How to play sleep sounds all night with the screen off

People search for 'black screen' versions of rain and white noise because they want sound without light. On an iPhone you can have both, with the screen fully off. Here's how.

Why "black screen" is such a popular search

Look up almost any sleep sound, like rain, brown noise or a fan, and you'll see "black screen" and "no ads" right next to it. People want two things at night: sound, and no light. A bright screen on the nightstand is the opposite of a dark bedroom, and an ad blaring at 2 a.m. defeats the point.

Video sites answer that with long videos that go dark after a few seconds. That works, but your phone's screen is still technically on. On the free YouTube plan, playback typically stops if you lock the phone, because background play is a YouTube Premium feature. You end up with a phone that's awake all night, and the risk of an ad break.

On an iPhone you don't need a video at all. Here are three ways to get sound all night with the screen genuinely off.

Option 1: Background Sounds (free, built into iPhone)

iPhone has a built-in noise and nature sound player. To turn it on:

1. Open Settings, then Accessibility, then Audio & Visual.
2. Tap Background Sounds and switch it on.
3. Pick a sound, such as Balanced Noise, Dark Noise, Rain or Ocean, and set the volume.
4. Make sure Stop Sounds When Locked is off, so it keeps playing with the screen off.
5. Optional: use Stop Sound with a Timer to end it at a set time.

You can also add Background Sounds to Control Center so you can start it with a swipe. It's free, simple and works well. The limits: a smaller set of sounds, no music or guided sessions, and you can't layer one sound under another.

Option 2: A sleep sounds app

A dedicated app gives you more sounds and more control. With Sleep Better, for example:

• Sounds keep playing with the screen locked, and through calls and interruptions.
• You control playback from the Lock Screen.
• You can set a sleep timer with a gentle fade, or play all night and fade out by your wake-up time.
• You can mix a sound with a soft brainwave beat, and choose from 140+ sounds, sleep music and guided meditations.

Whichever app you use, look for locked-screen playback, a fade-out timer and seamless loops (a loop with a gap or click every few minutes is surprisingly easy to notice).

Option 3: A smart speaker

If you'd rather keep your phone out of the bedroom, a smart speaker can play rain or white noise on request. The trade-offs are fewer controls and, depending on the service, interruptions. It's a good option if your phone is a temptation at night.

Set up your phone for the night

Once the sound is playing, a few settings keep the night undisturbed:

• Turn on a Sleep or Do Not Disturb Focus so notifications don't light up the screen or make sounds. You can allow calls from favorites if you need to be reachable.
• Charge overnight. Audio with the screen off is light on battery, but a charger removes any worry.
• Lower the volume before bed, not after. Start quiet and raise it only until outside noise blends in.
• Place the phone an arm's length away or more, face down or on a stand, not under your pillow.
• Choose all night or a slow fade. A sound that cuts out abruptly can wake you. A long fade-out, or simply playing until morning, avoids that.

Picking the sound

If you're not sure what to play, start here:

• Steady and natural: rain sounds for sleep.
• Noisy street or thin walls: heavy rain or brown noise.
• Balanced and simple: pink noise.
• Not sure: compare all four colors in our white vs pink vs brown noise guide.

Volume and safety

Steady sound is meant to sit in the background, not fill the room. Keep it low enough that you could still hear someone speak to you normally. Avoid earbuds at high volume, and if you're setting up sound for a baby, be extra careful: a 2014 study in Pediatrics found every infant sleep machine it tested could exceed 50 dBA at 30 cm at full volume, the level recommended for hospital nurseries. Keep it quiet and well away from the crib.

The short version

1. Use Background Sounds (free) or a sleep sounds app instead of a video.
2. Make sure it keeps playing when locked.
3. Turn on a Sleep Focus, plug in the charger, and keep the volume low.
4. Pick all night or a slow fade.
5. Use the same sound for a few nights so it fades into the background.

This page is general information about sound and sleep habits, not medical advice. If poor sleep is affecting your days, talk to a doctor or a sleep specialist.