How to check screen time on Android: Digital Wellbeing and Samsung steps

Summary. To check screen time on Android, open Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing. The chart shows today's screen time per app, how often you unlocked the phone and opened apps, and notifications received. A supervised child's phone labels the entry Digital Wellbeing & parental controls. On a Samsung Galaxy, the same Settings entry offers a Screen time goal and a Weekly report icon for your daily average; Samsung requires Android 10 or later. To cap an app, set an app timer: Google's timers reset at midnight, the app closes and its icon dims when time runs out, and a 4-digit App limits PIN stops others changing them. For children, Google Family Link sets daily limits, app limits, bonus time and remote lock on Android 7 and later; a 2-hour daily limit means 2 hours on every device the child uses. Menu names vary by maker and version, so search Settings for screen time if a path does not match.

About this article. For Android phone owners, parents and IT teams who want to see or limit screen time. Every menu path, setting name and limit was checked on 11 November 2026 against Google's Android Help, Pixel Phone Help and Google For Families Help pages, Samsung's US and Australian support pages, and the Android Developers reference. Google's steps are not tied to one Android version and vary by device; current Pixel phones launched with Android 17, and Samsung's pages cover One UI up to 9.0. Researched with AI assistance and reviewed by our editorial team.

Where to find screen time on Android

The table summarises Google's and Samsung's current help pages.

How to check screen time on Pixel and stock Android

Google's Android and Pixel help pages give the same steps:

1. Open the Settings app.

1. Tap Digital Wellbeing.

1. Read the chart for today. Tap it for detail on three measures:

- Screen time: which apps were on screen and for how long. - Times opened: how often you unlocked the device and opened certain apps. - Notifications received: how many notifications arrived and from which apps.

1. Tap any app in the list for more detail or to change its settings.

The first time, you set up your profile. For a separate app icon, turn on Show icon in the app list inside Digital Wellbeing.

Add the screen time widget (Android 9 and later). Touch and hold the Home screen, tap Widgets, touch and hold the screen time widget, then drag it into place. It shows the top 3 apps you use each day.

See time spent on websites. In Digital Wellbeing, tap the chart, then Chrome (tap Show all apps if it is not listed), then Show sites > Show. You see each site visited and its daily time. To hide a site, tap it, then Remove past visits > Remove; it returns if you visit again.

Pause Point on new Pixels. On the Pixel 11 series running Android 17 or later, Settings > Digital Wellbeing > Ways to disconnect > Pause Point adds mindfulness prompts to the apps you choose.

How to check screen time on Samsung Galaxy

Samsung's US support page gives these steps:

1. Open Settings, then tap Digital Wellbeing.

1. To track a daily target, tap Set goal under Screen time goal, choose hours and minutes, then tap Done. On some devices you choose the time first, then tap Set.

1. Tap the Screen time goal tracker, then a day of the week, to see the hours and minutes used that day.

1. For a weekly view without a goal, tap the Weekly report icon (four vertical lines) at the top right. It shows your daily average screen time and your most-used apps for the week.

The same screen shows time per app, notifications and unlocks. Samsung notes that screens vary by carrier, software version and model, that some options moved to Modes and Routines, and that Digital Wellbeing cannot be removed or disabled. Labels also vary by region: Samsung Australia's guide uses a Settings entry called Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls, while Samsung US lists a separate Parental controls entry.

How to set app timers on Android

Pixel and stock Android.

1. Open Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing > App timers.

1. Next to the app, tap Set timer.

1. Choose the time allowed and tap OK.

When time runs out, the app closes and its icon dims. Timers reset at midnight. To use the app again before midnight, delete the timer.

Lock timers with a PIN. Go to Settings > Digital Wellbeing > App limits > App limits PIN and turn on PIN for app time limits. Unlock with your screen lock PIN, password or pattern, then enter and confirm a unique 4-digit PIN. To block another user from an app, set an App limits PIN and give that app a zero time limit.

Website timers. In Digital Wellbeing, tap the chart, then Chrome, then Set site timer next to a site. Choose a limit and tap OK.

Samsung Galaxy.

1. Open Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing.

1. Tap App timers, then Apps and app categories, and select apps. Tap All to select everything.

1. Tap Add schedule, choose the days, hours and minutes, and tap Save.

To edit, tap the app on the App timers tracker, tap the schedule, change it and tap Save. To remove, tap the app, tap Apps and app categories, then tap the red minus icon.

Bedtime mode and Focus mode

Bedtime mode (Digital Wellbeing > Bedtime mode > Bedtime routine) runs on a schedule or while charging and can turn the screen black and white, keep it dark, dim the wallpaper or switch on Dark theme. Focus mode (Digital Wellbeing > Focus mode) pauses the apps you choose, blocks their notifications, can run on a schedule, and offers Take a break to unpause them for a set time. On Samsung, Sleep mode (formerly Bedtime mode) sits under Settings > Modes and Routines > Sleep, with Grayscale and Dark mode options.

