If you're the type of person who likes to watch Netflix as you fall asleep, a potential new feature could be coming your way. It's the ability to set a timer that could turn Netflix off automatically after a certain time has passed.

Is Netflix Introducing a Sleep Timer?

This news comes from XDA, who regularly look at the source code of applications. Netflix has updated to version 7.82.1 on Android and the site quickly dove in to see what it could find.

Within the latest release is a new string in the app's resources:

<string name="sleep_timer_button">Timer</string>

This is all XDA were able to find in relation to a sleep timer feature. The site didn't uncover any assets like layouts or images, nor associated code.

As such, all we can do for now is guess as to what Netflix might intend with a button called "sleep timer". The obvious conclusion is that the feature will let you set a timer for when you want Netflix to stop playing.

Many people like to fall asleep with Netflix on, though it can be difficult to keep track of your watch progress when it keeps playing through the night. This feature would resolve that problem.

However, it's important to note that this discovery doesn't guarantee the feature will come to Netflix. While studying the APK can reveal features that get implemented in the future, it equally shows features that are still being tested and not rolled out to the public.

As such, the sleep timer feature may never see the light of day. Alternatively, it might not be available for a while---and considering the lack of other assets relating to it, that seems a given.

Are You Still Watching?

Currently, if you watch two episodes of a TV show in a row without using any video player controls, Netflix will check if you're still there and watching.

Not only does this stop you losing your place in a show's season, but it also minimizes waste of your internet data.

If you find this annoying, you can disable autoplay on Netflix. Simply go to Account > Profile & Parental Controls > Playback settings.

Perhaps in the future you'll be able to disable this feature and use the sleep timer for better control.

Other Annoying Netflix Problems

Until we all have chips in our heads that tell Netflix when we've fallen asleep, this possible sleep timer feature seems like a great idea.

If there are other things that annoy you about Netflix, like autoplaying trailers or a messy "continue watching" list, chances are we've got the solution in our handy guide.