Where to find your screen time data
Your iPhone tracks how much time you spend on apps and websites, and you can see this data in the Settings app. Open Settings, then tap Screen Time. The first screen shows your total usage for today and this week, broken down by category — Social Networking, Entertainment, Productivity, and others. Below that, you'll see which individual apps used the most time.
This same screen also shows how many times you picked up your phone today and how many notifications you received. If you don't see Screen Time in your Settings menu, your device is running an older version of iOS. Screen Time was added in iOS 12, released in 2018. If you're on an older version, you won't have access to this feature.
The data refreshes at midnight each day. Your weekly totals reset every Sunday. If you want to compare your usage across different weeks, you'll need to check back on different days — the app doesn't store historical data beyond the current week.
Key Takeaways
- Screen Time is found in Settings and shows your total usage time, which apps you used most, and how often you picked up your phone.
- Your daily usage resets at midnight and your weekly totals reset every Sunday.
- You can see usage broken down by app category and by individual app name.
- Screen Time requires iOS 12 or later; if you don't see it in Settings, your iPhone is running an older operating system.
How to view usage by app and category
On the Screen Time main page, scroll down past your daily and weekly totals to see Most Used. This section lists your apps in order from most to least time spent. Tap any app name to see a detailed breakdown — how much time you spent on it today, this week, and which days you used it most.
Above the Most Used list, you'll see colored bars representing different categories: Social Networking, Entertainment, Productivity, and others. Tap any colored bar to see all apps in that category and how much time each one received. This is useful if you want to understand whether you're spending more time on social media or games, for example, rather than tracking individual apps.
The list updates in real time as you use your phone. If you open an app right now and then return to Screen Time, you'll see the time increase within a few seconds.
Understanding pickups and notifications
Screen Time also tracks Pickups — the number of times you unlocked your phone or woke the screen. This number appears near the top of the Screen Time page. A high pickup count can indicate you're checking your phone frequently throughout the day, even if your total screen time isn't extremely high.
Below pickups, you'll see your Notifications count for the day. This shows how many alerts your apps sent you. A high number might mean you have notifications enabled for apps you don't actually need to hear from, which can interrupt your focus.
Neither of these numbers affects your app time totals — they're separate metrics. You can have low screen time but high pickups if you're checking your phone often but not staying on apps long. Conversely, you might have high screen time but low pickups if you're using one app for an extended period.
Checking screen time on a family member's device
If you set up Family Sharing on your iPhone, you can view screen time for other family members' devices from your own phone. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, then tap the name of the family member whose data you want to see. You'll see their usage information the same way you see your own.
This requires that Family Sharing is already set up in your iCloud settings and that the other person's device is linked to your family group. If you don't see other family members listed, Family Sharing isn't active on your account. You can set it up in Settings by tapping your name at the top, then Family Sharing.
Parents often use this feature to monitor children's device usage, though the person whose device you're viewing can also see their own Screen Time data at any time.
What screen time does and doesn't measure
Screen Time measures active use of apps and websites. It counts time you spend actively looking at your screen, not time your phone is simply unlocked or sitting in front of you. If you open an app and then set your phone down without closing it, the timer keeps running — Screen Time doesn't know whether you're actually looking at it.
Screen Time does not measure time spent in phone calls, FaceTime, or Messages. It also doesn't count time spent using your iPhone while it's connected to CarPlay or an external display. If you use your phone heavily for calls or messaging, your actual device usage is higher than what Screen Time reports.
The data is stored locally on your device. If you sign out of iCloud or reset your iPhone, your Screen Time history is erased. Apple does not store this data on its servers, so you cannot recover it from a backup if you lose the phone.
Resetting your screen time data
If you want to start fresh with a new weekly count, you can reset your Screen Time data. Open Settings, tap Screen Time, scroll to the bottom, and tap Reset Statistics. This erases all your usage history and starts your counts over at zero. Your daily and weekly totals will begin accumulating again from that moment.
Be aware that this action cannot be undone. Once you reset, your previous usage data is gone. You might want to take a screenshot of your current stats before resetting if you want to keep a record.
You don't need to reset your data for it to be useful. Many people check their Screen Time weekly without resetting, simply to see how their usage changes from week to week. Resetting is optional and only necessary if you want to clear your history.
Troubleshooting when screen time won't load
If you open Screen Time and see no data, or if the page won't load, try closing the Settings app completely and reopening it. Swipe up from the bottom of your screen (or swipe down from the top right on newer iPhones) to close all apps, then tap Settings again and navigate back to Screen Time.
If that doesn't work, restart your iPhone. Press and hold the power button and volume down button together until the power-off slider appears. Slide to power off, wait 10 seconds, then press the power button again to turn it back on. After restart, open Settings and check Screen Time again.
If Screen Time still shows no data after a restart, your device may have a software issue. Check whether you're running the latest version of iOS by going to Settings, tapping General, then Software Update. Install any available updates and restart your phone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my screen time so high even though I barely use my phone?
Screen Time counts any time an app is active on your screen, even if you're not actively looking at it. If you leave an app open in the foreground and set your phone down, the timer keeps running. Close apps you're not using by swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Also check whether you have any apps running in the background that you don't realize are open.
Can I see screen time for apps I deleted?
No. Once you delete an app, Screen Time stops tracking it and removes it from your history. If you want to keep tracking an app's usage, don't delete it. You can disable notifications from it or move it to a folder instead.
Does screen time include time spent in Safari?
Yes. Safari is tracked like any other app. The time you spend browsing websites counts toward your total screen time and appears in the Entertainment or Productivity category depending on what you're viewing. Individual websites are not broken out separately — Safari shows as a single app.
Why does my screen time show zero for today?
Screen Time data updates every few seconds, but it may take a minute or two to populate when you first open the app. If it still shows zero after waiting, try closing Settings and reopening it. If you just set up your iPhone or restored from a backup, Screen Time may need time to begin collecting data.
Can I turn off screen time tracking?
No. Screen Time runs automatically on all iPhones running iOS 12 or later and cannot be disabled. You can view or ignore the data, but you cannot stop your phone from collecting it. If you don't want to see Screen Time, simply don't open it in Settings.