Other How much do you use your iPhone?

[MacCheetah3]

With the continually appearing battery complaint threads (ex. 1, ex. 2) and a longstanding behavioral curiosity, I’m wondering if users are willing to confront err share data on a seemingly sensitive factor: screen time.

I will be sharing data from my recollection of the weekly Screen Time summaries, but you can always check the report manually:

Use Screen Time on your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support

With Screen Time, you can access real-time reports showing much much time you spend on your device.

support.apple.com

Averaging 1-2 hours on my iPhone, 1-4 hours on iPad, and 3-6 hours on my Mac, I have no doubt I am in the “light user” (or even “very light user”) column. My most commonly used iPhone apps are Messages, Mail, Fitness, Weather (plus a couple of other weather apps), daily Wordscapes puzzle, a few quick (<1 minute) checks on a couple of social network apps, and, occasionally, Safari and Scanner Pro.

Returning to the runtime (i.e.,, battery performance) complaints… I’m wondering if people have truly reflected on their usage habits.

Mark's research suggests we're giving into digital temptation more and more. In the early 2000s, she and her team tracked people while they used an electronic device and noted each time their focus shifted to something new—roughly every 2.5 minutes, on average. In recent repeats of that experiment, she says, the average has gone down to about 47 seconds.

Why No One Feels Like They Can Focus Anymore

And what to do about it

time.com

With that said, I am reminded of a comment my younger brother once made, “user” being a very apt word to describe computer (including iPhone, iPad, etc) operators, that is, akin to an addict.

Yet:

Ideally, adults should limit their screen time similar to children and only use screens for about two hours a day.

Screen time - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I am not trying to say what’s acceptable usage, there are way too many factors — though I cannot understand how some/many people can’t look away from their ’smart’ gadgets for more than a minute. More so, especially for users with screen time exceeding 12 hours, is it sincerely (and why) so intolerable that you might need to charge this consumption portal device more than once per day, even if the requirement doesn’t truly happen until months or even years later?

P.S. I attempted to have the poll time ranges long enough so it wouldn’t be as much of a struggle to select based on week-to-week variations.
Hopefully, I did okay.

 

[kanga1622]

I'm a HEAVY user. My average screen on time over the last 10 days on my iPhone 13 is 12 hrs and 43 mins.

But my number is misleading. Some of that time is my family playing Pokemon Go together with the kids as a family activity. I often stream 4-8 hrs a day while at work as background noise because constant noise makes it easier for me to focus than to have inconsistent background noise. And I use my phone as an ereader so I typically read for 30-60 minutes in the evening before I go to sleep.

It does NOT bother me that I need to charge my phone in the morning while I'm getting ready and then often in the afternoon at work or after I arrive home. It isn't an issue if we are out running errands or on vacation - I am generally not streaming then and we often bring a backup battery as the kids' iPhone 12s will need a boost anyway.

 

[eyoungren]

Perhaps screen time can be deceptive?

My iPhone's screen is on from around 9pm to 3am. That's six hours of screen on time as…a nightstand clock. I am asleep during that time.

During the day the phone is used lightly, maybe less than an hour collectively. I have computers around me all day, a large TV and access to a lot of apps on those computers. I don't need the phone to do stuff the computers can do.

So, there you go. Maybe the screen is on for 7 hours a day, most of which I am asleep for.

 

[MacCheetah3]

Perhaps screen time can be deceptive?

My iPhone's screen is on from around 9pm to 3am. That's six hours of screen on time as…a nightstand clock. I am asleep during that time.

During the day the phone is used lightly, maybe less than an hour collectively. I have computers around me all day, a large TV and access to a lot of apps on those computers. I don't need the phone to do stuff the computers can do.

So, there you go. Maybe the screen is on for 7 hours a day, most of which I am asleep for.

Indeed. Other apps, including but not limited to some music players, will also disable display/screen sleep when the device is on a charger. So, yes, this isn’t scientific.
That would require more of a survey than a simple poll — as well as users to sift through the screen time report and keep a running total manually. ☺️

 

[Tdude96]

About 2.5 - 3.5 hours over the last several weeks. The bulk of that's Pokemon GO. Ever since I got an Apple Watch, my phone screen time is way down outside of that game.

 

[Expos of 1969]

Only really use my iPhone SE 3 as a reading or browsing device when I am at a coffee shop (one hour max). Also a few minutes at home if I need to read or respond to WhatsApp messages. At home I use my MacBook Air for reading MacRumours, various newspapers, creating emails, organizing photos etc. My iPad gen 8 rarely gets used for anything.

 

[dumastudetto]

16+ hours.
My iPhone only rests and recharges when I rest and recharge.

 

[ChoiMinji]

…I have nothing else to say about this subject 😊

 

[nathan_reilly]

iPhone 13 Pro. Daily average 5hours, battery health 91%. Last 10 days battery use by app:
Youtube: 31%
Maps: 12%
News: 10%
Safari: 9%
Mail: 7%
Messages: 6%

 

[ab2c4]

I turned off the screen time feature as it’s discouraging to see my usage. When it’s turned on though I’m usually around 7 hours per day average.

Being I am a higher usage user this is why lower weight phones, and comfortable to hold phones, are a priority to me.

 

[VisceralRealist]

3-5 hours. Safari, Instagram, Podcasts, and Patreon are my most used apps.

I would like to be able to use it less. It is definitely an addiction.

 

[floral]

I don't use an iPhone, exactly, but I use my iPad about as much as anyone else would with an iPhone (In a way, it's both an iPhone and a main computer for me. Very convenient :3)

Anyways, some mild-moderate gaming, giving the social media my handful of views, and web browsing gives it about a 5-6 hours average.

Can't check battery health, but it's definitely more than enough battery for me.

 

[MarkX]

I went from about 6-7 hours per day to about 1-2 in the last few months when I finally realised I was wasting my life away staring at a screen. The addiction was real and still have to fight the urge to just aimlessly scroll through some drivel when I’m at a loose end.

 

[reppans]

…

 

[rui no onna]

My iPhone usage is pretty light. It’s my iPad usage that’s very high (mainly used as e-reader).

 

[FeliApple]

Like @rui no onna, I tend to use my iPad more, which is why I upgraded my iPad (from my 9.7-inch iPad Pro to the iPad Air 5), instead of my iPhone (an iPhone Xʀ).

One day of heavier usage increased the number, otherwise it’d be even lower. It does everything I need it to do on iOS 12 with amazing battery life (16 hours of SOT), so I don’t really care about upgrading.

All I want is for my devices to work properly. My iPad didn’t work perfectly, my iPhone did (and does). So I upgraded the iPad.