Screen Time Usage Incorrect - Grey Bars when phone is idle

My screen time shows ridiculously high usage without me using the phone for that long. At night it shows Grey bar and adding time however doesn't tell which app is using this screentime.


This is inaccurate and need help from apple support to show correct phone usage time & fix the glitch.


iPhone 14 Pro Max, iOS 18

Posted on Jan 4, 2025 04:48 PM

Reply
3 replies

Jan 4, 2025 11:04 PM in response to Neeraj_Soni

Understanding Screen Time Graph (Grey Bar explained)


All apps have been assigned to certain categories in the Screen Time. Screen Time has chosen the top 11 categories and has put all remaining categories in a category called "Others".


There are 12 Categories in Screen Time

  1. Social Networking: FaceBook, Hangout, Instagram
  2. Games: Scrabble, PUBG
  3. Entertainment: Netflix, Amazon Music
  4. Creativity: Photos, Google Photos
  5. Productivity: HDFC Bank
  6. Education: SkyView, Learn Python
  7. Reading & Reference: Kindle, NDTV
  8. Health & Fitness: BeatO, Health, Activity
  9. Utilities: Voice Memos, Measure
  10. Shopping & Food: Apple Store
  11. Travel: Maps
  12. Others: Big Basket, iTunes Store


The graph displays the top 3 (Time used by the user) category legends on the X-axis. Anything other than these legend categories is a Grey bar in the graph


For example:

If the user has used Social Networking, Reading, and Reference and Others category apps for the maximum time during a time span. The graph will show these three categories in the X axis as legends and the remaining categories (Remaining apps that have used less than 6 min account for what is being shown in Grey Colour.


See the pic below explained


Jan 4, 2025 11:14 PM in response to Neeraj_Soni

Background App Refresh can contribute toward Screen Time if the app is performing tasks in the background and its activity is associated with the user’s account. Here's how it works:

  1. When Background App Refresh Affects Screen Time:
    1. Active Tasks in the Background: If an app performs visible or measurable activities while in the background—such as streaming audio, downloading data, or syncing content—this activity may be logged as part of Screen Time.
    2. App-Specific Behavior: Some apps are designed to run background processes that can register as usage time, especially if notifications or updates trigger interactions (e.g., opening a notification).
    3. Battery Usage Insight: While not directly related to Screen Time, you can check Settings > Battery to see if certain apps are consuming power in the background. Apps with heavy background usage could overlap with Screen Time reporting.
  2. When Background App Refresh Doesn't Affect Screen Time:
    1. Passive Background Activities: If an app simply refreshes content or syncs data in the background without a user-visible impact or interaction, this activity generally isn’t included in Screen Time.


To verify if Background App Refresh is influencing Screen Time:

  1. Tap on Show Categories (Shown in blue font in the Screenshot posted by you) Shown in the pic below
  2. Check the specific category usage details.
  3. Compare it with battery usage stats to identify background activity discrepancies.


If you notice unintended increases in Screen Time, disabling Background App Refresh for specific apps via Settings > General > Background App Refresh can help control it.

This thread has been closed by the system or the community team. You may vote for any posts you find helpful, or search the Community for additional answers.

Screen Time Usage Incorrect - Grey Bars when phone is idle

Welcome to Apple Support Community
A forum where Apple customers help each other with their products. Get started with your Apple Account.