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florencieie
User level: Level 1 (4 points)

Third-party keyboard extension (Doubao Input Method) inflating Screen Time "Most Used" stats

Device: iPhone16


iOS version: iOS 26.5.2


I'm seeing an issue with the third-party keyboard "Doubao Input Method" (豆包输入法, App Store ID: ***, official website: ***where Screen Time significantly overcounts its usage time, and it consistently tops "Most Used."


After further testing, I found this specifically happens when I use the keyboard's voice input feature. If I only use it for regular typing (no voice input), the issue does not occur.


Steps to reproduce:


  • Step 1: Install Doubao Input Method and enable it under Settings > General > Keyboard.


  • Step 2: Inside another app (e.g. WeChat, Notes), switch to Doubao Input Method and use its voice input feature to dictate text.


  • Step 3: Check Screen Time after a day of using voice input this way.


Expected: Screen Time should attribute this time to the host app I'm actually using in the foreground, not to the keyboard extension.


Actual: When voice input is used, the keyboard extension process appears to stay resident/active in the background (likely to keep the voice recognition service ready), and Screen Time seems to count this residency/background activity as "usage" for Doubao Input Method — even though I'm not interacting with Doubao's own interface at all. Regular typing without voice input does not trigger this.


I suspect this is a Screen Time attribution issue specific to keyboard extensions that keep an active background process for features like voice recognition, rather than a general issue with all keyboard extensions.


Has anyone else noticed this with other voice-input-capable keyboards (e.g. Gboard's voice typing, SwiftKey)? Also filed as Feedback *** if anyone from Apple sees this.


App Store link: https://apps.apple.com/cn/app/id6752316550



[Edited by Moderator]

Posted on Sep 26, 2026 10:41 AM

2 replies

Mac Jim ID
User level: Level 10 (105,996 points)

Sep 26, 2026 11:07 AM in response to florencieie

florencieie wrote:
Expected: Screen Time should attribute this time to the host app I'm actually using in the foreground, not to the keyboard extension.

Nope, it attributes usage to the process being used and the owner of the extension. For example if you installed Microsoft Defender, when using another app the screen time will report usage for when the Defender processes are running to perform its checks while using that app. It does correctly put it in the Utilities category.


This is also useful for checking battery usage as it may not be the host app that is responsible for the entire usage if there is an installed extension that is consuming the battery.


You can still send Feedback to Apple here if you wish:

Feedback - iPhone - Apple


florencieie Author
User level: Level 1 (4 points)

Sep 26, 2026 11:37 AM in response to Mac Jim ID

Thanks so much for the detailed explanation! Your point about battery usage diagnostics makes a lot of sense — I can see why attributing usage to the actual running process (rather than the visible foreground app) is useful in that context.


This is actually my first time posting on Apple Community, and I didn't even know Apple had a dedicated Feedback page before your reply — thank you for pointing me there! I've already submitted my suggestion through it. Really appreciate you taking the time to help me understand this.

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256365531