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Set a daily time limit for any app

By Rolet, founder · Updated for version 5.11 · September 2026

To set a daily time limit for an app on Android, use Mindful Timer in Yin Yang Launcher. Put your apps in a group, like "Social", and give the group a daily limit. Each time you open one of them, you choose how long you want to use it. When the time is up, you get a clear stop.

On this page
  1. Why it happens
  2. How it works
  3. Set up an app timer
  4. Tips
  5. Related
Choose how long before you start. When time is up, you get a clear stop.

Why "just five minutes" turns into an hour

You open YouTube for one video. Then the next one starts. Nothing in the app tells you how long you've been there, so the first signal you get is the clock.

A timer works best when you decide the length before you start, while you're still thinking about the rest of your day. Then the app has a stop you chose, not one it chose for you.

How it works (Mindful Timer)

  • Group the apps you want to limit. For example "Social" with Instagram, Reddit and TikTok, or "Video" with YouTube and Netflix. The group shares one daily limit, from 5 minutes up to 6 hours.
  • Choose a length each time you open one. The app asks "How long would you like to use this?" and you pick a session length. You can't pick more than what's left of today's limit.
  • Only time in the app counts. The timer runs while the app is on screen. Switch away and it waits.
  • When your session ends, you see "Time's up!" and head home. You can add a cooldown so the same app waits a while before the next session.
  • When the daily limit runs out, every app in the group rests until midnight. The screen shows what you used and when it resets.
  • It counts your time however you open the app, from your home screen, a notification or anywhere else.

The timer lives alongside the other tools. If an app also has a pause before opening, the pause comes first, then the timer.

Set up an app timer

  1. Install Yin Yang Launcher from Google Play and set it as your home screen. Yin Yang is a home-screen app (a launcher), so this works because it replaces your home screen. You can switch back anytime.
  2. Swipe left from the home screen to open Mind Space.
  3. Open the Action tab and tap Mindful Timer.
  4. Tap + to create a group, and give it a Group name.
  5. Under Apps, tap Add app and choose the apps for this group.
  6. Under Daily Limit, set the Total budget for the whole group.
  7. Under Per Session, choose a Cooldown after each session, or leave it Off.
  8. Tap Save. If Android asks, allow Yin Yang to display over other apps, so the timer can appear on top of the app you're using.

Next time you open one of those apps, you'll be asked how long you want to use it.

Create a group, add apps, set the daily limit and a cooldown.

Tips

  • Set the limit a little below what you use now. Check your screen time first, then take 15 or 30 minutes off. A limit you can live with works better than a strict one you'll change tomorrow.
  • Pick short sessions. Five or ten minutes at a time leaves more of the day's limit for later.
  • Add a cooldown if you tend to start a new session right after the last one ends.
  • Group by habit, not by app. If you switch from Instagram to TikTok when one runs out, put them in the same group.
  • Want a moment before opening, too? Add a pause before opening apps.
  • Need a longer step away? Use the app blocker to block an app for days.