YouTube is Testing a Sleep Timer Feature That Will Automatically Pause Playback for Premium Subscribers

YouTube is experimenting with a new feature called Sleep Timer, designed to pause video playback for users who might fall asleep while watching. This experimental feature is available for a limited time and could be rolled out more broadly based on user feedback. Additionally, YouTube is testing an AI tool powered by Gemini to help content creators generate video outlines, titles, and thumbnails from text prompts.

To use the Sleep Timer, users need to open the YouTube app on their smartphone or web client on their phone or desktop. They must navigate to the settings menu (gear icon at the top right of the video interface) while playing a video. Users must be signed into their accounts to access this feature.

Sleep Timer Options for YouTube Premium Users

Within the settings menu, the Sleep Timer offers options to pause playback after 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. There is also an option to stop auto playback once the video ends. Currently, this feature is only available to YouTube Premium users.

Before accessing the Sleep Timer, users must manually enable experimental features. Premium users can do this by going to Settings on YouTube's home page and navigating to try experimental new features. Note that this feature is available only until September 2.

YouTube Premium Subscription Costs in India

The Sleep Timer will benefit those who enjoy watching videos before bed but don't want to worry about stopping playback or battery drain overnight. In India, a YouTube Premium subscription starts at Rs. 129 per month for a monthly plan. A single one-month subscription costs Rs. 139, while an annual subscription costs Rs. 1,290.

YouTube announced the availability of the Sleep Timer feature in a post on its website. The company described it as follows: "Sleep Timer lets you set a timer to automatically pause playback after a certain amount of time."

Google and Meta have reportedly signed a deal targeting ads at minors. Meanwhile, Apple claims OpenELM was not used for Apple Intelligence and might have trained its AI models on thousands of YouTube videos. This new feature will be particularly useful for those who watch videos while falling asleep but want to avoid battery drain or leaving videos running all night.