How to know how much time you spend on your Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro phone: the full guide 2026

Have you ever caught yourself thinking that you took the Xiaomi Redmi Note 8 Pro for five minutes and it's been two hours? Modern smartphones consume our attention like black holes — social networks, games, videos and even work make you forget about time. But how to objectively estimate how many hours a day you spend behind the screen? In this article, we will examine all the ways to check the time of use of the Redmi Note 8 Pro — from built-in MIUI tools to third-party applications with advanced analytics.

It’s important to understand that the 2019 Redmi Note 8 Pro is based on Xiaomi’s MIUI shell, which is regularly updated, which means that some menu items may vary depending on the firmware version, and we’ll take these nuances into account and provide up-to-date screensheets for the latest updates, and you’ll learn how to get around the limitations of MIUI if standard reports don’t seem detailed enough.

1. Built-in time statistics in MIUI

The easiest way to do this is to use the Time of Use tool that Xiaomi has integrated into the system since MIUI 10, which shows not only total screen time, but also app distribution, unlocks and even comparisons to previous days.

To open the report:

1. Go to Settings → Time to Use (or Settings → Digital Well-Being & Parental Controls → Time to Use in Newer MIUI Versions).
2. Click on the chart at the top of the screen – this shows the total usage time for today.
3. Scroll down to see the app details (e.g. YouTube 2h 15m, Telegram 45m).

Note that MIUI defaults to resetting statistics at 00:00 local time, and if you need to save data from the past day, take a screenshot of the report, you can't manually export the history.

💡

To reset the time counter (for example, after the weekend), click on the three dots in the upper right corner of the Time of Use screen and select Reset Data.

• ✅ Pros: No third-party applications are required, data is updated in real time.
• ❌ Cons: No exports to Excel/PDF, no statistics for any period (only today/yesterday/week) are available.

2.How to Include Weekly Email Reports

Few people know, but MIUI can automatically send time reports to your email, which is convenient if you want to analyze the dynamics for a few weeks or share data with a psychologist/time management coach.

The function can be activated as follows:

1. Open Settings → Use Time → Settings (cog in the upper right corner).
2. Select Weekly Reports.
3. Enter your email address (preferably Gmail or Mi Account for security) and confirm.

Reports will be available on Mondays at 6:00 a.m., broken down by day and app category (social media, games, productivity, etc.)

💡

Weekly email reports are the only way to keep your Redmi Note 8 Pro usage history longer than 7 days without third-party apps.

⚠️ Warning: If you use a dual MIUI account (work/personal profile), the statistics will be collected separately for each profile. To see the full picture, check the reports in both accounts.

3. Third-party applications for detailed analytics

The built-in MIUI tools provide basic information, but if you want advanced metrics – active use time (not just an open application), heat activity maps or calendar integration – you’ll have to install third-party software. Here are the top -3 proven solutions for the Redmi Note 8 Pro:

• 📊 Digital Wellbeing (Google): shows usage times, notifications, and even suggests setting limits. Works through Settings → Google → Digital Wellbeing.
• 📈 ActionDash: visualizes data as graphs, compares it to the average of other users, and there's a Focus Mode feature to block distracting apps.
• 🔍 StayFree: Keeps track of not only the time, but also the geolocation of usage (for example, how much time you spent on social networks at work vs. at home).

To avoid conflicts with MIUI, before installation:

Turn off the built-in “Use Time” in the MIUI | settings

Grant the application rights to Special Access → Use |

Add the app to the Autostart list and Without battery restrictions |

Restart your phone after setting up-->

Comparison of the functions of popular trackers:

⚠️ Warning: Some applications (like Forest or Focus To-Do) position themselves as time trackers, but they actually block access to other programs. They're not suitable for retrospective analysis, just for here-and-now control.

4. Hidden MIUI functions: activity log and event log

For tech-savvy users, the Redmi Note 8 Pro hides advanced monitoring tools that are not advertised in the standard interface, such as the MIUI event log and activity log, which capture every interaction with the system.

