Since macOS Catalina, the Mac can also access Screen Time. This is how this new function works to see and change your behavior.
That’s how Screen Time works on the Mac
After iOS, your Mac can now also access Screen Time. That has been possible since macOS Catalina. Screen Time is not an app, but part of macOS settings. The idea is not only that you can monitor your behavior, but also that you can do something about it by changing the settings.
Screen Time is also ideal for keeping an eye on your children’s behavior and limiting their use. So you can find Screen Time by going to System Preferences on your Mac.
Enable Screen Time on Mac
Screen time is not turned on automatically. This means that your behavior is only tracked from the moment you activate the function. You’ll find that option when you open Screen Time for the first time. Click on ‘Options’ and there on ‘Enable’. From now on, your behavior will be tracked in three different ways.
Use
The first thing you will see is ‘App Usage’. On this page you can see which apps you used in a day. These apps can be divided by app or category (such as productivity and entertainment). Applications in this list were open when the Mac was on. So it doesn’t mean that you primarily used that app.
Under App usage you will see two more categories. Under ‘Notifications’ you will find which apps have sent you notifications on a day and how many there are. Notifications can be disastrous for your concentration. This part can make you aware of how many notifications apps actually send. Under ‘Activations’ you can then see how often the device was activated in a day and also which app was opened first.
Conveniently, you can combine this data with your other Apple devices. To do this, open the menu at the bottom of App use, Notifications or Activations, and select one or all devices.
Settings
Are you shocked by the information you will find in the above tabs? Then you can do something about it with the different settings that Screen Time offers. First of all, ‘Downtime’. If you click on ‘Enable…’ here, you can choose a time slot in which apps are no longer accessible. You can do this for all days or set it per day at ‘Custom’. In the tab ‘Always allowed’ you choose apps that can always be used, even during the chosen device-free time.
If you want to set it more specifically, then choose ‘App limits’. Here you press ‘Enable …’ and click the plus sign to add an app, category or website. Then you set how much time you can spend on that specific app per day. You will receive a message about this five minutes before the limit starts.
Finally, there is the category ‘Material and privacy’. If you switch this on, you can block all kinds of useful things. Like explicit language in Siri, or multiplayer in Game Center. You can also block movies, apps, books and podcasts with explicit content in the App Store. Have a look through the options. This part is useful, for example, for children who use the appliance.
More Catalina tips
Do you want to know more about the possibilities of Catalina? Then we will help you on your way. For example, with syncing an iPhone via Finder and turning on dark mode automatically. Don’t forget to read our macOS Catalina review.
Read the latest posts about Catalina
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- macOS 10.15.7 Now Available: Fixes Wi-Fi bug and iMacs graphics issues (9/25/2020)
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