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Screen Time Tracking: Track external apps when screen off

Feature Request

When I connect an app to a Habit that doesn't require screen use but only audio from phone (example Serenity for meditation, Audiobook reader for audiobooks), Habitify stops tracking time as soon as screen goes off.

It would be if it could still count minutes for apps in background.

Posted by Leonardo Manco ·
2 comments

Comments2

  • Minh Thư

    Team•

    May 29, 2025

    Hello @Leonardo Manco !

    Thank you for your sharing.

    The way Habitify currently tracks app usage on Android is by syncing data from Google's "Digital Wellbeing" feature. As Google explains (you can find more details on their support page here: https://support.google.com/android/answer/9346420?hl=en), Digital Wellbeing is designed to record "Screen time," which specifically means the amount of time apps are actively displayed on your screen.

    Because of this, when your phone screen goes off, Digital Wellbeing stops counting the time for that app as active "Screen time," even if it's still playing audio in the background. This is the data Habitify then receives.

    Still, your feedback is very helpful for us to understand how you're using Habitify and what you'd like to see. We'll keep this in mind as we continue to develop and improve the app.

    Thanks again for sharing your thoughts!

    • Leonardo Manco

      •

      May 29, 2025

      All clear, thanks for explaining.

      This approach is good if we talk about Screen Time, but when it comes to positive habits, such as meditation, audiobooks, podcasts and so on, Audio becomes the main media instead of video. I think you should find a way to get usage time from apps that are based on Audio as well to give sense to the “connect app” feature.