New Netflix Android timer stops streaming after a set period

New Netflix Android timer stops streaming after a set period
(Image credit: When They See Us / Netflix)

Ever-popular content platform, streaming service and production company Netflix is testing a sleep timer on Android. The feature lets you pick a time period (15, 30 or 45 minutes, or the end of whatever you're watching) and it'll stop streaming once that time elapses. That way, you can fall asleep safe in the knowledge the rest of the series won't autoplay while you snooze, thus losing your place and draining your phone battery.

The feature would also be handy for limiting screen time for children, although it's only available on adult profiles for now.

The timer is only in testing on Android devices, so it isn't available to everyone just yet – but if it proves popular, it could roll out more widely.

To give it a go, start playing something on Netflix on your Android device. Tap the clock icon in the top-right corner, then select a time period or the "Finish Show" option. And that's it.

Third-party apps have offered this functionality for a while now, as has Apple's built-in timer for music playing on iOS devices. But having the featured baked into Netflix itself will simplify things considerably.

Netflix is always testing new features, only some of which make it to the wider user base. For example, its Shuffle Play feature – which picks content for you and was tested at the end of last year – will roll out in the first half of 2021. It also recently improved audio quality on Android by supporting the xHE-AAC audio codec. 

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