. Choose a schedule and set a timetable.
3. In the Exceptions section, only mark those applications that should work.
4. Activate the mode.

These methods are less flexible than Digital Well-Being, but can come in handy if standard features don’t work for some reason (like after the MIUI update).The Xiaomi 14 and POCO F5 have a Smart Lock option in Sleep Mode that analyzes your habits and suggests optimal limiting hours.

6. How to bypass the timer (if you forgot the password)

Sometimes users are faced with a situation where the timer is set and the password is forgotten, depending on the method of blocking, there are several ways to bypass:

For the standard timer (Digital Well-Being):

• 🔄 Reboot your phone — sometimes it resets the temporary lock (but not always).
• 📱 Delete the Digital Wellbeing app data via Settings → Apps → Application Management. ⚠️ Attention: This will also reset all usage statistics.
• 🔧 If you have a Mi Account attached, try resetting your PIN through the web version of your account.

For Parental Control:

• 🔑 Restore access to the Mi Account that your child’s profile is linked to.
• 📧 If your account is not yours (e.g., a handheld phone), contact the previous owner to unlock it.
• 🔄 In extreme cases, complete a full reset via Settings → About Phone → Reset. ⚠️ Warning: This will delete all data on the phone, including photos and messages. Pre-back up via Settings → Additional → Backup and Reset.

Some models (such as the Redmi Note 12 Pro) have a hidden developer mode that allows you to disable restrictions via ADB.

adb shell pm uninstall -k --user 0 com.miui.guardprovider

However, this method requires an unlocked bootloader and can disrupt the system. Use it only as a last resort!

7.Why the timer is reset or not working

Xiaomi users often experience set limits being suddenly reset, and here are the main reasons and ways to eliminate them:

If the problem persists, try updating the firmware. In MIUI 15, developers have fixed most of the timer bugs, so on Xiaomi 14 or POCO X6, such crashes are less common. Also check if the phone has modified themes - they sometimes conflict with system functions.

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If the timer keeps resetting, try rolling back your Digital Well-Being settings to factory settings. To do this, delete the com.miui.guardprovider app data via Settings → Apps.

FAQ: Frequent questions about timers on Xiaomi