Do you fall asleep to your favorite show on Netflix? Great British Baking Show is a soothing option. If this is part of your nightly routine, we have good news: Netflix is launching a global test today on Android that will allow subscribers to set a sleep timer.

The feature will allow users to set a timer of 15 minutes, 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or to turn off when whatever they’re watching ends. Once these timers end, the Netflix app will stop. That’s the perfect solution for anyone who puts on a TV show or movie to help them sleep.

We actually got a glimpse of this feature toward the end of last year. In an APK teardown of the Netflix app for Android, we found a reference to a sleep timer. At the time, we couldn’t find any related assets, so it was unclear how the feature would work. But now that Netflix’s sleep timer is officially in testing, we have a much clearer idea.

Netflix Sleep Timer

When you’re watching a program, you’ll see a new “Timer” button in the top right corner of the program you’re watching. This will then launch a timeline with the different options you can choose. If you’re still awake when the timer goes off, you can hit snooze like a normal alarm.

The Verge said the feature is being tested globally on Android devices, but Netflix is open to bringing it to more devices, including TVs. If the feature is popular among Netflix subscribers, we could see it become a more permanent part of the service.

Personally, I would love Netflix to introduce the opposite of a sleep timer. How often have you run into the “are you still watching” dialog? There’s no way to turn that off, and it often interrupts whatever show I’m binging.

Netflix’s sleep timer feature could work well with its audio-only mode, which is also being tested. Imagine putting on your favorite show and just listening to it as you fall asleep. Once the timer runs out, the Netflix app on Android could close.

That sounds like the perfect implementation of new features to me.

Netflix Developer: Netflix, Inc.
Price: Free
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