YouTube Tests Sleep Timer Feature to Reduce Screen Time for Premium Users
Pune, 14th August 2024: YouTube, Google’s widely used streaming platform, is testing a new feature called the Sleep Timer that aims to help users manage their screen time by automatically stopping video playback after a set period. Currently available only to YouTube Premium subscribers, this feature allows users to set a timer for when their video will stop playing. The Sleep Timer is in an experimental phase and may be rolled out to all users based on testing results.
The Sleep Timer is part of YouTube’s ongoing efforts to enhance user experience by introducing features tailored to their needs. Google, which serves millions of users globally through its diverse services, frequently updates YouTube to keep it relevant and user-friendly. The Sleep Timer, now being tested, is the latest addition to these updates, targeting those who often watch videos before going to bed and want a way to control their viewing time.
The Sleep Timer feature is straightforward to use. Users can open the YouTube app on their smartphone or the web client on their desktop and access the settings menu by clicking the gear icon at the top right of the video interface. From there, they can set a timer to stop video playback after 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. There’s also an option to stop auto-playback after a video ends. However, this feature is currently only available to YouTube Premium users, and they must manually enable it by navigating to the experimental features section in the settings.
In addition to the Sleep Timer, YouTube is also testing a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool based on Gemini, which will assist content creators by generating video outlines based on text prompts, titles, and thumbnail suggestions. The Sleep Timer feature is available until 2nd September, after which the company will evaluate its performance and decide on a broader rollout.
