Screen time is an essential iOS feature that helps users monitor their device usage and maintain a healthy balance in our tech-driven world. However, many users find themselves puzzled when the screen time grey bars don’t seem to add up. Let’s clarify this confusion and provide a straightforward explanation.
The screen time feature categorizes your device usage into nine categories:
- Social Networking
- Games
- Entertainment
- Creativity
- Productivity
- Education
- Reading & Reference
- Health & Fitness
- Others
The top three categories are represented by blue, turquoise, and orange bars, while the remaining categories are grouped together in a grey bar. This grey bar represents a collection of your least-used apps.
Here’s the key point: Apple intentionally excludes the time spent on apps in the grey bar from the total screen time calculation. This simplifies the data, making it easier to understand your primary app usage without the clutter of rarely used apps.
To set up screen time on your iOS device
- Open Settings and tap on Screen Time.
- Navigate to App & Website Activity and turn it on.
- Select Downtime and choose between “Turn on downtime until tomorrow” or “Scheduled.”
- Choose “every day” or customize specific days.
- Set the Start and End times.
Set app limits to better manage your device usage
- Go to Settings > Screen Time > App Limits.
- Choose one or more app categories you want to limit.
- Tap Next and set the time limit for each app.
- Customize the limits for specific days if needed.
- Hit Add to complete the process.
By understanding how screen time works and utilizing its features, you can take control of your device usage and maintain a healthier relationship with technology. Don’t let the confusion surrounding grey bars hold you back from making the most of this powerful tool.