Mobile Phones Android How to Check Screen Time on Android Track how long you and your kids are staring at screens by Molly McLaughlin Writer, Editor Molly K. McLaughlin has been a technology writer since 2004. Her work has appeared on many tech sites across the web including PCMag, Dealnews, Wirecutter and many others. our editorial process Twitter LinkedIn Molly McLaughlin Updated on October 14, 2020 Android Switching from iOS Tweet Share Email What to Know To track screen time, go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > menu > Manage your data > toggle on Daily device usage.To set app timers, open Digital Wellbeing & parental controls > Dashboard > select app > tap hourglass icon > set a time limit > OK.To set up Bedtime mode, select Based on schedule or While charging at bedtime and input your sleep and wake times. This article explains how to enable Digital Wellbeing & parental controls on Android 10 and up. It also outlines how to set app timers, bedtime mode, focus mode, and parental controls. The 9 Best Android Phones of 2021 How to Set Up Digital Wellbeing on Android Android’s Digital Wellbeing feature tracks your daily screen time, notifications, and phone unlocks. The Digital Wellbeing feature is accessible through your device’s settings. You need to enable it as it’s not on by default. Here’s how to set it up. Open Settings. Tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls. Tap the three-dot menu on the top right and select Manage your data. Toggle on Daily device usage. The circle graph on the Digital Wellbeing screen shows which apps you’ve been using. Inside the circle, you can see your total screen time, and underneath that, how many times you’ve unlocked and how many notifications you’ve received. Your smartphone will now log app usage, notifications, and device unlocks. You can also access Digital Wellbeing via an app shortcut. Scroll down on the main screen and toggle on Show icon in the app list. Keep Your Screen Time in Check The Digital Wellbeing app has two types of tools to help you reduce screen time and distractions: Ways to disconnect and Reduce interruptions. Ways to disconnect include app timers, bedtime mode, and focus mode. The Reduce interruptions sections has shortcuts to app notification management and Do Not Disturb mode. How to Set Up App Timers To cut down on screen time, you can set a daily timer for the apps you use the most, so you don’t get stuck down the Instagram rabbit hole or playing a game when you should be working or interacting with others. Once you’ve hit the limit, you’ll get a notification that the timer ran out, the app icon will grey out, and you won’t be able to open it until after midnight unless you turn it off manually. Tap Dashboard. You’ll see a list of the apps you use most frequently. Tap an app to view screen time, notifications, and times opened on a daily or hourly clip. Tap the hourglass icon next to an app to set a timer. You can also add a timer by tapping App Timer on the app info page. Set a time limit (all timers reset at midnight) and tap OK. To remove a timer, tap the garbage can icon next to it. How to Set Up Bedtime mode Bedtime mode helps you wind down by silencing your phone and turning the screen grayscale, so you’re not staying up late scrolling through social media or reading. You can set up the bedtime mode based on a schedule or when you plug in the phone to charge before heading to bed. In both scenarios, you set a sleep time and wake time. Tap Customize to have Do Not Disturb to turn on when you go to sleep and choose whether the screen goes grayscale. How to Use Focus mode Focus mode lets you temporarily pause apps manually or on a schedule. You can choose the time and day of the week or multiple. From here, you can also take a break from focus mode if you need some time to goof around. How to Reduce Interruptions in Digital Wellbeing In the Reduce Interruptions section, you can manage app notifications and turn on do not disturb mode. Manage Kids Screen Time With Parental Controls The last section is for parental controls. You can manage a child’s account if you are the default parent account on their device. Setting Up Parental Controls On Your Phone You can start setting up parental controls from the Digital wellbeing settings page, but then you'll need to install Family Link, a Google app. The app requires that both you and your child have a Google account. Go to Settings > Digital wellbeing & parental controls. Tap Set up parental controls at the bottom of the screen. Tap Get started on the next screen. Tap Parent. You’ll see a prompt to download the Family Link app. Download it and follow the on-screen prompts. Google Family Link: What It Is and How to Use It Setting Up Your Child's Phone You'll need to link your email accounts on your child's phone before you can manage their screen time and other settings. On your child’s phone, go to Settings > Digital wellbeing & parental controls. Tap Set up parental controls at the bottom of the screen. Tap Get started on the next screen. Tap Child or teen. Tap add or create account for your child if it doesn't show up on the screen. Once you've added it, select it from the list. Then follow the on-screen prompts. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up. Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit