How to Check How Much Time You’re Spending on Your Phone

Have you ever wondered how much time you spend on your phone? Perhaps you’re curious how your daily usage compares to other members in your family. You may think you have a pretty good idea, but you just might be surprised by how often you use it.

Curious how many times a day you pick up your mobile phone? Or how many minutes a day you use social media and other apps? There’s an easy way to find out depending on your phone’s operating system (OS).

However, the steps to find this data will vary whether you have an Android or iOS device. Most handset manufacturers—including Google, Samsung, and Motorola—use the Android phone OS, while Apple phones run exclusively on iOS. In fact, as of May 2022, Statcounter found that Android had 71% of the global market share compared to 28% for iOS.

How to check total time spent on Android operating system

Android OS users can find phone usage stats under the Digital Wellbeing section. Through it, users can access various daily and weekly phone usage stats as well as parental controls. Users can also see how much time they spend on apps and set timers and daily limits for individual websites.

How to access the Digital Wellbeing settings for Android:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Digital Wellbeing and Parental Controls.
3. Under Your Digital Wellbeing tools, tap Show Your Data.
4. Note the first time you open Digital Wellbeing, you’ll need to set up your profile.

For more advanced features, visit the Android support page.

How to check total time spent on iOS operating system

The same phone usage stats found on Android devices are also on Apple phones, but the name of the tool and path to find the data differs. Apple calls its usage monitoring app Screen Time. In addition to showing the time spent on apps, parents can set up a passcode to secure settings they set up for their kids to limit screen time on specific apps or websites.

How to access the iOS Screen Time settings:

1. Go to Settings.
2. Tap Screen Time.
3. Tap Turn On Screen Time.
4. Tap Continue.
5. Select This is My [Device] or This is My Child’s [Device].

For more advanced features, visit the Apple support page.

Mobile phone usage increased during the pandemic

With social-distancing measures in place for much of the country during the pandemic, people turned to their phones for connection more than ever. A recent report found that cell phone usage greatly increased in 2021, with 68% of respondents admitting to using their mobile devices at least 3 hours every day outside of work.

Public safety guidelines have also affected people’s work-life balance. Before COVID-19, people found it challenging to disconnect from work when away from the office. But with the physical boundary between work and home temporarily gone for many, the challenge has been even greater. And as some employees start or end their workday earlier or later than usual, they find themselves checking their phones more often outside of traditional working hours.

Use SMS marketing with Twilio

As people spend more time on their phones, businesses see the benefits of connecting with them in that way—by texting. Whether using it for sales and marketing or customer service and support, communicating by text is convenient and affordable.

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