YouTube adds new feature previously behind Premium paywall

YouTube has introduced a new feature on the platform that was previously exclusively for Premium users, taking it out from behind the paywall and making it available for everyone.

YouTube Premium costs $13.99 per month, but brings with it a number of exclusive features including being able to watch videos without ads, downloading videos for offline use, enhanced video quality, and more.

One feature that they have been testing of late, though, is now coming to every YouTube user, regardless of whether they have Premium: Sleep Timer.

Sleep Timer is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. You can set a timer for video playback to stop, meaning it won’t run continuously if you either fall asleep or simply want to limit how much you watch.

How to use YouTube Sleep Timer

Using YouTube’s Sleep Timer function is incredibly easy. Here’s what you’ve got to do:

1. Find the video you want to watch.
2. Hit the ‘Settings’ cog (top right on mobile, bottom right on web).
3. Select ‘Sleep Timer’.
4. Select the length of time you want to continue watching.
5. Continue the video.

There are several time options when it comes to using the Sleep Timer. You can choose between 10, 15, 20, 30, 45, or 60 minutes, or simply pick ‘End of Video’ to stop playback once the current one ends.

This feature appears to only be available in the United States at the time of writing, so users in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and elsewhere may have to wait a bit longer to get to use it.

People will now be hoping to see more features come to non-Premium YouTube, especially the likes of the Picture-in-Picture player, meaning you can continue watching videos while looking at other things on your mobile device.

Earlier in 2024, YouTube cracked down on users trying to cheat the system by using VPNs to get cheaper Premium subscriptions, with some even pretending to be from the likes of Ukraine, where Premium is just $2.40 per month.