Digital Wellbeing on Samsung: Where to Find It and How to Use It

Every Samsung Galaxy phone comes with Digital Wellbeing. Most people only find it when they want to know where their evening went, or when they want to limit one app that keeps pulling them back.

Samsung's version is a bit different from the one on Pixel phones. Some features moved out of it over the years, and a few now live somewhere else in Settings. This guide shows where everything is on One UI 8 and 8.5 and what each tool is good for.

The short answer: on a Samsung Galaxy, open Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls. That's where you see your screen time and set app timers and a screen time goal. Focus and bedtime features are no longer there. Since One UI 5 they live in Settings > Modes and Routines, where Bedtime mode is now called Sleep.

Menu names shift a little between One UI versions and models. If a step doesn't match your screen, tap the search icon in Settings and type the feature name.

Where to find Digital Wellbeing on Samsung

1. Open Settings.
2. Scroll down and tap Digital Wellbeing and parental controls.

That's the only place it lives. It's part of the system, so you can't uninstall or disable it.

On the main screen you'll find:

• Screen time for today, split into categories like Social and Video
• Most used apps
• Screen time goal
• App timers
• Driving monitor (it tracks phone use while you're connected to your car over Bluetooth) and Walking monitor
• Parental controls, which connects to Google Family Link for managing a child's phone

At the bottom, under Looking for something else?, there are links to Focus mode and Bedtime mode. Both open Modes and Routines, which we cover below.

Check your screen time

1. Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls.
2. Tap the screen time card at the top. This opens the Dashboard.
3. Tap a day in the chart to see that day's apps and notifications. Tap View all for the full list.
4. Back on the main screen, tap the chart icon in the top-right corner for last week's Weekly report.
5. Tap any app to see its daily use.

We cover this in more detail, including Pixel and other brands, in how to check screen time on Android.

Set a screen time goal

A screen time goal is a daily target for your whole phone.

1. In Digital Wellbeing, tap Set goal under Screen time goal.
2. Choose the hours and minutes.
3. Tap Done.

The goal doesn't block anything. It shows you how close you are. Think of it as a speedometer, not a brake.

Set app timers

App timers are the one tool in Digital Wellbeing that actually stops you. When the time is up, the app pauses and its icon turns gray until the next day.

1. Open Settings > Digital Wellbeing and parental controls > App timers.
2. Tap Apps and app categories and pick the apps you want to limit.
3. Tap Add schedule, choose the days and the daily time limit.
4. Tap Save.

You can set different limits for weekdays and weekends with separate schedules. Timers reset every day at midnight, and Samsung says they can't be set for apps in Secure Folder or Dual Messenger, or for other important apps.

To remove a timer, tap the app on the App timers screen, tap Apps and app categories, then tap the red minus icon next to it.

Focus mode on Samsung: now in Modes and Routines

On a Pixel, Focus mode lives in Digital Wellbeing and pauses the apps you choose. Samsung used to have the same feature. With One UI 5, Samsung moved Focus mode and Bedtime mode out of Digital Wellbeing and replaced them with Modes and Routines.

To use a mode for focus:

1. Open Settings > Modes and Routines.
2. On the Modes tab, pick a ready-made mode such as Work, Exercise or Relax, or tap Add mode to make your own.
3. Choose when it turns on: manually, on a schedule or at a place.
4. Turn on Do not disturb and choose which people and apps can still reach you.
5. Add any extras you like, such as a different wallpaper or grayscale.

Here's the catch. A Samsung mode only silences notifications and turns on Do not disturb. It doesn't pause apps the way Focus mode on a Pixel does. You won't get pinged by Instagram, but you can still open it. If you want an app to stop working, use an app timer.

Sleep mode (formerly Bedtime mode)

Samsung's bedtime feature is now the Sleep mode in Modes and Routines. Samsung's own page notes it used to be called Bedtime mode or Wind Down.

1. Open Settings > Modes and Routines > Sleep.
2. Under When to start this mode, set a Sleep schedule, for example 22:30 to 07:00.
3. Turn on Do not disturb so notifications stay quiet.
4. Turn on Grayscale and Dark mode if you want the screen less tempting at night.
5. Optionally turn on Eye comfort shield or power saving.

Grayscale is the most useful part for most people. A gray feed is a lot less interesting. If you like that effect, you can also use it during the day with our guide to making your phone grayscale. For the bigger picture on nights, read how to stop scrolling at night.

