I know a smartphone can do nearly anything these days, merely the primary reason I ain 1 remains making calls and sending texts -- just like in the dumbphone days. Merely while manufacturers go nearly cramming features into each new model, sometimes they leave out the nuts. How long did my terminal phone call last? Why do some phones not include a way to see this information out of the box?

Fortunately, there are third-party apps available that can show you this information and more.

1) Callistics

Your carrier probably includes a mobile app that will testify you how many minutes you used this calendar month and the number of text messages you sent. Chances are they besides divide this data by line, and so you can see how much usage came from each device.

Callistic goes much farther. The app shows you lot how many minutes you've used this calendar month, sure, simply information technology also lists how much fourth dimension was spent talking to each contact. This is amusing for personal use, but it could accept practical applications in the business world when you need to know how much time you lot spend on work-related calls. Y'all can even dive in deeper, seeing how much of this fourth dimension was spent on outgoing versus incoming calls. And if you're not addicted of numbers, y'all have your choice of graphs.

Extending beyond calls, Callistics lets you meet the number of text messages y'all've exchanged with each contact and how much data each of your apps have used. The latter option isn't that different from functionality stock Android already provides, but it's there in case your phone's manufacturer did anything to bury this information.

The app is free to use, but y'all demand to become Pro to get unlimited admission to all of the features and remove the ads. You tin buy limited access for $i.25 per feature, or you can go everything for $3.25.

Download: Callistics for Android (Gratis [No Longer Available] with in-app purchases)

2) Call Duration Explorer

Callistics, in covering more than merely calls and presenting information using all those fancy graphs, might be more than yous need -- plus, you might not like it's in-app purchases. Phone call Duration Explorer is something much simpler, and it's entirely gratis.

Telephone call Duration Explorer can show how many total calls you've placed, received, and missed, forth with the total amount of fourth dimension you've spent talking. Once that stops existence interesting, you can tap on specific calls to encounter the pertinent details. For those conversations that happened many moons agone, you can search custom ranges that extend for longer than a single month.

Now for the downside. Phone call Duration Explorer hasn't received an update since 2014. The interface looks similar something out of the Ice Foam Sandwich or Jelly Bean era of Android devices. It however works, but it's going to wait out of place aslope virtually modern apps.

AndroidCallInformation-Call-Duration-Explorer

Call Duration Explorer doesn't contain whatsoever in-app purchases. On the downside, information technology's ad-supported, and y'all tin can't get rid of them. Otherwise, the app is lightweight and snappy. I know that'due south more than than enough for some folks.

Download: Phone call Duration Explorer for Android (Free [No Longer Available])

3) Telephone call Bulletin Data Counter

Okay, maybe you can't get over those looks. I sympathize. They're a deal breaker for me too. I don't want my software to be a perpetual reminder that everything eventually gets old. Life does that plenty already.

Call Message Data Counter is another option that attempts to embrace mod design guidelines.

AndroidCallInformation-Call-Message-Data-Counter

As for features, you go what you'd expect here. Phone call Message Data Counter monitors calls, text, and data usage (including WiFi). 1 nice addition is the ability to calculate the cost of each of your minutes, messages, and megabytes. And, once more, you can view the data in graphs if need be.

Telephone call Message Data Counter is more complicated than the others on this list, but that also makes it more than configurable. If the other choices are leaving yous wanting more, this may be the route to go.

Download: Telephone call Message Data Counter for Android (Free with in-app purchases)

4) Information & Call Plan

Information & Telephone call Plan is also easy on the eyes. It's bright and colorful the way apps are these days, even though the appearance is more than KitKat than Lollipop or Marshmallow.

Information & Call Plan focuses more on your cellular usage than specific calls and texts, but you go a good expect at how many conversations yous've had this billing cycle. You tin also go along up with which contacts you had these interactions with.

There are a few inclusions hither that accept zip to do with communicating. You can see graphs detailing your battery usage and screen-on fourth dimension, for example. And you can view contacts saved to your device that don't have an associated phone number.

English language is not the app's main language. Overall, the translation is acceptable plenty to use daily without typos or misspellings, but there are a few areas here and at that place where things read a scrap off.

Data & Call Plan is ad-supported out of the box, but y'all can remove those for 99 cents. For a little more $two.00, you tin become rid of ads and activate all premium features, like a widget that displays information on your homescreen.

Download: Information & Phone call Plan for Android (Gratis with in-app purchases)

5) Call Timer

While the prior apps stop at presenting you lot with information, Call Timer lets you act on it. Rather than but monitoring how much time you spend talking, you tin limit your incoming and outgoing calls. Specifically, the app tin hang upwardly calls afterward a certain amount of time has passed, saving you lot money if you lot use a plan where the first few minutes of a call are free. I oasis't encountered such a programme in the US, just they're out at that place in other parts of the world.

If automatically hanging up or redialing sounds too intrusive, you tin can set up alarms to warning yous when you're approaching your limit.

Phone call Timer besides comes with the ability to monitor whatever aspects of your usage your telephone or carrier don't provide out of the box. In that location's a Pro version for $1.99 that adds additional features like advanced caller ID, but the gratuitous version works just fine.

Download: Call Timer for Android (Free | Pro [No Longer Available])

How Practise You Use Your Phone?

To me, it seems our smartphones may be smarter devices, but they aren't necessarily smarter phones. Cadre functionality and reliability available in the flip phones of yesteryear announced to have turned into secondary priorities. Fortunately alternative apps leave us with options. You don't take to settle for supplementing your existing dialer and contact apps either -- you can replace them entirely.

How frequently practise y'all talk on the phone these days? Does your phone not tell you? You don't accept to call us to share your experience. Speak upwards in the comments beneath!

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