Built-in options first · August 2026
How to set a sleep timer for podcasts on Mac
Built-in option: on iPhone or iPad, use Clock's Timer and choose Stop Playing to stop audio or video. Apple's reviewed macOS Clock guide documents timers but does not establish a matching media-stop action, so do not assume parity on Mac. For a podcast playing in PoRaBar on macOS, choose 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, enter a positive Custom number of minutes, or use the podcast-only When episode ends, After 2 episodes, or After 3 episodes choice.
Built-in and free options, by platform
Apple documents Stop Playing in Clock's Timer on iPhone and iPad. It can stop audio or video while another app is open or the device sleeps.
Apple's reviewed macOS Clock guide documents clocks, alarms, timers and a stopwatch, but it does not establish media stopping or a matching Stop Playing action. Do not give Mac users the iPhone or iPad steps as if they were documented Mac behavior.
What PoRaBar's Mac timer does
PoRaBar's current macOS popover has its own Sleep Timer menu. For a duration-based podcast timer, choose 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes, or enter a positive Custom number of minutes. The podcast-only choices When episode ends, After 2 episodes and After 3 episodes count natural podcast completions. AppState forwards each natural podcast finish to SleepTimerService. After the selected number of episodes finish naturally, the service stops PoRaBar playback through the timer callback. The active control shows the remaining time or episode count.
PoRaBar does not fade audio, trigger system sleep, or stop playback in other apps. Read the Mac podcast app comparison for broader tradeoffs, or return to the PoRaBar overview for the maintained platform and feature list.
Set PoRaBar's podcast sleep timer on Mac
- Start the podcast. Play the podcast episode you want to hear in PoRaBar on your Mac.
- Open Sleep Timer. Open PoRaBar from the Mac menu bar and choose the moon-shaped Sleep Timer control in the popover.
- Choose how long to play. Choose 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, 45 or 60 minutes; choose Custom and enter a positive number of minutes; or, for podcasts, choose When episode ends, After 2 episodes, or After 3 episodes.
- Check or cancel it. The control shows the remaining time or episode count while active. Reopen Sleep Timer and choose Off to cancel. PoRaBar stops playback when the duration ends or after the selected number of podcast episodes finish naturally.
Use the timer that matches your platform
Use Apple's documented Stop Playing option on iPhone or iPad. On Mac, use PoRaBar's own duration or podcast-only episode-count timer only when playback is in PoRaBar.