Your iPhone is likely the first thing you look at in the morning and the last thing you look at before bed. Because it is always within arm’s reach, it makes for the perfect alarm clock. Apple’s built-in Clock app is highly reliable, works even when your phone is in Silent Mode or Do Not Disturb, and allows you to set multiple alarms for different days of the week.
How to Create a New Alarm
All alarms are managed through the native Clock application.
- Unlock your iPhone and open the Clock app. (The icon looks like a traditional analog clock face with a black background).
- Look at the very bottom of the screen and tap the Alarm tab (it has a small alarm clock icon).
- To create a new alarm, tap the Plus (+) button in the top right corner of the screen.
- A “Add Alarm” screen will slide up.
- Set the Time: Scroll the numbers up or down to set the hour and minute. If you use a 12-hour clock, ensure you correctly select AM or PM on the right side.
- Set a Label: Tap Label to give your alarm a name (e.g., “Wake Up,” “Take Medicine,” or “Leave for Airport”). This text will flash on the screen when the alarm goes off.
- Choose the Sound: Tap Sound to choose what you want to hear. You can select one of Apple’s built-in ringtones, buy a tone from the Tone Store, or even pick a song from your Apple Music library.
- Allow Snooze: Ensure the Snooze toggle is turned on (green) if you want the option to hit a button for 9 extra minutes of sleep.
- Tap Save in the top right corner. Your new alarm will appear in your list with a green toggle next to it, indicating it is active.
How to Make an Alarm Repeat Automatically
If you need to wake up at 7:00 AM every Monday through Friday for work, you do not need to turn the alarm on manually every Sunday night.
- While creating an alarm (or by tapping Edit and selecting an existing alarm), tap on the Repeat option.
- You will see a list of the days of the week.
- Tap every day that you want the alarm to sound (e.g., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday). A checkmark will appear next to the selected days.
- Tap Back. The summary will now say “Weekdays.”
- Tap Save. This alarm will now go off automatically on those specific days, every single week, until you manually turn the green toggle off.
Setting Alarms with Siri
The absolute fastest way to set a one-time alarm is by asking Siri.
- Activate Siri by holding the side button or saying, “Hey Siri.”
- Say: “Set an alarm for 6:30 AM tomorrow.”
- Siri will instantly create and activate the alarm, confirming the action on your screen.