How to watch your time spent in the Xiaomi Redmi phone: everything from built-in tools to hidden chips

Why it’s important to control your phone time – and how to do it on Redmi

Xiaomi Redmi smartphones have long been an integral part of everyday life: work, communication, entertainment — all of these now fit in one device. But with convenience comes the risk of losing track of time. According to Digital 2023, the average user spends more than 4 hours 30 minutes a day on their phone, and for MIUI owners, this figure is often higher due to integrated services like Mi Video or GetApps. If you suddenly notice that the battery goes down too fast and your eyes get tired by the evening, it’s time to check the usage statistics.

Unlike the iPhone, where Screen Time is displayed on the main settings screen, Redmi has a similar tool hidden deeper, and even more so, depending on the version of MIUI (12, 13 or 14) and the model of the smartphone (for example, Redmi Note 12 Pro+ vs Redmi 10A), the path to statistics may differ. In this article, we will examine all the current methods, from standard to little-known, including bypassing restrictions on some firmware.

It’s important to understand that usage time data is collected continuously, but resets when you reset your settings or change your Mi Account. If you recently searched your phone or logged in to a different profile, the story will start from scratch. Also, note that some apps (such as TikTok or YouTube) may block the transfer of usage time data, as we will also discuss below.

Method 1: Integrated MIUI (Digital Wellbeing) statistics

The most obvious and reliable method is to use Google's built-in Digital Wellbeing tool, which is available on all Redmis with MIUI 10 and later, but has changed in different versions of the firmware.

• 📱 MIUI 14/13: Settings → Digital Well-Being and Parental Control → Toolbar
• 📱 MIUI 12: Settings → Annexes → Usage statistics
• 📱 MIUI 11 and below: Settings → Battery and performance → Battery usage (here, time is displayed indirectly, through app activity)

Inside the section you will see:

• 📊 Timetable for today/yesterday/week.
• 🔍 Top Apps by Time (Based by Screen Time and Background Activity).
• 🛑 Limits – you can set limits on specific programs.
• 📵 Concentration mode – blocking distracting notifications.

Note that if you use Redmi with global firmware (e.g. Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G Global), the statistics may be duplicated in Google Settings → Digital Well-being. The data there is sometimes different – this is because MIUI and Android collect information independently.

Method 2: Through battery settings (indirect method)

If for some reason the Digital Well-Being section is not available (e.g. on custom firmware or enterprise devices), usage times can be estimated through Battery Statistics.This method is less accurate, but works on all Redmi models, including Redmi 9A or Redmi 7 with outdated versions of MIUI.

Instructions:

1. Open Settings → Battery and performance → Battery use.
2. Slip on the consumption chart (usually displayed in the last 24 hours).
3. Scroll down to the list of apps – here will be the activity time of each (including background work).

The downside is that it shows the total time of the process, not just the screen activity, for example, if Telegram is hanging in the background and periodically updating chats, this will count, but you can see which apps are draining the battery even when you are not using the phone.

Look at the top-3 energy-intensive applications

Compare Activity Time with Screen Time

Pay attention to the background activity of messengers

Check if something is working on standby.-->

Method 3: Hidden MIUI function – Screen usage time

Few people know, but MIUI has a hidden section with detailed statistics that doesn’t show up in the main menu. It’s available via Settings → About the phone, but requires a few extra steps.This method works on Redmi with MIUI 12–14 (older versions may not).

How to open it:

1. Go to Settings. → The phone.
2. Tap 5 times in a row on the line MIUI version (the message will appear "You became a developer").
3. Return to the main Settings menu and open Additional → Special Opportunities → Screen Use Time.

Here you will find:

• 📅 Daily reports by hour (e.g. peak activity from 20:00 to 23:00).
• 📱 Screen lock statistics – how many times you unlocked your phone.
• 🔄 Comparison with previous days (useful for analysis of dynamics).

⚠️ Note: On some models (Redmi) K50i, Redmi 10 Prime) after activation of the developer mode, this partition may not appear. MIUI Up to the latest version or use alternative methods from this article.

Method 4: Third-party applications for deep analysis

If the built-in tools MIUI You can't do enough, you can install specialized applications, and they offer advanced analytics, like category reports (social media, games, work), limit notifications, even time optimization tips.-3 tested solutions:

Before installing, check the app's permissions: it should request access to usage statistics (android.permission.PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS). Without it, the data will be incomplete. At Redmi, this is a manual authorization:

1. Open the Settings. → Annexes → Application management → Threefold (⋮) → Special access → Usage statistics.
2. Select the desired application and turn on the switch.

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If the app doesn’t show data after installation, restart your phone. On some Redmi models (such as the Redmi Note 11 Pro), statistics start to be collected only after restarting the system.

Method 5: Using Mi Account (online statistics)

Xiaomi stores device usage data in the cloud linked to your Mi Account.This method is useful if you want to analyze activity over a long period (up to 6 months) or compare multiple devices (e.g. Redmi and POCO).

How to see it:

1. Open your browser on your PC or phone and go to account.xiaomi.com.
2. Sign in with your Mi Account (the same as your phone).
3. Go to the Devices section → [Your Redmi] → Usage statistics.

Here you'll see:

• 📅 Timetable of activity by day (but not by annex).
• 🔋 Charging data – how often you connected your phone to the network.
• 📡 Connection information (Wi-Fi, mobile network).

⚠️ Note: If you use Redmi with Chinese firmware (China) ROM), Access to online statistics can be blocked without VPN. Xiaomi only stores this data for 6 months – after which it is automatically deleted.

What to do if the statistics are not shown?

Sometimes Redmi users experience no usage time or zeros, for different reasons:

• 🔄 Resetting settings - after resetting the story is zeroed out.
• 🔒 Corporate policy restrictions (if the phone is issued by the company).
• 🛠️ Custom firmware (such as LineageOS or Pixel Experience).
• 📵 Disabled statistics in the developer settings.

Decisions:

1. Check if the option is included in Settings → Additional → Privacy → Special Access.
2. Update MIUI to the latest version (via Settings → System Update).
3. If you are using custom firmware, install the Digital Wellbeing Enabler module via Magisk.

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On root-access devices, statistics can be restored from a backup via ADB. This requires a backup of the /data/system/usagestats/ folder made before resetting.

FAQ: Frequent questions about time of use on Redmi