How to Use the Built-In Sleep Timer in iOS

Sometimes, I like to listen to music or fall asleep watching a show, but I don’t necessarily want it playing all night. Rather than downloading an app, there’s an easy way to use the built-in clock app in iOS as a sleep timer.

Using the Clock App as a Sleep Timer

Step 1

Clock app in iOS

Open the Clock app.

Step 2

Timer tab in clock

Tap the Timer tab in the bottom righthand corner.

Step 3

Select an amount of time.

Step 4

"when timer ends" setting

Tap When Timer Ends to choose an alarm sound.

Step 5

Stop Playing in clock app

Scroll all the way to the bottom and choose Stop Playing.

Step 6

play the timer

Tap Start. Your media will be paused when the timer goes off.

To test it, try setting a 1 minute timer and playing a song or video. The content should pause when the timer is up!

Change Auto-Lock Settings

If you’re watching a video, it might be a good idea to reduce auto-lock time so the screen doesn’t turn off while you’re watching. Navigate to Settings > General > Auto-Lock. You can choose any time from 30 seconds to 5 minutes, or “Never” to turn off auto-lock entirely.