How to play sleep sounds all night with your phone locked
In short: use a podcast or music app, not the free YouTube app, and download the episode before bed. Podcast apps keep playing with the screen locked, don't need Wi-Fi once downloaded, and can line up the next episode.
Why does YouTube stop when I lock my phone?
The free YouTube app usually pauses when the screen turns off or you switch apps. Background playback is part of YouTube Premium. Without it, you'd need to leave the screen on all night, which is bright and drains the battery.
What keeps playing with the screen off?
Podcast apps and music apps are built for background audio:
- iPhone: Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Pocket Casts and Castro all keep playing with the screen locked.
- Android: Pocket Casts, AntennaPod (free and open source) and most other podcast apps do the same.
Step by step: an uninterrupted night
- Download the episode before bed, so a Wi-Fi drop or weak signal can't stop it.
- Turn on continuous play if you want the next episode to start when one ends. In Apple Podcasts this is the Continuous Playback setting; most Android apps have an "autoplay" or "up next" queue.
- Silence notifications, not the sound. Use Do Not Disturb or a Sleep Focus. These block alerts but don't stop audio that's already playing.
- Plug the phone in if you're playing for many hours.
- Keep the volume low and the phone or speaker away from your pillow.
If you want the sound to stop instead, set a sleep timer.
Longer episodes mean fewer gaps
Even with continuous play, there's a short pause between episodes. One long track avoids that. Sleep Anchor's free podcasts run 1 hour (Deep Sleep Music) and 90 minutes (432 Hz). For a single track that lasts the night, Sleep Anchor Deep has 8-hour and 10-hour versions in Apple Podcasts.
Listen free on Apple Podcasts All shows and RSS feeds
App menus change between versions, so if a step looks different, check the app's settings or help page.
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