iPhone alarm not going off? 6 potential fixes to this annoying issue

Before I get into some lesser-known fixes, let's cover the basics: double-check your volume settings and disable Bluetooth. It may seem obvious, but at this point it's worth the due diligence.

Max out your volume:

1. Open Settings > Sounds and Haptics.
2. Drag the Ringtone and Alerts slider to maximum.
3. Toggle Change with Buttons to On.
4. Test your alarm sound by creating a test alarm for a minute from now.

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Turn off Bluetooth entirely:

1. Open Control Center and disable Bluetooth.
2. Alternatively, in Settings, go to Bluetooth and toggle it off.

This forces your alarm to play through your iPhone's speakers rather than another source.

Apple offers an "Attention Aware Features" setting on Face ID-equipped iPhones. It uses the front TrueDepth camera to detect whether you're looking at the screen. When enabled, your iPhone will dim the display if it thinks you're not looking at it and lower the volume of certain alerts -- like notifications and apparently even alarms.

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The idea is to avoid blasting a loud alert in your face when you're actively engaged, but in practice, your alarm could either ring silently or at a much lower volume. Wonderful (not).

Disable Attention Aware Features:

1. Open Settings.
2. Tap Accessibility > Face ID and Attention.
3. Toggle Attention Aware Features to Off.

This is one of the first things I tried, but alas, it didn't work. Maybe it will for you. Focus modes (Do Not Disturb, Sleep, Work, etc.) can inadvertently mute alarms if time-sensitive notifications aren't allowed.

Allow time-sensitive notifications in Focus modes:

1. Open Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb > Apps.
2. Make sure Allow Time Sensitive Notifications is turned On.

Do the same steps above for all your Focus modes, including custom ones. Review any scheduled times, too, to make sure they don't cover your wake-up window. Unfortunately, you can't explicitly permit notifications from the Clock app under Apps in Do Not Disturb and other Focus modes. Don't ask me why.

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Now, in Control Center, you can toggle between your Focus modes or turn them off entirely. I've resorted to not using them at all, with the hope of reducing the chance that my iPhone silences my morning alarms.

Although widespread corruption of recurring alarms is unlikely, it's still worth deleting and recreating your alarms to clear any possible glitches.

Clear and remake your alarms:

1. Open the Clock app > select the Alarm tab.
2. Swipe left on each alarm and tap Delete.
3. Tap + to add a new alarm, double-check a.m./p.m., choose a loud tone, and enable Vibration.
4. Set multiple alarms 5 minutes apart for extra peace of mind.

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Make sure you're running the latest official iOS release so you have the newest firmware and bug patches. An outdated version can interfere with core functions like alarms.

Check for software updates:

1. Go to Settings > General > Software Update.
2. Download and install any available iOS 18.x update (it's iOS 18.5 as of July 2025).
3. Restart your iPhone after the update.

And, as a rule of thumb, avoid using beta software on your daily driver -- while it's tempting to try the newest features, betas often contain bugs, and they could be preventing your alarms from sounding.

If you've tried all of the above, the last thing you can do is wipe your phone clean. You can take the softer route and just reset settings, or you can erase and restore your entire device. The path you choose is up to you.

A. Reset your iPhone settings:

This is a last resort. It won't erase your data but will restore all settings to factory defaults.

1. Open Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
2. Tap Reset > Reset All Settings.
3. Enter your passcode and confirm.
4. Re-enable Wi-Fi networks and reconfigure key settings as needed.

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B. Erase and restore your iPhone:

A more drastic measure -- to create a clean slate -- would be to back up your iPhone, reset it to factory settings, and then restore your data. Again, this is only if you're at your wits' end.

1. Back up your iPhone via iCloud or computer.
2. Perform a factory reset through Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone.
3. Choose Erase All Content and Settings > Continue.
4. When done, restore your data and settings from a backup.

Performing a full factory reset can eliminate any software corruption, but it's time-consuming.

Why does my iPhone alarm sometimes not go off?

Your guess is as good as mine. If I were to hypothesize, most alarm failures stem from software bugs, misconfigured sound settings, conflicting Focus modes, or interference from the Attention Aware feature on Face ID models.

Have other users noticed their iPhone alarms failing?

Oh yes. A quick check on Twitter/X, Reddit, Apple Support, and TikTok shows many users complaining about their iPhone alarms suddenly not going off -- to the point where they've slept in, missed morning meetings, and gotten in trouble at their jobs.

What are the top alarm clock alternative apps to try on iPhone?

Popular choices include Alarmy, Sleep Cycle, CARROT Alarm, Rise, and Good Morning Alarm Clock. I'm currently trying CARROT.

Is Apple ever going to fix this issue?

Who knows. Busted iPhone alarms are nothing new for iOS -- see this Verge article from 2015 about Apple releasing an update to fix its alarms. My advice: Set multiple alarms, try different apps, and have backup plans, because waking up 30 minutes late for work is a betrayal no one should have to endure, let alone repeatedly.

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