How to Set an Apple Podcast Sleep Timer

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The Apple Podcast app is included on the iPhone by default and provides access to many of the most popular podcast programs that you will find online. It also features a simple interface with a lot of features, but you might be having trouble figuring out how to set a sleep timer in the Apple iPhone Podcast app.

It’s a fairly common practice to listen to music or watch TV when you fall asleep. But if your preferred method of nighttime entertainment is podcasts, then you might be looking for a way to listen to them while falling asleep that doesn’t keep your iPhone on all night or cause you to miss multiple episodes of your favorite podcast.

Luckily there is a sleep timer built into the default Podcasts app on your iPhone that will cause the podcast to stop playing after a period of time that you select. This won’t rely on any weird settings or additional apps, as it’s something that is included in the app on every iPhone.

Contents hide
1 How to Set a Podcast Sleep Timer on an Apple iPhone Podcasts App
2 How to Set a Sleep Timer on Apple Podcast App (Guide with Pictures)
3 More Information on How to Set an Apple Podcast Sleep Timer
4 Additional reading

How to Set a Podcast Sleep Timer on an Apple iPhone Podcasts App

  1. Open Podcasts.
  2. Tap Now Playing.
  3. Swipe up and tap Sleep Timer.
  4. Choose the amount of time.

Our guide continues below with more information on setting an Apple Podcast sleep timer, including pictures of these steps.

How to Set a Sleep Timer on Apple Podcast App (Guide with Pictures)

Use these steps to set a sleep timer in the Podcasts app on your iPhone.

  1. Open the “Podcasts” app.

    open the Podcasts app

  2. Select the “Now Playing” bar at the bottom of the screen.

    select the Now Playing bar

  3. Swipe up and tap the “Sleep Timer” button.

    swipe up and tap the Sleep Timer button

  4. Choose the amount of time for the sleep timer.

    how to set a sleep timer in the iPhone Podcasts app

The steps above were performed on an iPhone 11 in iOS 13.4.1. This method still works on newer iPhone models like the iPhone 13, and in newer versions of iOS such as iOS 15. You can also configure this option on other Apple devices like the iPad or the iPod Touch if they have the Podcasts app. You can even switch between different devices and continue the same podcast episode on each device if they use the same Apple ID.

If you don’t like to fall asleep in silence, then using a sleep timer can be really helpful. You may be familiar with how to use a sleep timer on your TV, but your iPhone has some sleep timer features that can also be helpful.

There’s a sleep timer in several of the apps that you probably use on a regular basis, including the default Apple Podcasts app. By turning on the sleep timer you are telling the iPhone to stop playing your podcast after a set amount of time.

The steps in the guide above show you where to find and use the Podcast sleep timer feature if it’s something that you would like to try out.

More Information on How to Set an Apple Podcast Sleep Timer

The times that are available for the Apple Podcast sleep timer are:

  • When Current Episode Ends
  • In One Hour
  • In 45 minutes
  • In 30 minutes
  • In 15 minutes
  • In 10 minutes
  • In 5 minutes
  • Off

Unfortunately you aren’t able to set a custom amount of time for the podcast sleep timer, so you wouldn’t be able to set a 90 minute sleep timer or a two hour timer, for example.

You will know that the sleep timer is set because it counts down from the amount of time that you chose. If you tap on a sleep timer that is currently counting down you can choose a different amount of time and it will restart with that selection. If you need to change the sleep timer in the Apple Podcasts app you would simply need to tap that button to make the change. Additionally, if you need to turn off the podcast sleep timer then you would tap on this countdown and choose the Off option.

The podcast sleep timer will pause if you pause the podcast, but will resume when you begin playing it again by pressing the Play button.

Many other popular apps have sleep timers, too, such as Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more. Choosing to set sleep timer options in these apps isn’t typically a hidden feature, but it can be difficult to find them. For example, in Spotify you would tap the three dots at the top-right of the playlist that is currently playing, then scroll down to the bottom of the menu and choose the Sleep Timer option.

The default Clock app has an alternate option that you could use instead. Open the Clock app, choose the Timer tab at the bottom-right of the screen, then set a time. You will then tap the When Timer Ends button, then scroll to the bottom of the menu and select the Stop Playing option instead of choosing an alarm sound. You can then touch the Set button at the top-right of the screen to apply the setting. One nice thing about this option is that it can stop music or video, allowing it to serve as a sleep timer for pretty much anything on your device.

Additional reading