UPDATE 12/21/2015 I’ve released a new stand-alone Roku sleep timer named Ro To Sleep. You can read the announcement for all of the details, but the short version is that Ro To Sleep is focused on just sleep timer functionality.

END UPDATE

I’ve been using two Roku streaming players for just over two years now. Channels are added regularly and the addition of WatchESPN recently added some sports - something that’s noticeably missing from many streaming solutions.

But one thing that the Roku lacks is the ability to set a timer that will cause playback to stop (a sleep timer). Falling asleep in bed while watching the Roku is something that I do a few times a week. The lack of a timer isn’t so bad if you’re watching a channel that streams episodes or movies (like Hulu Plus and Netflix) since the playback will eventually end when the end of the current item is reached. But for channels that play a live stream (like WatchESPN), the Roku will happily keep streaming long after you’ve fallen asleep.

So I decided to do something about the missing timer.

The latest version of Romote now includes a sleep timer for your Roku! Set the timer before you fall asleep and Romote will send your Roku to the home screen (thereby stopping playback) at the time you choose. There are a few caveats:

1. You must be running iOS 7 for the sleep timer to be available.
2. You must have an internet connection for the sleep timer to work.
3. Romote can’t control your TV. This means that Romote will stop playback on the Roku but your TV will remain on. If you want to also turn off your TV, you’ll have to use whatever timer capability is built in to the TV.

Head on over to the iTunes store and get your copy of Romote and enjoy falling asleep knowing that your Roku won’t be playing all night.