YouTube Premium is testing a new sleep timer feature, allowing subscribers to pause videos after a set duration.
While not groundbreaking, this feature is useful for those who enjoy falling asleep to long podcasts or background noise. Users can activate the sleep timer on the desktop through the YouTube experiments page or on mobile via the “Settings > Try experimental new features” option.
Once enabled, the sleep timer can be found in the video player’s Settings menu. It offers options to pause playback after intervals of 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes, or when the video ends. If playback is paused, a pop-up will appear, giving users the option to extend the timer.
Although YouTube is late to introduce this feature compared to competitors like Spotify and TikTok, it’s a welcome addition. The feature is available for testing until September 2, with the possibility of becoming permanent and perhaps being extended to all users in the future.