To gain access:

1. Activate Developer Mode: Go to Settings → About Phone and click on MIUI Version 7 times.
2. Return to Settings → Additional → For Developers and turn on the MIUI Event Log.
3. Install the MT Manager application (available on 4PDA) and open the file /data/system/usage-stats/com.android.providers.usage.xml.

This file stores raw usage time data of all applications with millisecond accuracy, including:

• 🕒 Time foreground/background for each application.
• 📱 Screen unlock history (with timestamps).
• 🔄 Switching between tasks.

This data can be converted to readable format using Python or Excel scripts, but be careful:

⚠️ Warning: Incorrect file editing in /data/system/ can cause a setting reset or a cyclical phone reboot.We recommend backing up through TWRP before experimenting.

5. Comparison with other Xiaomi models: what has changed?

If you’ve used other Xiaomi smartphones before, you might be surprised how different the statistics collection on the Redmi Note 8 Pro (based on MIUI 11-14) from newer or older models.

• 📱 Redmi Note 10 Pro (MIUI 12.5+): Added a Concentration section with a performance score on a scale of 1 to 100.
• 📱 POCO X3 Pro: The statistics showed a graph called Time Without Phone (the periods when the device was lying motionless).
• 📱 Mi 11 Ultra: Integration with Mi Fitness to correlate screen time with stress levels (according to the pulsemeter).

On the Redmi Note 8 Pro, these features are missing due to hardware limitations (there is no light sensor to detect “time without a phone,” etc.).

Evaluation of concentration |

Integration with smart watches |

Automatic restriction of social networks |

Detailed statistics on games |

I'm running out of current opportunities-->

6.How to reduce phone use time: practical tips

Knowing the screen time is just the first step, and the key is to take action. Here are the proven methods that work on the Redmi Note 8 Pro:

• 🛑 Tight limits: in Settings → Time to Use → App limits set a maximum of 1 hour per day for social networks. Once the limit is exhausted, the application will be blocked.
• 🌙 Black and white: turn on Settings → Screen → Colors and contrast → Shades of gray. Monochrome screen reduces the desire to flip the tape.
• ⏰ Do Not Disturb Schedule: Set up automatic notifications turn off from 22:00 to 8:00 via Settings → Notifications → Do Not Disturb.
• 📵 Phone-free zones: Use NFC- tags or Tasker to automatically switch to home-plane mode after 21:00.

For fans of games on the Redmi Note 8 Pro (especially considering its powerful processor Helio G90T) there is a separate life hack:

💡

Turn on Game Mode in MIUI settings and activate the option to turn off notifications while playing, which not only improves performance, but also reduces session time due to the absence of distractions.

Experiment: Try using your phone for a week only for calls, SMS and navigation (remove all social media and games) and reduces average smartphone usage time by 40%, according to research from RescueTime.

7. Frequent problems and their solutions

Redmi Note 8 Pro users sometimes encounter bugs when displaying time statistics, and here are the most common cases and ways to fix them:

• 🔄 Statistics are not updated: restart your phone or clear the Settings app cache through Settings → Apps → App Management → Settings → Storage → Clear the cache.
• ⏳ Time is not counted correctly (e.g. shows 24 hours per day): turn off and turn on the Time of Use function in the settings again.
• 📵 Some applications are not available: check if Special Access is disabled for them → Use.
• 🔒 No weekly reports: Make sure no filters are available for no-reply emails in your email settings.@mi.com

If the problem persists after all the manipulations, try resetting MIUI settings (not to be confused with a full phone reset!):

1. Go to Settings → About the phone → Reset settings.
2. Select Reset MIUI (this won’t affect your files or applications).
3. After the reboot, activate the Use Time again.

⚠️ Note: Some Redmi Note 8 Pro firmware (e.g, MIUI 12.0.3) there's a bug that causes the statistics to be zeroed when you connect to Power Bank, and it's because of a bug in the Linux kernel. MIUI 12.5 or newer.

FAQ: Answers to popular questions