Bedtime Mode, part of Digital Wellbeing, is getting a few changes that Google thinks can benefit us all.
When enabled, Bedtime mode keeps your phone dark and quiet, utilizing Do Not Disturb to keep notifications from waking you, while also enabling a grayscale effect for the display to fade colors. You can see all of this in action in the GIF below, but it’s been around since this past April.
Google wrote the following in its blog that details the changes.
We’ve now made it easier to customize how and when you turn on Bedtime mode. Based on your bedtime schedule, you can choose to have it turn on automatically or after your phone is plugged in to charge. You can also add Bedtime mode to your phone’s Quick Settings panel to instantly turn it on or off with a single tap. And if you need a few more minutes, you can pause Bedtime mode without needing to adjust your schedule.
According to Google, Bedtime mode is available on all devices with Digital Wellbeing and parental controls settings.
Detailed is a new Bedtime tab in the Clock app, where users can set daily sleep and wake times to help maintain a consistent sleep schedule. Following these changes, in the Clock app, you’ll see a preview of tomorrow’s calendar and a tally of the total hours of sleep you’d get, and you can adjust your bedtime if you need more or less sleep.
Furthermore, to help you get to bed and fall asleep quicker, users will receive a reminder before bedtime with an option to play calming sounds from Calm, Spotify, and YouTube Music. If you happen to stay on your phone later than planned, you can see how much time you’re spending and which apps you’ve used after your set bedtime.
Google is also adding in a new Sunrise Alarm, a visual cue that your wake time is approaching. 15 minutes prior to your audio alarm, your screen will gradually brighten to help you wake up gently. You can add your favorite song or sounds to this feature, too.
Lastly, we all know that watching YouTube videos at 2AM is perfectly normal, but Google seems to think it’s potentially unhealthy. Starting to roll out now, you can set reminders for when YouTube videos end, letting you know that it’s past your bedtime. This feature is angled in a way for parents to have more control over how their kids utilize their phones at night, but obviously it will work for adults as well. These controls can be accessed via Family Link.
Google says the new Bedtime mode is rolling out to Pixel devices starting today and will be available in the Clock app on other Android devices later this summer.