Family Link: check and limit a child's screen time

Family Link works for a child's Google Account on Android 7 and later or a Chromebook. System apps cannot be limited.

Set a daily limit from the parent's phone.

1. Open the Family Link app and select your child at the top left.

1. Tap Screen time > Time limits at the bottom left.

1. Turn on Daily limit, tap Weekly schedule, pick a day and enter the allowed time.

1. To use the same limit every day, tap Apply to all days of the week > Done.

Limit single apps. In Family Link, tap Screen time > Time limits > App limits, choose the app, tap Set limit, pick hours and minutes and tap Done. You can also set an app to Unlimited time, so it stays available after the daily limit, or to Blocked. App limits apply across all the child's Android and ChromeOS devices and need Android 7 or ChromeOS 83 or later.

Lock the device or add bonus time. Under Screen time, tap Lock or Unlock below the child's device name, or tap Bonus time to give extra time for that day without changing the schedule.

When a limit locks the device, the child cannot see notifications or use apps other than Unlimited time apps, but can still answer calls and tap Emergency on a phone with a calling plan. If you lock the device by hand, Unlimited time apps are blocked too, unless you change Controls > Signed-in devices > Lock screen settings > Unlimited time apps.

On the child's phone, the settings sit under Settings > Digital Wellbeing & parental controls on Android 8.1 and later. On Android 15 and later, a supervised child sees app limits and bedtime settings on the Parental controls screen and can switch to Digital Wellbeing from there for tools such as Focus mode. Samsung says Family Link works on Galaxy devices with Android 7.0 and later, and on some still running Android 5.0 or 6.0, while Samsung account child profiles need One UI 5.1 or later.

Labels that differ by maker and version

Each maker customises Android, so Google says steps may vary by device, and other makers may use their own wellbeing menus that change between updates. The fastest route is the search bar at the top of Settings: type screen time or Digital Wellbeing. If nothing appears, your phone may not include the feature. If your family also uses iPhones, our iOS 27 child-safety explainer covers Apple's Screen Time changes.

Fixes when screen time is missing or looks wrong

• No Digital Wellbeing in Settings: Google says the feature is available on some phones only, so it may be absent or renamed.

• A blocked app works again: timers reset at midnight, or someone deleted the timer. Set an App limits PIN.

• A child gets more time than expected: daily limits apply per device, so two devices mean double the time.

• A child cannot change the clock: the clock can change only when screen time limits are disabled, unless a parent turns on Edit date & time under Controls > Signed-in devices in Family Link.

• A child cannot find app limits: on Android 15 and later, supervised accounts reach them through Parental controls.

For IT teams and app developers

On company phones, do not rely on Digital Wellbeing as a control, because some work and school accounts might not work with app timers. Use your device-management platform's app policies, and tell staff what is monitored.

Screen time and parental control apps read usage through Android's UsageStatsManager, which aggregates usage into days, weeks, months and years. Most of its methods need the PACKAGE_USAGE_STATS permission, and declaring it is not enough: the user must also grant usage access in Settings. Methods that return data only for your own app, such as queryEventsForSelf, do not need the permission. Also design for app timers: when a user's timer expires, the app closes, so save state often. See our Android 17 behaviour changes guide and how to develop an Android app.

How eCorpIT can help

eCorpIT is a Gurugram-based technology organisation, founded in 2021, assessed at CMMI Level 5 and MSME certified, with senior-led engineering teams working across AWS, Microsoft and Google platforms. Our Android developers build screen time, parental control and productivity features on UsageStatsManager, with usage access requested clearly and explained to users. Talk to us at /contact-us/.

Last updated: 11 November 2026.

References

1. Manage how you spend time on your Android phone with Digital Wellbeing — Android Help

1. Manage your child's screen time — Google For Families Help

1. Use Digital Wellbeing features on your Galaxy phone or tablet, 6 August 2026 — Samsung US

1. Pixel phone hardware tech specs — Pixel Phone Help

1. Manage Family groups and parental controls with your Samsung Account, 23 October 2026 — Samsung US

1. Set app time limits on your child's device — Google For Families Help

1. Manage how you spend time on your Pixel phone or Pixel tablet with Digital Wellbeing — Pixel Phone Help

1. Using Parental Controls on my Samsung Phone, 2 October 2026 — Samsung Australia

1. Use Google's Family Link parental controls on your Samsung Galaxy device, 30 October 2026 — Samsung US

1. Manage activities in Digital Wellbeing for supervised accounts — Google For Families Help

1. UsageStatsManager API reference, last updated 28 August 2026 — Android Developers