How To Check Your Screen Time On Android

For about as long as personal smartphones have been around, there have been enduring concerns about screen time overexposure. Indeed, some of these fears aren't unfounded — studies have shown that spending too long staring at your phone, especially at night and in bed, can cause long-term damage to your eyes and alterations to your circadian rhythm. No matter how important your phone is to you, it's never a bad idea to set some sensible limits.

The first step in setting those limits, though, is determining how much time you're actually spending looking at your phone on a regular basis. Luckily, Android phones have built-in features that track how often you unlock your phone and how long you use particular apps to give you an idea of your general screen time. All it takes is a quick setup, and you can instantly check your screen time and phone activity whenever you want. It's a great way to keep tabs on your personal well-being (or your child's, as the case may often be).

Android can automatically track your daily screen time statistics through the Digital Wellbeing app. Before you get worried about privacy, this feature is not on by default- you need to activate it in your Android phone's settings, then set up a profile before it starts keeping tabs on your phone usage.

Here's how to activate the Digital Wellbeing app and screen time tracking. Note that this feature only works on devices running Android version 10 and up.

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1. Open the Settings app.

2. Scroll down and tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.

3. If this is your first time opening this menu, you will need to set up a profile.

4. On the Digital Wellbeing & parental controls menu, tap the three dots on the top-right, then Manage your data.

5. Activate the Daily phone usage option.

6. Return to the Digital Wellbeing & parental controls menu.

7. Scroll down and activate the Show icon in the app list option.

With everything set up, you'll be able to check your recent phone usage from the dedicated Digital Wellbeing app. The app shows your Screen Time, or how long you've had recent apps open for, the number of times you've unlocked your phone and opened apps, and how many notifications you've received from apps.

You can also add a Digital Wellbeing widget to your phone's home screen for a quick glance. Just hold the app in your app list for a moment, select Widgets, and tap the Digital Wellbeing widget to place it.