What Is Uptime in Mobile? [Android and iPhone]

Nowadays, most things you do are easily accessible on your phone. Almost everyone everywhere is on their phone every time. And, if you were to check how many hours you actually spend on your phone every day, you might be surprised.

This article provides a basic understanding of uptime in mobile – what it is, what it’s used for, and how to use it. It also discusses a few ways to limit phone usage and increase productivity.

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What Is Uptime in Mobile? What’s Its Use?

Uptime in mobile is the total time a mobile phone has been running. It is usually measured in hours from the last time the phone was powered on or restarted. For instance, if you restart your phone or turn it on at 8 am, the phone’s uptime will reset and start counting again from 8 am. So if you were to check the uptime at 8 pm, it would be 12 hours.

Uptime in mobile can be used to monitor your phone usage time to know when to restart or power off your phone. Recording your phone’s uptime could also get you a trophy in uptime contests.

A device’s uptime will be low if it is frequently restarted and vice versa. Believe it or not, some phones have not been restarted since they were set up. Some people believe that the higher your device’s uptime, the better. While this is neither true nor untrue, it is safe to say that every device needs rest – much like humans.

Restarting a device allows it to refresh. It could also fix a variety of problems ranging from simple to complex. For most people, the first fix to try when facing an issue with any device is to turn it off and on again. This is because it is known to be the fastest fix across many devices. Hence, it is highly recommended to restart your phone often or, even better – leave it powered off for a while.

How Is Phone Uptime Calculated?

Uptime in mobile is measured in hours from the last restart or power up. Think of uptime as a counter that starts counting immediately after your phone is restarted or powered on after being turned off. It continues counting for however long the phone is running until it is powered off or restarted again – then it resets and starts counting again.

What Does 99.9 Percent Uptime Mean?

99.9% uptime is the percentage of the total availability or functionality of a service or device. For example, if a device or service records a 99.9% uptime in 365 days, it means it is down for only 8 hours, 45 minutes, and 36 seconds and running for the rest of the time. Likewise, if it records a 100% uptime, it means it runs for 365 days with no downtime.

If calculated monthly, a 99.9% uptime in mobile means that it has 43 minutes and 12 seconds downtime in that period – weekly, 10 minutes and 5 seconds, and daily, 1 minute and 26 seconds.

What Is Maximum Uptime?

Maximum uptime in mobile is the maximum amount of time that your device can stay running without a restart – it could also be the highest uptime that your device has had. The maximum uptime for most android phones is two years. However, there have been records of android phones running non-stop for about 3-5 years.

Technology never stops improving, so we expect this number to keep climbing. Although, if you’re not going to get a reward or trophy for it – we highly recommend you restart your phone at least once every week for better functionality and longevity.

How To Stop Uptime In Mobile

To stop or reset uptime in mobile, simply restart your phone. You can turn it off, wait at least a minute and turn it back on. You can also leave it off for a bit longer before turning it on again. This will reset the uptime counter, clearing the previous record and starting the count afresh until the next power off.

How To Check To Android Phone Usage Time

To check uptime or phone usage time in Android, go to Settings >> About Phone >> Status and scroll down or use third-party apps like DroidUptime, Usage Time, Quality time, and App usage. Alternatively, you can go to Settings >> Battery. Click on the menu icon (three dots) in the top right corner and select Battery Usage. Then, tap the menu icon again and select Show full device usage.

You can check screen time on your Android by navigating to Settings >> Digital Wellbeing and parental controls >> Dashboard. The time under Screen Time is your recorded screen time for the given period. Here, you can also see what apps you have been using and how long you spent on them.

The Digital Wellbeing feature on android phones can be used to track your phone usage time, set app timers, bedtime mode, and focus mode. It can also be used as a parental control feature to monitor a child’s phone usage.

To track phone usage time on Android;

Go to Settings >> Digital Wellbeing and parental controls
Click on the menu icon (three dots) in the top right corner and select Manage your data
Toggle on Daily device usage
This will allow your phone to track device unlocks, app usage, and notifications

To set app timers on Android;

Go to Settings >> Digital Wellbeing and parental controls >> Dashboard >> Show all apps
Pick an app you want to set a timer for
Click on the hourglass icon next to it and choose a time frame for your daily usage of the app
Click OK to finish

To set bedtime mode on Android;

Go to Settings >> Digital Wellbeing and parental controls >> Bedtime mode
Here, you can turn on Based on schedule to set a bedtime and wake time or While charging at bedtime to have your phone go into bedtime mode when you plug it in before going to bed
You can also click on Customize to choose if you want Do not disturb or Grayscale turned on during bedtime

To set focus mode on Android;

Go to Settings >> Digital Wellbeing and parental controls >> Focus mode >> Show all apps
Choose the distracting apps you want to be paused during focus mode
You can also click on Set a schedule to pick when you want focus mode to come on and go off automatically – you can choose a time and day during the week or multiple times on different days
While in focus mode, you can choose to take a break for some time to use your distracting apps

To use the Digital Wellbeing feature for parental control, you will have to download the Google Family Link app from the Google Play Store and set it up on your phone and the child’s phone.

How To Check Screen Time On iPhone

To check screen time on iPhone, go to Settings >> Screen Time. You can click on Turn on Screen Time if you haven’t already turned it on. Then choose either This is My iPhone, or This is My Child’s iPhone.

After it is set up, you should see a summary of your screen time – click on See All Activity to see a more detailed report that includes your average pickups and notifications. You can switch between the Week and Day tabs – scroll down a bit, and you can also use the left and right arrows displayed at the top to choose previous weeks or days.

Alternatively, you can go to Settings >> Battery, scroll down and click on Show activity next to Battery usage by app. You can also switch between the Last 24 Hours and Last 10 Days tabs.

You can use the screen time feature to track your phone usage and set app limits, communication limits, and downtime. You can also set a screen time passcode to secure your settings – this is typically a parental control feature.

To track your phone usage on iPhone, you can add the screen time widget to your screen;

Press and hold on a free space on your home screen and click on the plus icon in the top right corner
Scroll down to find the Screen Time app and select it
Choose a widget size and click on Add Widget

To set app limits on iPhone;

Go to Settings >> Screen Time >> App Limits > Add Limit
Click on a category and select the apps you want to limit
Click on Next to continue and pick how long you want to use the app every day
You can also click on Customize Days to pick different timeframes for different days
Click on Add to finish

To set communication limits on iPhone;

Go to Settings >> Screen Time >> Communication Limits
Here, you can customize the allowed communication for screen time and downtime

To set a downtime schedule;

Go to Settings >> Screen Time >> Downtime
Toggle on Scheduled to reveal the settings
With the settings, you can set the dame downtime period every day or set different periods for different days

To set a screen time passcode, simply go to Settings > Screen Time > Use Screen Time Passcode, choose a passcode and sign in with your Apple ID.

Conclusion

If we’re being honest, the majority of us are guilty of spending way too much time on our phones. Uptime in mobile could help to control this. You can set up your phone to limit the time you spend on it and also make a plan to restart it after spending a particular amount of time on it.

About The Author

John Adebimitan

John Adebimitan is an accomplished tech writer with a passion for unraveling the complexities of the digital world. With a keen eye for detail and a knack for simplifying technical jargon, John has been instrumental in guiding readers through the ever-evolving landscape of technology.

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