In this post we are going to explain how to know how many hours you use your cell phone, both on Android and iOS devices. Having this information can help you Know if you are spending too much time glued to your cell phone, and take action about it. It is also a good way to monitor the time that other people spend on their cell phones, such as your children or another family member.
Knowing that cell phone dependency is a growing problem, these devices include an application that measures the time of use. Google phones introduced it starting with Android 9 Pie, and iPhone phones, starting with iOS 12.. In addition to indicating the minutes (and hours) that the user spends in front of the mobile, this function also shows the most used apps. And better yet, they also allow you to restrict usage time.
How to know how many hours you use your cell phone? Digital Wellbeing on Android
If you have a Android mobile and you want to know how much time you use it per day, you can go to the section Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls in Settings. This section is included in all phones with Android version 9 and higher. There you will see a circular graph and other data about the use you have given to your mobile. If you look closely and explore this section a little, you can discover very useful information about their digital habits with their mobile phones.
For example, the pie chart shows What are the applications you use the most during the day?, assigning a color to each app. In the center of the graph you will see the total time you have spent using the mobile, and below you can see the number of unlocks made and notifications received. If you click in the middle of the graph, a statistical table in bars opens with the same data, this time compared to the previous days and weeks.
Thanks to this automatic monitoring carried out by the mobile phone, it is possible to find out daily and weekly digital habits. So, You can see which day of the week you use your cell phone the most, and which applications are taking up the most time. It is surprising how much time one can spend on a cell phone and on a particular app.
What measures can you take to control usage time on Android?
paragraph Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls Not only does it show how much time you use your phone, but it also offers you options to reduce that time. With a few tweaks, you can limit the number of minutes (hours) you spend on any app, eliminate notifications during your work hours, and reduce other distractions. You can access all of these settings under the Ways to Disconnect section, just below the pie chart.
- In section Panel, you can set timers to determine how long you will use an app during the day. When the timer ends, the app stops for the rest of the day, testing your willpower.
- Bedtime mode It will help you rest better, as it allows you to silence your phone, dim the wallpaper and even change the screen to black and white at bedtime.
- Distraction-free mode It will help you reduce or eliminate distractions caused by notifications that arrive on your mobile. If you need to concentrate, you can pause distracting apps and hide their notifications.
- En Reduce interruptions You will find other functions to prevent mobile notifications from distracting you.
Know how many hours you use your mobile: Usage time on iOS
Image Credit: Apple
On iPhones, the function that is responsible for recording how many hours you use the device is called Use time. It was introduced starting with iOS 12, and fulfills the same objective of Digital Wellbeing on Android phones: allowing users to control and limit the use they make of their devices.
Usage time on iOS It is located in System Settings and shows a detailed report of the most used applications. It also indicates the time you spend in each app, the notifications you receive and the times you unlock your phone. Likewise, it offers the possibility of setting daily or weekly limits for each application or category, as well as automatically locking the device during certain hours of the day.
To access the Screen Time feature on your iPhone, simply go to Settings and scroll to the second block of sections. There you will see the Usage Time entry, represented by an hourglass. Click on it and activate it, in case it is the first time you enter this section of your mobile.
What measures can you take to control the usage time on your iPhone mobile?
Let's see how you can make the most of the Screen Time tool on iPhone and improve your digital habits.
- Tap on the section See all the activity to see a detailed report of your iPhone usage, including total screen time, time per app, number of notifications, and times you've unlocked the device.
- In section Application limits You can set a daily time limit for the app categories you want, such as social media, games, or entertainment. It's even possible to customize limits for each day of the week and add or remove limit apps at any time.
- En Activity time You can schedule a time when you can only use the apps you have allowed and receive phone calls. It will be useful if you want to avoid distractions during study, work or rest.
- Sleep schedule It is another option if you do not want to be disturbed during the hours you spend sleeping. You can even set an alarm and a sleep routine to help improve the quality of your rest.
- Toca Always allowed to select the apps you want to always have available, even during downtime or sleep time. For example, you can allow apps like Phone, Messages, Maps, or Camera.
- Finally, in Content and privacy restrictions You can block or limit explicit content, purchases and downloads, and the privacy of certain apps. This section allows you to choose between different restriction levels depending on the user's age or customize them according to your preferences.
In conclusion, knowing how many hours you use your cell phone is possible, both on iOS and Android devices. Not only that, but you can also set limits and other restrictions for reduce usage time and improve your rest, concentration and social life. Don't hesitate to take advantage of these tools if you feel like you spend too much time glued to your cell phone. In the long run, you will be the one who benefits the most, and so will those around you.