Android Digital Wellbeing Not Working: Reasons & Solutions

The Digital Wellbeing feature on Android phones may not be functioning properly due to various reasons, such as corrupted files in the cache, missing permissions, or app glitches, among others. Knowing how to resolve the issues is essential to using the feature effectively.

Indeed, Android’s Digital Wellbeing is useful for tracking the amount of time a user spends on their device. It also allows you to set time limits and prevent notifications when specific features, such as Focus mode, are enabled.

Thus, when this basic feature is not working, it causes problems for own time and device management, for parental controls on Android, or even for monitoring someone’s phone (if you’d like to control your employees or elderly parents, for example).

In this guide, we’ve compiled the most common reasons why Digital Wellbeing and parental controls are not working on Android. Our Android expert, Alex Dushyn, helped us identify the right solutions to resolve the issues.

Issue 1: Digital Wellbeing Keeps Crashing

“Since the latest update to my S10, I have found that the Digital Wellbeing widget and settings do not work. Every time I attempt to open it, it shows a blank screen and freezes my phone. Any ideas how to resolve this or regress the changes?”

Source: Samsung Community

Expert Advice #1: Clear Digital Wellbeing Data and Cache

Your Digital Wellbeing and parental controls may not be working due to corrupted or conflicting files. Clearing the storage data will remove items such as usage statistics, settings, and temporary files, thereby resetting the app.

If the cache, which stores temporary data to speed up the app, has corrupted files, it can also cause crashes.

Let’s go over how to clear data and cache on Digital Wellbeing.

Note: These and further screenshots were done on a Samsung A33 phone.

1. Open Settings > Apps.
2. Scroll down to Digital Wellbeing, open it, and click Storage.
3. Click the Clear data and Clear cache options at the bottom of the page.
4. Switch off your phone, then restart it after a minute.

Expert Advice #2: Force Stop Digital Wellbeing

Sometimes, background processes could be the cause of the Digital Wellbeing feature crashing. If you’re using the app and receiving numerous notifications, or if the app is updating in the background, these processes can interfere with the app and cause it to crash.

Force-stopping Digital Wellbeing will stop all background processes. The feature will stop collecting data about screen time and app usage until you restart the app again.

To force stop Digital Wellbeing:

1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Open Digital Wellbeing and tap Force Stop at the bottom of the page.
3. Close all apps and then restart Digital Wellbeing to see if the issue has been resolved.

Note: Similar steps should help with the Modes issues in the Digital Wellbeing feature. If turning the mode off and on again doesn’t help, try clearing the cache and relaunching the feature.

Issue 2: Digital Wellbeing Not Showing Up in Settings

“Samsung Wellbeing is not showing up in my settings, and there is no option for Digital Wellbeing. I have already tried to install the Google Wellbeing apk and restarted.

Unfortunately, this didn’t work. How can I activate this? I have an S20 FE on One UI 4.1.”

Source: Samsung Community

Expert Advice #1: The App is Hidden

Android devices running Android 10 or later have the Digital Wellbeing feature already installed on the phone. If it’s not showing up and your phone supports the feature, the app is likely hidden.

Try searching for the app in the Settings search bar. If you cannot find it here, go to Apps and search for it in the apps list. You can find it there.

Expert Advice #2: Check for Software Updates

A software update is likely to resolve issues with Digital Wellbeing not showing in settings. This is because it can fix bugs that may be preventing the app from appearing in the list of apps. Hence, if there’s a general software issue, all system apps will start functioning correctly.

To check for a software update:

1. Go to Settings and scroll down to Software Update.
2. Click Download and Install. If there’s a software update available, you will see the option to install it.
3. Wait for the install to finish, then access settings to see if you can find the Digital Wellbeing feature.

Expert Advice #3: Do a Soft Reset

A soft reset clears any software glitches that you may be experiencing. You will not lose any of your data. Instead, it will clear the temporary memory and close all open applications. This can resolve minor issues, such as unresponsive apps, including Digital Wellbeing.

To do a soft reset on Android:

1. Press and hold the Power button and the Volume Down button simultaneously for more than 7 seconds to restart the device. When your phone resets, you will feel it vibrate.
2. Once the phone restarts, you should find Digital Wellbeing in the Settings menu.

Issue 3: Digital Wellbeing Not Registering Usage

“Digital wellbeing not registering usage even after clearing the data and cache in storage.”

