There's nothing sweeter than turning on a podcast in bed and setting a sleep timer so it stops playing after a while. This pretty much signifies (at least to my brain) that it's time for sleep. And it's a very useful feature that spares your phone from running podcast episode after podcast episode for the whole night.
The YouTube app, however, doesn't have this simple and useful feature yet. YouTube Music has it, and so does Spotify. And now, the folks over at Android Authority and app expert AssembleDebug have dug into the code of the YouTube app and have discovered references to a sleep timer.
The references show that the feature is in the works for the YouTube app, and were found in version 19.25.33 for Android. It seems it will give you an option to specify the hours and/or minutes left until playback stops. The timer can also be shown as a notification.
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Image Source - Android Authority
You will also be able to reset the timer or click done to keep watching, so you can always interfere if you want to continue watching or listening to it.
For now, the functionality is still in the works and it's not clear when it will be launched officially. Users have had to resort to using third-party apps for Android, or a system-wide timer for iPhone, to make YouTube stop playing automatically after a period of time.
Also, it would be great if the sleep timer also has the option to stop playback at the "end of video" just like YouTube Music's "end of song". However, there's no evidence for this setting just yet.
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Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
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