How to set an audio sleep timer on HomePod

HomePod

Aside from the ability to set multiple timers and manage alarms on HomePod, your Siri-powered wireless speaker now makes it possible to fall asleep to your favorite songs, podcasts or ambient sounds. In this brief step-by-step tutorial, we’re going to show you how to set a sleep timer on your HomePod if you’d like to gently fall asleep to your favorite music or relaxing ambient sounds from nature, such as a crackling fireplace.

The iOS 12 software brought out the ability to set multiple named timers on your HomePod, which is quite handy for those times when you can’t wake up on time, need to be on time to catch a flight, happen to be cooking multiple things in the kitchen or some such.

The iOS 13 software brought support for sleep timers.

TUTORIAL: How to play ambient sounds from nature on your HomePod

The ability to set a sleep timer on your HomePod — as well as play relaxing ambient sounds from nature or enjoy such perks as multi-user support, audio handoff or the ability to opt out of Siri grading and delete your Siri audio history — was added to the iOS 13.2.1 software update for HomePod, which dropped on October 30, 2019.

Follow the step-by-step tutorial included right ahead to learn how you can set timers on your Siri-powered wireless speaker to fall asleep to music or relaxing sounds of nature.

How to set Set sleep timers on HomePod

Do this to fall asleep to your favorite music playlists, podcasts or ambient sounds on HomePod:

1) Ask Siri on HomePod to start playing your favorite playlist, album, song, podcast or ambient soundtrack which you’d like to fall asleep to.

  • “Hey Siri, play my Gym playlist.”
  • “Hey Siri, play the newest episode of the Let’s Talk iOS podcast.”
  • “Hey Siri, play forest sounds.”

2) With the audio playing, ask Siri to set up a sleep timer for a specific time limit:

  • “Hey Siri, stop playing in 45 minutes.”
  • “Hey, Siri, set up a sleep timer for 30 minutes.”

Siri will respond by saying something along the lines of “Okay, I’ll stop playing in x minutes”. When the sleep timer is up, whatever was playing on the speaker will gently fade away.

You can also ask Siri to set a timer without specifying a time limit — “Hey, Siri, create a sleep timer” — but Siri will follow up with a question asking, “For how long?”. Cancelling your sleep timer is just as easy as creating it — simply say, “Hey, Siri, cancel the sleep timer”.

Some caveats apply here.

You’re permitted to ask Siri to set up a sleep timer for anywhere from a couple of seconds to 23 hours and 59 minutes. What you cannot do is ask the assistant to set a sleep timer for a precise time, like 11pm. And lastly, you obviously cannot make multiple sleep timers.

Remember: setting sleep timers requires the iOS 13.2 update or later on your iPhone or iPad and the iOS 13.2.1 or later software on the speaker.

Need help? Ask iDB!

If you like this tutorial, pass it along to your friends and leave a comment below.

Got stuck? Not sure how to do certain things on your Apple device? Let us know via help@idownloadblog.com and a future tutorial might provide a solution.

Submit your own how-to suggestions via tips@idownloadblog.com.