Source: Samsung Community

Expert Advice: Allow Usage Data Access

If Digital Wellbeing is not registering usage, likely, the app does not have permission to record data. Therefore, you will need to provide access manually. The Usage Data Access feature is a permission that allows an app to track which other apps you’re using and the frequency with which you use them.

To allow Usage Data Access for Digital Wellbeing:

1. Go to Settings > Apps.
2. Click the three dots in the top right corner and select Special Access.
   
3. Open Usage Data Access and find Digital Wellbeing.
4. Push the toggle to ‘on’ to allow access to usage data for Digital Wellbeing.
   

Issue 4: Digital Wellbeing App Timer Not Working

“Hello, I frequently encounter issues with the app timer not resetting in Digital Wellbeing.

The two most common scenarios are 1. When I reach the app timer of an application, the next day, the app remains blocked because Digital Wellbeing says my timer has been reached, even though I last used the app the day before.

2. I have an app timer set to be 30 mins, I use the app for 10 mins, and Digital Wellbeing reports I have 20 minutes remaining, and the next day, it reports that I have 20 minutes remaining even though it reports 0 usage of the app.”

Source: Samsung Community

Expert Advice: Uninstall Digital Wellbeing Updates

The Digital Wellbeing app timer may not be working due to a conflict with other apps, such as the clock app. It could also be buggy, which can prevent the app from updating the timer for phone usage. Uninstalling updates will remove all collected data, including the time it recorded, and reset the timer.

Note that when you uninstall updates, you have to set up Digital Wellbeing again. This means setting timers for different apps and any conditions you had set for focus and bedtime modes.

To uninstall Digital Wellbeing updates:

1. Open Settings and go to Apps.
2. Find Digital Wellbeing and open it. You will see the app info page.
3. Click on the three dots next to “App info” in the top-right corner.
4. Tap Uninstall Updates. The app timer should reset, and you can set up timers for the apps you want to control screen time.

Issue 5: Digital Wellbeing Showing Incorrect Time Used on Apps

“What’s wrong with Digital Wellbeing? It shows that I spent 18 hours on my phone when it’s only 9 in the morning, and I was sleeping the whole night. I tried restarting my phone and resetting the app, but that didn’t fix it. Has anyone had this bug before? And how to fix it? TIA.”

Source: reddit.com

Expert Advice: Install an Anti-Virus App

When Digital Wellbeing displays the wrong time, it could be a bug, or your phone might be running malware. Fixing bugs is as easy as clearing the app’s cache, disabling usage data access, or uninstalling and reinstalling updates.

You’ve already learned how to clear the cache and disable usage data access. For reinstalling updates after you’ve uninstalled them:

1. Restart the phone and go to the Google Play Store.
2. Click your profile and select Manage apps and devices.
3. Under Overview, check for updates for the Digital Wellbeing app.

If reinstalling updates does not work, consider installing an anti-virus app to scan for malware. It can identify dangerous apps running in the background, which can impact your Digital Wellbeing time.

Issue 6: Digital Wellbeing Using Too Much Battery

“Many people say that Digital Wellbeing is a battery killer. I wonder if it’s just ‘learning usage patterns.’”

Source: reddit.com

Expert Advice: Disable Usage Data Access

If you’ve found that the Digital Wellbeing feature consumes too much battery, you have to disable its usage data access. However, this means it won’t record phone usage. Thus, you will not be able to see the time you’ve spent on different apps.

To disable usage data access for Digital Wellbeing:

1. Open Settings > Apps.
2. Click the three dots in the top right.
3. Select Special access.
4. Click Usage data access.
5. Toggle the button next to Digital Wellbeing to the left to turn it off. This will prevent Digital Wellbeing from tracking apps, hence saving battery life.

Seek Alternatives

There are some solid alternatives for Digital Wellbeing if you can’t get it to function correctly.

For example, ActionDash mirrors the Digital Wellbeing feature due to its method of recording phone usage. It displays daily and weekly app usage, including the time spent on each app. It even provides a graph showing the apps you use most.

To control your kids’ phone usage or help your elderly parents with this, consider using family trackers as an alternative to Digital Wellbeing. They can also show time spent on the phone and block websites and apps.

These phone trackers should be installed and then managed remotely. Here’s what the dashboard looks like on the uMobix parental control app.

Conclusion

If you depend on Digital Wellbeing to stay productive, having it not work can be a source of frustration. Fortunately, you can resolve most issues with the feature using the solutions outlined by our expert.

Clearing the Digital Wellbeing cache and data, or using the usage data access feature, can help resolve some issues. Still, you may find yourself reaching for an alternative if you can’t get Digital Wellbeing to work.