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Apple TV Sleep While Streaming

N

nymetsfan25

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 2, 2015
22
183
I haven't been able to find an answer to this, which leads me to believe it isn't possible, but anyways...

I know the Apple TV sleeps after a certain amount of inactivity based upon how you set it up, but it won't sleep while something is streaming...which makes sense.

However, is there a way to set it to sleep regardless? I have a finite amount of data on my home Wi-Fi and I generally use the Watch Espn app and fall asleep to Sportcenter. I set the sleep timer on my actual TV, but the apple TV still streams all night, which is racking up my data usage. Is there a way to set the Apple TV to sleep regardless of if it streaming or not, or go to sleep at a certain time (i.e. 1:00am, etc.)? Or is there a way to set it to automatically sleep while the TV is off?

Not optimistic on a solution but no harm in asking...thanks for the help.
 
Possibly a timer plug gizmo to have it switch off power to the ATV during certain times, maybe even a HomeKit one so you can tell Siri to do it -- or just unplug it..?

:oops:
HomeKit.png


 
Last edited:
You are definitely not alone in this. I'm lucky to have unlimited download but I also watch Netflix whenever I go to bed and my tv's sleep timer doesn't stop the ATV. Unfortunately I don't have a solution. I hope that Apple does something or that apps start pushing out some updates that will time out without user input after x amount of time. I've requested this as feedback to Netflix but I'm sure they need a large amount of people requesting it before anything can be done.
 
My suggestion would be to activate time restriction on your router to cut off the stream at a certain time each night.
 
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benjitek said:
Possibly a timer plug gizmo to have it switch off power to the ATV during certain times, maybe even a HomeKit one so you can tell Siri to do it -- or just unplug it..?
Click to expand...

I'll look into the timer...unplugging it won't work because the issue is I generally just fall asleep with the ATV still streaming...so since I'm asleep I can't unplug it ;)

Its not a huge issue, I try to just turn it off before I fall asleep (and fail at that routinely) but it would be nice to not have to worry about that...first world problems to the max.
 
Switching off the power isn't great for the device. Most routers come with time restriction features.
 
nymetsfan25 said:
I haven't been able to find an answer to this, which leads me to believe it isn't possible, but anyways...

I know the Apple TV sleeps after a certain amount of inactivity based upon how you set it up, but it won't sleep while something is streaming...which makes sense.

However, is there a way to set it to sleep regardless? I have a finite amount of data on my home Wi-Fi and I generally use the Watch Espn app and fall asleep to Sportcenter. I set the sleep timer on my actual TV, but the apple TV still streams all night, which is racking up my data usage. Is there a way to set the Apple TV to sleep regardless of if it streaming or not, or go to sleep at a certain time (i.e. 1:00am, etc.)? Or is there a way to set it to automatically sleep while the TV is off?

Not optimistic on a solution but no harm in asking...thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Doesn't the CEC control on your tv turn off the Apple TV?
 
LiveM said:
The surge in power puts a strain on the internals.
Click to expand...
That might be your opinion, however, I question whether it's a fact-based statement. If unplugging and plugging back in your ATV4 caused unnecessary wear 'n tear on internal components, there'd likely be some mention of that in the product's documentation, accompanied with a recommendation against frequently power-cycling the device.
 
It is an absolute fact if you take my comment literally, and it's a fact-based statement, but I haven't investigated the Apple TV's internal design.

My point was that if you take a device that doesn't even have a shut down option and is designed to be permanently connected to the power, just like an Airport router, it's my suggestion to avoid doubt and avoid a daily inrush current if you can do something else.
 
You could try a uni remote (ie. Harmony) with a built it timer that shuts down your system (including your ATV) after a certain amount of time.

Just a thought.
 
A sleep timer on the ATV4 is my most requested feature. It would save data and energy, and I could finally put the tv remote in the drawer.
 
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