Has your iPhone alarm stopped going off? Here's why it could be

Apple’s on a mission to hush the hiccup that’s making some iPhone alarms ghostly silent, leaving unsuspecting snoozers in an unplanned snooze-a-thon. For many, their trusty phone doubles as an alarm, but some tardy timekeepers have taken to social media to air their grievances.

One social media user lamented setting “about five alarms,” only to find none had sounded. While Apple has acknowledged the issue, it has yet to elucidate its root cause or provide guidance on how users can prevent oversleeping. The extent of the problem and whether it affects specific iPhone models remain unclear.

Initial concerns surfaced during the early hours on NBC’s Today Show, which first reported the issue.

What could be the reason behind this issue?

Reddit threads are buzzing with complaints about the iPhone alarm glitch, indicating it’s not just a one-off hiccup. Some inquisitive minds are pointing fingers at the iPhone’s attention awareness feature as the possible culprit behind your morning alarm’s no-show.

More from Explainers

How ChatGPT is becoming everyone’s BFF and why that’s dangerous This Week in Explainers: How recovering from Gen-Z protests is a Himalayan task for Nepal

This feature essentially keeps tabs on whether your iPhone is actively being used, considering factors like low volume or undimmed screen brightness. While it’s enabled by default, users do have the option to switch it off. It’s plausible that this feature could be tied to the alarm glitch, potentially affecting the iPhone Clock app.

Also Read: Tata to make iPhone housing in India, is developing hi-tech, ‘very sophisticated’ machines

Additionally, Apple is gearing up to hand you more reins over your iPhone, even when it’s off for repairs. The iOS 17.5 beta version introduces a new feature called “repair state,” ensuring that Find My iPhone stays active even while your device is undergoing repair.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

Ghaziabad woman dead, pilgrims attacked in bus… How Nepal’s Gen-Z protests turned into a living hell for Indian tourists

Were bodyguards involved in Charlie Kirk’s shooting? The many conspiracies surrounding the killing

What is the solution?

In the absence of an official fix, those grappling with sleep disruptions due to the glitch can attempt several troubleshooting measures.

One approach is to ensure there are no oversights in the phone’s alarm settings and that the volume is sufficiently raised.

However, some users have pointed fingers at Apple’s design choices, suggesting that peculiarities in the iPhones’ “attention-aware features” might be culpable. These features, available on iPhone X or later models and certain iPad Pro versions, allow the device to gauge user attention and adjust settings accordingly, potentially muting alarms if it detects inattention.

Comments on an Apple community platform indicate that this issue has been faced by users before as well, with one user in November last year writing, “I put on some alarms today and I didn’t wake up. I thought I slept through them as that’s what usually happens but I didn’t hear them go off at all which I found very odd. Normally, I hear them and turn it off but today I didn’t hear anything. My iPhone alarms aren’t making any sound. The little notification banner pops up at the top of the screen but no sound. I checked settings to see if my ringer and alert volume is high and it was. So, I don’t understand what’s happening. I need my alarms to wake me up. This is so frustrating. Does anyone know how to fix this?"

This prompted another user to reply, highlighting the “attention-aware features”. The reply read: “I figured it out!!! my alarm has been perfect all of a sudden after one of the recent multiple, thousand, million updates…my alarm would sound off like normal for a second or two, and then go very quiet, or not at all. go to settings look for Face ID and attention. Turn off the attention, awareness feature! This fixed mine instantly.”

Also Read: iPhones 'tainted with blood'? Congo accuses Apple of using ‘illegally exploited' minerals from war zones

According to some users, if a user’s face is directed towards the iPhone screen while in bed, these features could inadvertently activate, silencing alarms depending on the device’s settings.

Apple has expressed its commitment to swiftly resolve the issue. In the interim, its global user base may need to resort to traditional solutions, swapping their phones for the reliability of an old-fashioned alarm clock’s tick-tock until the glitch is rectified.

With inputs from agencies