Unknown Screen Time and Exclamation Mark Triangle on Screen Time

Today, when I opened my MacBook Air for the first time I went to my Screen Time in the settings and noticed that for this day my laptop already had 9 hours of screen time. It was only 9:30 a.m. and I am the only one that uses this laptop and I had just woken up. I thought maybe it was because I did not turn my laptop off through that night and just closed it and went to sleep. However, I do that every night but this does not happen every night. I looked back on past days and noticed it has happened once or twice, but again, I just close my laptop the same way every night. Also, the screen time was for Chrome, and next to the place where it indicates that Chrome used the 9 hours of screen time is this yellow triangle with a white exclamation mark inside. I tried clicking on the triangle to see what it means and nothing. There is no indication that I can find for what it means. I tried doing a Google search to no avail. What is weirder is that throughout the day I continued to use Chrome, but now the logged screen time goes into a different category of Chrome on the screen time log and one that has no yellow triangle. So I am coming here with two issues that could possibly be related. 1. Why is my screen already at 9 hours even though I just started using it for the day? 2. What does the yellow triangle next to the screen time usage mean? I will try to attach an image for better understanding.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 11.1

Posted on Feb 8, 2021 11:14 AM

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6 replies

Feb 10, 2021 10:48 AM in response to meghanh68

Hi there meghanh68,


We understand you're seeing unexpected Screen Time usage with Google Chrome on your MacBook Air, and we'd like to see if we can assist.


To get started, do you leave Google Chrome open when putting your Mac to sleep overnight? If so, try quitting the app entirely, and see if the issue persists.


Also, try powering your Mac off entirely overnight, to see if the usage then reports correctly: Log out, sleep, wake, restart, or shut down your Mac


Finally, start your MacBook Air in safe mode, and test for the issue there: How to use safe mode on your Mac


Cheers!

Feb 10, 2021 11:48 AM in response to meghanh68

Meghan,


Thanks for those additional details.


In safe mode, you'll want to see if the same unusual usage shows when using apps there. This helps to further isolate the source of the issue for you.


You'll also want to check that all your apps are up to date: Update apps or use automatic downloads


Additionally, to determine if the issue is user-specific or system-wide, create a new admin user account, and check for it there: Set up users, guests, and groups on Mac


Regards.

Feb 21, 2021 12:44 PM in response to meghanh68

Meghan,


Thanks for following up.


If the issue persists after confirming your apps are updated and in a new user account, create a current backup of your Mac: Back up your Mac with Time Machine


Then reinstall macOS and test for the issue with Screen Time usage again: How to reinstall macOS


Should the issue persist after reinstalling macOS, reach out for additional assistance here: Get Support


Take care.

Feb 10, 2021 11:27 AM in response to MoonJ.

Hello MoonJ,


I thought too that maybe it was because I left a Chrome tab open overnight and that is why the screen time was recorded during that time. However, I leave a Chrome tab open almost every single night but this issue I'm having has only happened 2 or 3 times in the last several weeks. And, even if I completely power down my laptop tonight, I won't be able to know if that solved my issue or if it was just a coincidence.


A few minutes ago I started my laptop in safe mode but was not sure what I would be looking for or doing there so I ended up leaving.


Also, do you by chance know what the yellow triangle with the exclamation point symbol inside it that I talked about in my original post and showed in the image attached means?


Thanks for the help,

Meghan

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Unknown Screen Time and Exclamation Mark Triangle on Screen Time

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