How to Check Screen Time on Android (Samsung, Pixel, Xiaomi, Vivo)

The short version: Android's screen time lives in Digital Wellbeing. On most phones, open Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing (often labelled Digital Wellbeing & parental controls). The chart at the top shows today's screen time; tap it for screen time, times opened, and notifications per app. That works on Pixel, Samsung Galaxy, Xiaomi and Redmi phones, and most other Android phones with Google's apps, vivo included. If you can't find it, type "Digital Wellbeing" into the search bar at the top of Settings. To see a child's screen time from your own phone, use Google Family Link.

It usually starts with a feeling. You put the phone down after what seemed like ten minutes, look at the clock, and it has been fifty. The phone knows exactly where those forty extra minutes went. It just doesn't volunteer the number.

We check ours more than we would like to admit, and the first time is always a little uncomfortable. Here is where Android keeps the number, on each of the big brands.

Do Androids have screen time?

Yes. Apple calls its feature Screen Time; Google calls the Android version Digital Wellbeing. It ships on Pixel phones, on Samsung Galaxy phones, and on most other Android phones that come with Google's apps. It tracks how long the screen is on, which apps you use, how often you open them, and how many notifications each one sends.

The tools are the same everywhere; the menu names drift a little from brand to brand. Google's own Digital Wellbeing help page says the steps "may vary by device," which is a polite way of saying every manufacturer moves the furniture.

Two things are worth knowing before you go looking:

• Settings search finds it on any phone. Open Settings, tap the search bar, type "Digital Wellbeing" or "screen time". This is the quickest route if the menus below don't match yours.
• The chart counts time on screen. An app playing music with the screen off, or running in the background, does not add to your total.

How to check screen time on a Google Pixel

Pixel phones run Google's own version of Android, so these are the reference steps the others are based on.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
3. The chart at the top shows today's total. Tap it to open the full view.
4. Switch between Screen time, Times opened, and Notifications received to see each one by app.
5. Tap any app in the list for its own history and settings.

If you check often, there is a shortcut. In Digital Wellbeing, turn on Show icon in the app list, and Digital Wellbeing appears in your app drawer like any other app. You can also put the number on your home screen with the screen time widget; our guide to screen time widgets for Android covers that one and a few alternatives.

How to check screen time on a Samsung Galaxy

Samsung builds its own Digital Wellbeing screen into One UI, with a few extras the Pixel version does not have. Samsung's support page lists it for Galaxy phones and tablets on Android 10 or later.

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Digital Wellbeing and parental controls (on some versions it just says Digital Wellbeing).
3. The Screen time section at the top shows today's use. Tap a day of the week to see that day.
4. For the week, tap the weekly report icon in the top right corner. It shows your daily average and the apps you used most.

Samsung also lets you set a Screen time goal: tap Set goal and pick a number of hours and minutes. Nothing gets blocked when you pass it. The tracker just shows how today compares, which some people find more useful than a hard wall and others ignore by Wednesday.

Per-app limits live under App timers on the same screen.

How to check screen time on a Xiaomi or Redmi phone

Xiaomi's phones run HyperOS (or MIUI on older models), and Xiaomi's own support FAQ for Redmi phones gives the path:

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls.
3. Tap Dashboard to see how long the screen has been on today.
4. Find an app in the list to see its screen time. The timer icon next to it sets a daily limit for that app.

Xiaomi notes that some system apps can't be given a limit. That is normal, and the same is true on most Android phones.

How to check screen time on a vivo phone

vivo phones run Funtouch OS or OriginOS, depending on the model and the region. vivo has moved things around between versions, and we could not find an official vivo page that gives one path for every model.

The route that works regardless of version:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap the search bar at the top.
3. Type Digital Wellbeing, then tap the result.
4. The dashboard shows today's screen time and the apps you used most.

If nothing comes up, try searching for "screen time" or "usage". If you still can't find it, vivo's support site lists manuals by model.

Other Android brands

Motorola, OnePlus, Nokia, Sony, and most other brands that ship Google's apps keep Digital Wellbeing in Settings too. The label changes from phone to phone, and the Settings search works on all of them. If your phone has no Digital Wellbeing at all, a third-party tracker can fill the gap; our ranking of Android screen time apps compares the main ones.

