YouTube Tests Sleep Timer Feature That Will Automatically Pause Playback for Premium Users

The Sleep Timer feature is an experimental feature that users will have to enable before getting access to it.

Written by Akash Dutta, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 9 August 2024 19:19 IST

YouTube Tests Sleep Timer Feature That Will Automatically Pause Playback for Premium Users

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Szabo Viktor

The Sleep Timer feature can pause the video after 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, and 60 minutes

Highlights

The YouTube feature works on both desktops and smartphones
The feature will offer different time intervals to pause the video
YouTube is also testing an AI brainstorming feature for creators

YouTube is testing a new feature which will allow users to pause video playback in case they plan to fall asleep while watching content. Dubbed Sleep Timer, it is a new experimental feature released by the video streaming giant and is available for a limited duration. Based on its reception, the company can then later release it broadly to all users. Notably, the company is also testing a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool powered by Gemini which will let content creators generate video outlines based on text prompts as well as video title and thumbnail suggestions.

YouTube Tests Sleep Timer Feature

In a post on its website, YouTube announced the availability of the Sleep Timer feature. Describing the feature, the company said, “Sleep Timer lets you set a timer to automatically pause playback after a certain amount of time.”

Using it is also pretty straightforward. Users can open the YouTube app on their smartphone or the web client on their phone or desktop and then navigate to the settings menu (gear icon on the top right of the video interface) while playing a video. The user must be signed into their account to access the feature.

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In the settings menu, the Sleep Timer feature will show options of pausing the playback after 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, and 60 minutes. There is also an option to stop auto playback after the video ends. This feature is currently only available to YouTube Premium users.

Since it is an experimental feature, before users can access the feature they will have to manually turn on experimental features. To do this, Premium users can go to Settings on the home page of YouTube and navigate to try experimental new features. Do note, this feature is currently only available till September 2.

The Sleep Timer feature will be a useful addition to anyone who prefers to watch videos while going to bed but does not want to worry about closing the video playback or battery draining during the night. Notably, YouTube Premium subscription in India starts at Rs. 129 per month when opting for a monthly plan. Otherwise, a single one-month subscription costs Rs. 139. An annual subscription to the platform costs Rs. 1,290.

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Further reading: YouTube, YouTube features

Akash Dutta Email Akash Dutta

Akash Dutta is a Senior Sub Editor at Gadgets 360. He is particularly interested in the social impact of technological developments and loves reading about emerging fields such as AI, metaverse, and fediverse. In his free time, he can be seen supporting his favourite football club - Chelsea, watching movies and anime, and sharing passionate opinions on food. More