Spotify Sleep Timer: How To Set It on Any Device

Spotify has a built-in sleep timer that stops your music, podcast or audiobook after a set time, so you can fall asleep without it playing all night. It lives in the Now Playing screen of the app, and it works the same way on iPhone, iPad and Android. You can now also control it from the desktop app and a Wear OS watch, and it can stop playback on a speaker or TV you’re casting to.

1. Open the song or episode that’s playing so it fills the screen.
2. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.
3. Scroll down and tap Sleep timer.
4. Pick how long you want it to keep playing.

How To Set a Sleep Timer for Music on iPhone and Android

The steps are identical on both phones because the menu is part of the Spotify app, not the phone’s settings. The one thing that trips people up is where to look. The timer is in the full Now Playing screen, not in the menu you get from a playlist or album page.

1. Play any song, album or playlist.
2. Tap the Now Playing bar at the bottom of the screen to open the full player.
3. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the menu and tap Sleep timer.
5. Choose a length from the list.

Spotify confirms with a short message that reads “OK, your sleep timer is set.” You can lock your phone or switch apps, and playback stops on its own when the time runs out.

Check How Much Time Is Left

Open the Now Playing screen and tap the three dots again. The time remaining shows next to Sleep timer, so you can see at a glance whether you have ten minutes left or forty.

Change or Turn Off the Timer

Tap Sleep timer in the same menu and pick a different length to restart the countdown. If you’ve changed your mind and want the music to keep going, tap Turn off timer at the bottom of the list.

Which Timer Option To Pick

Spotify gives you seven presets for music: 5, 10, 15, 30 and 45 minutes, 1 hour, and End of track. Podcasts swap the last one for End of episode, and audiobooks offer End of chapter. The choice is less about the number and more about how you want the audio to finish.

If you fall asleep fast, 15 or 30 minutes is usually plenty. One hour is the longest option inside Spotify, and there’s a workaround further down if you need more.

How To Use the Sleep Timer for Podcasts and Audiobooks

Podcasts and audiobooks are quicker to set up than music. In the Now Playing screen, the timer has its own button next to the playback controls, so you don’t need to open the three-dot menu at all. Tap it, pick a length, and you’re done.

For stories, the End of episode and End of chapter options are worth using. A fixed timer can cut off a narrator mid-sentence, while stopping at the end of a chapter gives you a clean place to pick up again.

There’s a second reason to use it with audiobooks. Spotify Premium includes a set number of audiobook listening hours each month, and anything that plays while you’re asleep still counts. Spotify’s own sleep timer guide points out that the timer helps “reduce the risk of utilizing your audiobook hours”, which is exactly what happens if a book plays on for three hours after you’ve dozed off.

Sleep Timer on Desktop, Wear OS and Speakers

For a long time the sleep timer was phone-only, and plenty of older guides still say so. Spotify now lets you control the timer from your mobile phone, the desktop app and a Wear OS smartwatch, and it can stop playback on “nearly any device, including speakers, TVs, and game consoles”.

On the desktop app, look in the Queue panel and open the three-dot menu of the track that’s playing. For podcasts and audiobooks, check the player controls at the bottom of the window. If you don’t see the option in either place, update the app and look again, because new features often arrive with an update.

Speakers and TVs work through your phone. Start playing, switch the output to the speaker or TV from the devices menu in the app, then set the timer on your phone the usual way. When the time is up, the speaker stops too.

How To Set a Timer Longer Than One Hour

Spotify’s longest preset is one hour, but there are a few ways around it. On iPhone, the built-in Clock app can stop any audio for you. Apple’s guide to setting timers covers the steps. Open Clock, tap Timers and set any duration you like. Tap When Timer Ends, scroll to the bottom and choose Stop Playing, then tap Set and Start.

On any phone, End of track also works for long recordings. Some rain, fan and white-noise tracks run for an hour or more, and setting End of track on one of them gives you that full length.

Premium listeners can also use Talk to Spotify, which accepts typed or spoken requests such as “Set a sleep timer”. Spotify labels it a beta for Premium users aged 18 and over, so it may not appear on every account yet.

Sleep Timer Missing or Not Working

When the option isn’t where you expect it, the cause is usually the screen you’re on or an old version of the app. Work through these fixes in order.

1. Open the full Now Playing screen, not a playlist, album or podcast page.
2. For music, look in the three-dot menu. For podcasts and audiobooks, look for the timer button beside the playback controls.
3. Update Spotify from the App Store, Google Play or your computer’s app store.
4. Log out of Spotify and log back in. If that doesn’t help, do it a second time to force the app to resync your account.
5. Delete and reinstall the app as a last step, then log back in.

If you’re playing on a speaker or TV and can’t see the timer, update the app on your phone first. The timer is set from the phone, computer or watch you’re controlling playback with, not from the speaker itself.

Spotify Sleep Timer FAQs

Does Spotify have a sleep timer on desktop?
Yes. Spotify added desktop control of the sleep timer, so guides that call it a mobile-only feature are out of date.

Can I set the Spotify sleep timer for longer than an hour?
Not inside the menu, where one hour is the longest preset. On iPhone, set a timer in the Clock app and choose Stop Playing.

Will sleep music affect my Spotify Wrapped?
It can if you play the same sleep playlist every night. Spotify Support says that if you exclude your nightly sleep music, those listens won’t affect personalized playlists like Discover Weekly and Wrapped. If you want to see how Spotify Wrapped works before December, excluding your sleep playlist from your taste profile keeps those nightly listens out of it.

Why does Spotify keep playing after my playlist ends?
That’s Autoplay, which plays similar songs once your queue runs out. Spotify’s Autoplay guide explains where to switch it off. On a phone, tap your profile picture, then Settings and privacy, then Playback. On desktop, it sits in Settings.

Can I ask Spotify to set a sleep timer for me?
Yes, if you have Premium and you’re 18 or over. Talk to Spotify lets you type or say “Set a sleep timer”, though it’s still a beta and may not have reached every account.

Does the sleep timer close the Spotify app?
No. The timer stops playback, but the app stays open exactly where you left it.

Set Up a Playlist That Ends Quietly

A sleep timer works best with a playlist that’s built for bedtime. Start by turning Autoplay off, so the last song really is the last thing you hear. Then set End of track on the final song, or pick a fixed time that covers how long you usually take to drift off.

Next, keep the playlist out of your listening profile. Open the playlist, tap the three dots and choose Exclude from your taste profile. Your recommendations will stay based on what you play during the day, not on rain sounds at two in the morning.

If your favourite rain or fan recording isn’t on Spotify, you can add your own songs to Spotify as local files and drop them into the same playlist. That way the whole routine runs from one place. A shared playlist shows your display name, so if you’d rather friends see something other than your sign-up name, change your Spotify display name first.