How to set a sleep timer in Apple Music on iPhone, Mac, and HomePod

Do you like falling asleep listening to your favorite songs? Sadly, the official iOS or macOS Music app has no sleep timer functionality! Don’t worry. Let me show you straightforward ways to automatically stop Apple Music at the chosen time on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and other devices.

Note: The steps below work for almost all music apps, including Spotify, Amazon Music, etc. However, most Apple Music alternatives already have inbuilt sleep timers!

• Set iPhone sleep timer using Apple Music
  • Using Clock app
  • Using Shortcuts app
• Set Apple Music Sleep Timer on Mac
• Set Apple Music Sleep Timer on HomePod, Android, and Windows PC

2 Methods to set iPhone sleep timer using Apple Music

Method 1: Using the Clock app

1. Launch the inbuilt Clock app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Timer from the bottom right.
3. Chose the duration. I spend plenty of time thinking late in the night and set 45 minutes, which is around 10 to 12 songs.
4. Tap When Timer Ends. Scroll down and tap Stop Playing → Set.
5. Tap the green-colored Start.
6. Now, open the Music app and play your songs. The music will automatically stop after the set timer.

To cancel the Apple Music sleep timer: Open the Clock app and tap Timer. Finally, tap Cancel or Pause.

Method 2: Using the Shortcuts app

If you have a consistent routine, you can create an automation that automatically stops the music at the set time. Here’s how. It may appear long, but in practice, it is effortless. Try it once.

1. Open the Shortcuts app on iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap Automation.
3. Tap Create Personal Automation.
   If you do not see this, tap the plus icon from the top right and tap Create Personal Automation.
4. Tap Time of Day. Set the time when you would like the music to stop.
5. Tap Weekly to select days. Once done, tap Next.
6. Tap Add Action.
7. Type Pause in the search box and tap Play/Pause from the search results.
8. Tap Play/Pause again and choose Pause. After that, tap Next.
9. Toggle off Ask Before Running. Finally, tap Done. You have successfully set the automation.

The music will automatically stop at the set time (see the image below).

If you no longer need this, open the Shortcuts app and tap Automation. Swipe right to left on the Play/Pause automation and tap Delete.

Set sleep timer in Apple Music on Mac

The steps below will automatically put your Mac in Sleep mode (or Shut Down), which will stop Apple Music as well.

1. Click the Apple logo at the top left and select System Preferences.
2. On macOS Big Sur, click Battery. On macOS Catalina and earlier, click Energy Saver.
3. Click Schedule.
4. Check the box and choose Sleep (or Shut Down). Now, set the desired time and click OK. Done!
5. Play your soothing tracks. Your Mac will automatically enter sleep mode 10 minutes post the scheduled time. Yes. 10 minutes later. Apple does this to ensure that you have not set this feature accidentally.

Set sleep timer in Apple Music on other devices

• HomePod: While the music is playing, say something like ‘Hey Siri, stop music in 30 minutes.‘ That’s it. The sleep timer will be enabled, and the music will stop playing after the said time.
• Android: Use a third-party app like this. You may also search for alternatives by typing ‘sleep timer‘ in the Play Store.
• Windows: Like Mac, you can command your Windows PC to sleep automatically, which will stop Apple Music as well. To do this, press the Windows key + R. Now, type cmd, and press the enter key. Type shutdown -s -t 2700.
  Here 2700 signifies seconds. In my case, it is 45 minutes, so 2700 seconds. You can change this number to anything you like. Suppose you would like your PC to sleep after 30 minutes, change the number to 1800, and so on.

This is how you can set a sleep timer for Apple Music on different devices. I use my iPhone for music and often use the clock app method.

Have questions? Please use the comments section to reach me.

Other helpful posts:

• How to Switch Between Apple Music Individual and Family Plans
• How to Play Apple Music on Fire TV Devices
• Apple Music Lossless streaming: How to play HiFi Audio on iPhone
• How to turn off Sleep Mode on your iPhone