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YouTube is testing a new feature that lets you set a sleep timer so the video playback automatically stops after a set duration.
How often do you find yourself dozing off while watching a YouTube video, only to wake up and discover that YouTube is still going? That might change as YouTube is testing a Sleep Timer feature that will let you choose how long you want the video to play before stopping automatically.
The Sleep Timer feature on YouTube is exclusive to Premium subscribers and will only be available until September 2nd. YouTube is gathering user feedback on this feature before a wider rollout. It’s turned off by default, so you’ll need to visit the YouTube Experimental Page and click the “Try it out” button to test it on your device. That said, this feature is currently unavailable on the YouTube TV app and can only be used on your smartphone and desktop.
How to Set a Sleep Timer on YouTube
To test this feature, click the gear icon on a video that’s currently playing on YouTube, select the “Sleep Timer” option, and then choose the time after which you want the video to stop. You can pick from different time durations starting at ten minutes and going up to sixty minutes. There’s also an “End of video” option that you can choose if you want the video playback to stop once the video you’re watching ends.
This was a much-needed feature on a platform like YouTube, especially when its rivals like Netflix already have a similar feature that automatically stops the playback and asks whether you’re still watching. Unless you click the “Continue watching” option, Netflix doesn’t resume playing the content. Here, the feature could be helpful if you watch ASMR or calming music videos to help you rest.
YouTube is also adopting a very similar approach, where once the timer runs out, you’ll be prompted with a “Time’s up” message. If you’re still awake and want to continue watching, you can click the “Add time” option.
While the feature is currently only available to premium subscribers, considering its importance, it wouldn’t be a surprise if YouTube decides to roll out this feature to its non-premium subscribers as well.