What the numbers mean

Digital Wellbeing gives you three numbers per app, and each one tells you something slightly different.

Screen time is the total time the app was open on your screen. This is the number most people mean.

Times opened (on some phones, Unlocks for the whole device) is how often you went back in. This one is often more revealing. Forty minutes of YouTube in one sitting was probably a decision. Sixty-three opens of Instagram adding up to the same forty minutes looks more like a thumb finding the icon while the kettle boils.

Notifications received is how often each app asked for your attention. If one app sends fifty a day, that is worth fixing before anything else, because each notification is an invitation back in.

Look at a whole week before deciding anything. A single day is noisy: a long train ride or a sick day can double it. The weekly view shows the pattern.

How to check your child's screen time on Android

If your child has their own Android phone, you have two options.

Check their phone directly. Digital Wellbeing on their device shows their use, the same way it shows yours. This works, but it means picking up their phone, which can feel like snooping to a teenager even when it isn't meant that way.

Use Google Family Link from your own phone. Family Link is Google's free parental control app, and it works from an Android phone or an iPhone. Once your child's account is supervised, open Family Link, select your child at the top left, and tap Screen time at the bottom. That is where you see how long they have spent on their devices and where Google's help page shows you how to set a daily limit, a schedule, or bonus time. Per-app limits are under Time limits > App limits, on Android 7.0 and later, according to Google's app limits page.

Samsung phones connect to the same thing: the parental controls inside Samsung's Digital Wellbeing screen hand you over to Family Link.

A number on a parent's dashboard is a starting point for a conversation, and it lands better when your child can see it too. If you are working out what a reasonable amount looks like for their age, our screen time by age guide has the AAP's guidance, and our piece on reducing kids' screen time without battles covers what to do with the number once you have it. There is more for parents on our parents page.

What to do once you know the number

Seeing the number is useful. On its own it rarely changes much, at least not for us. Most of us look, wince, and open the same app twenty minutes later.

A few things that tend to help:

• Pick one app. The one at the top of the list, or the one with the most opens. Leave the rest alone for now.
• Turn off its notifications. Long-press the app icon, tap App info, then Notifications.
• Set an app timer. In Digital Wellbeing, tap App timers (or the timer icon next to the app), then set a daily amount. When time runs out, the app closes and its icon greys out until midnight. Google's help page notes that you can delete the timer to get back in, so it works best as a reminder.
• Add friction at the moment you open it. This is where Unglue comes in, and we will be brief because we make it. Unglue blocks the apps you choose until you earn minutes with something real, like a short walk or a glass of water. The gap between tapping the icon and getting in is where the habit loosens. Our Android screen time apps ranking puts it next to the other options, including ones that are free.

Common questions

Where is screen time in Android settings?

Open Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing or Digital Wellbeing & parental controls. If you can't see it, use the search bar at the top of Settings and type "Digital Wellbeing". On a Samsung, the entry is called Digital Wellbeing and parental controls.

Do Androids have screen time like iPhones?

Yes. Android's version is called Digital Wellbeing. It shows daily screen time, how often you open each app, and notifications per app, and it lets you set app timers, Bedtime mode, and Focus mode. Apple's version is covered in our explainer on what Apple Screen Time can do.

How do I check screen time on a Samsung?

Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls. Today's screen time is at the top, and the weekly report icon in the top right corner shows your daily average and most-used apps for the week.

How do I check screen time on a Redmi or Xiaomi phone?

Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls and tap Dashboard. If your menu looks different, search Settings for "Digital Wellbeing" or "screen time".

How do I check screen time on a vivo phone?

Open Settings, tap the search bar, and type "Digital Wellbeing". vivo's menus vary by model and by Funtouch OS or OriginOS version, so search is the most reliable route.

Can I see screen time for previous days on Android?

Yes. In the Digital Wellbeing chart, you can move back through recent days and see a week at a time. Samsung's weekly report shows the daily average for the week.

Why is my Android screen time different from what I expected?

Digital Wellbeing only counts time an app is open on screen. Background use, like music with the screen off, does not count. Time on a tablet or a second phone shows on that device, not this one.