What Samsung Digital Wellbeing does well

It's free, it's already on your phone and it's honest about your usage. The screen time breakdown is clear, the weekly report is useful, and app timers with day-by-day schedules are more flexible than on many phones. Sleep mode with grayscale is a good, gentle nudge toward putting the phone down.

For a mild habit, this is often enough. If you mostly want to see where your time goes and add a bit of friction, start here.

How easy is it to turn off?

This is where Digital Wellbeing gets weak, and it's on purpose. Samsung designed it so you always stay in control of your own phone.

App timers: removing one takes about four taps. Some Galaxy users also report a reminder shortly before a limit runs out with an option to add 10 more minutes.

Screen time goal: it never blocks anything, so there's nothing to get around.

Sleep and other modes: swipe down and tap the mode tile to turn it off. And since modes silence notifications rather than pause apps, the apps are still there while the mode runs.

Parental controls: these are harder to undo, because a parent manages them through Google Family Link from another phone. That's built for kids, not for setting limits on yourself.

None of this is a flaw for most people. But if you've ever deleted a timer at 11 p.m. and told yourself it was the last time, you already know how it ends.

I've been there. I used to scroll at night, I tried every blocker I could find and I even built my own. At 11 p.m. I always found the way around. That's why StoicOS works differently.

When you need more than Digital Wellbeing: StoicOS

StoicOS turns your Samsung into a phone that doesn't have the addictive apps on it anymore. It blocks social media, streaming (including YouTube), games, porn and gambling at the system level using Android's Device Owner permissions. It can't be turned off or uninstalled from the phone. You decide once and don't need willpower after that.

It also blocks the matching websites in the browser, plus any URLs you add yourself, so Samsung Internet or Chrome isn't a back door.

Calls, messages, maps, banking, music, health, learning and productivity apps always work. You decide about mail, work apps, shopping, news, dating and food delivery. If you need an app that's blocked, you can request it. It's checked against the policy and approved within a minute if it's allowed.

For nights or deep work, BeOffline Mode goes further than Sleep mode. You start it yourself, choose how long, and all your apps are gone, not only the addictive ones. You can't stop it early.

What StoicOS doesn't do: it doesn't give you a daily allowance. It blocks whole apps and categories, so there's no "30 minutes of TikTok a day". If that's what you want, a Samsung app timer is the better tool.

Setup takes about 10 minutes with a computer (Chrome or Edge) and a USB cable. You don't need a factory reset. It works on Samsung Galaxy phones with Android 9 or newer, and on Pixel, OnePlus and most other Android phones. There's no iPhone version.

Which Samsung tool should you use?

Method	Can you undo it in a weak moment?	Cost	Effort
Screen time goal	Nothing to undo, it only tracks	Free	Low
App timers	Yes, delete the timer in four taps	Free	Low
Modes (Work, Relax, etc.)	Yes, one tap in the quick panel	Free	Low
Sleep mode with grayscale	Yes, one tap in the quick panel	Free	Low
Deleting the app	Yes, reinstalling takes a minute	Free	Low
StoicOS	No	From €7/month	10-minute setup
StoicOS BeOffline Mode	No, it runs until the time is up	Included	One tap

Get your life back with StoicOS

Android 9+ · From €7/month · 30-day money-back guarantee · Not available on iPhone

Related guides

• How to check screen time on Android
• How to make your phone grayscale
• Bedtime mode on Android
• How to block YouTube on Android
• How to block Instagram
• Apps to stop scrolling

Frequently asked questions

Where is Digital Wellbeing on a Samsung phone?

Open Settings and tap Digital Wellbeing and parental controls. If you can't find it, tap the search icon in Settings and type "Digital Wellbeing".

Where did Focus mode go on Samsung?

Samsung removed Focus mode and Bedtime mode from Digital Wellbeing in One UI 5. They were replaced by Modes and Routines in Settings, where you can set up modes like Work, Relax and Sleep.

Can I turn off Digital Wellbeing on Samsung?

You can't uninstall or disable it, because it's part of the system. You can simply not use it, and you can delete any timers or goals you've set.

What happens when an app timer runs out on Samsung?

The app pauses and its icon turns gray for the rest of the day. The timer resets the next day, and you can remove it at any time in Digital Wellbeing.

Does Samsung Sleep mode block apps?

No. Sleep mode silences notifications with Do not disturb and can turn the screen gray, but you can still open your apps. To stop an app from opening, use an app timer or a system-level blocker.

Is Samsung Digital Wellbeing enough to stop scrolling?

For a mild habit, often yes. If you keep deleting timers or switching modes off, you need something you can't undo from the phone, like StoicOS.