Q. How does this Bedtime thing on the iPhone work? Does it automatically track your sleep?

A. The Bedtime feature, introduced with iOS 10 in 2016, is more of a planning and reminder app to nudge you in and out of bed. You can keep track of the sleep periods you scheduled, but the tool doesn’t specifically log how much sleep you get each night or the movement during that sleep.

To use Bedtime, you first need to set it up. On the iPhone’s home screen, open the Clock app and tap the Bedtime icon at the bottom of the screen. Tap the Get Started button.

The app guides you through setting up your weekly sleep schedule, including the time to set your workday wake-up alarm, the days of the week you need the alarm and how many hours of sleep you’d ideally like to get each night. You can also set an alert to pop up when it is time to go to bed, and choose a relatively soothing sound like chirping birds, a gentle piano rhythm or peaceful instrumental music as your alarm.

Image The Bedtime feature in the ios Clock app lets you plan your sleep sessions and can wake you gently in the morning. Credit... The New York Times

You can turn the feature off or on by tapping the button in the upper-right corner of the Bedtime screen. Tap the Options button in the upper-left corner if you want to adjust your settings. The large clock graphic in the center of the screen shows your sleep schedule, but if you wake up before the alarm or fiddle around on the phone in bed, the app notes your wake time.