Are you concerned about the amount of time you or your family members are spending on your Android devices? Excessive screen time can negatively impact sleep, productivity, relationships and overall well-being. Fortunately, Android provides built-in tools to help you monitor and limit your screen time.
In this article, we’ll walk through the steps to view your current screen time stats and reset them on your Android phone or tablet. We’ll also share some tips for developing healthier digital habits and striking a better balance with technology. Let’s get started!
1. View Your Current Screen Time
Before resetting your screen time, it’s helpful to first review your current usage to identify areas for improvement:
- Open the Settings app on your Android device
- Tap Digital Wellbeing & parental controls
- Review the Screen time graph showing your daily usage over the past week
- Tap the pie chart to see a breakdown of time spent in each app
- Reflect on your usage patterns and consider where you could cut back
2. Reset Your Screen Time
If you want to start tracking your screen time from scratch, follow these steps to reset your current stats:
- In Digital Wellbeing & parental controls, tap the three dots in the top right
- Select Reset stats
- Tap Reset to confirm and clear your existing screen time data
- Your daily and weekly graphs will reset to zero
Keep in mind, resetting your screen time erases your historical usage data up to that point. Only reset if you want to clear out your prior stats and start fresh with tracking.
3. Set App Timers
Now that you’ve reset your screen time, consider setting daily time limits for specific apps to help manage your usage:
- In Digital Wellbeing & parental controls, tap an app you want to limit
- Tap the hourglass icon to set a Daily timer
- Choose the amount of time you want to allow for that app each day
- Tap Set to save the timer limit
- Repeat for other apps you want to restrict
Once you’ve used an app for the amount of time you specified, its icon will gray out as a visual cue that you’ve hit your daily limit. You can still use the app if needed, but you’ll be prompted to extend your time first.
4. Enable Focus Mode
Android’s Focus mode lets you pause distracting apps temporarily so you can better focus on important tasks:
- In Digital Wellbeing & parental controls, tap Focus mode
- Select the apps you want to pause during Focus mode sessions
- Tap Turn on now to immediately activate Focus mode
- To schedule Focus mode, tap Set a schedule, choose days and times, then tap Set
- When Focus mode is on, the selected apps’ notifications will be muted and their icons grayed out
Focus mode is great for creating dedicated periods of uninterrupted time for work, study, family, sleep or other activities. The muted notifications remove the constant pull to check your phone.
5. Review Your Progress
As you use your device going forward, remember to periodically check your screen time graphs to see your usage trends over time:
- Note your daily average at the top of the Screen time graph
- See which days you tend to use your phone more or less
- Identify your most used apps in the app timer section
- Evaluate whether your usage aligns with your goals and values
- Make adjustments to your app limits and Focus schedules as needed
Regularly reviewing your screen time helps you stay accountable and allows you to course-correct if you find yourself slipping into unhealthy patterns. Celebrate your progress as you start to reduce your overall phone time.
Conclusion
Taking control of your screen time is an important step in developing a healthier relationship with your Android device. By resetting your screen time stats, you give yourself a clean slate to track your progress. Setting app timers and scheduled breaks with Focus mode empowers you to be more intentional with how you spend your time on your phone or tablet.
Remember, the goal isn’t to eliminate screen time entirely, but to use technology in a balanced way that enhances, rather than detracts from, your life. Be patient with yourself as you adopt new habits, and keep tweaking your approach until you find the right mix that works for you.!
Leave a Reply