iPhone alarm not going off? Work through this checklist

By WakeOps · Updated October 11, 2026

If your iPhone alarm didn't go off, open the Clock app and check that the alarm is switched on, set to the right AM or PM and day, and that its sound isn't set to None, then check the volume in Settings > Sounds & Haptics. Apple says Silent mode, the Ring/Silent switch and Do Not Disturb don't stop Clock alarms, so if those basics are right, look at sleep-schedule alarms, StandBy, and whether the alarm came from a third-party app, which follows different rules.

1. Check the alarm itself in Clock

Open Clock, tap Alarms, and make sure the alarm's switch is on.
Check the time and AM or PM. An alarm set for 7:00 PM is a common miss.
Tap Edit, tap the alarm, and check that Repeat includes tomorrow.
Tap Sound and make sure it isn't None. Apple says that if an alarm only vibrates, its sound is likely set to None.

Apple also warns that changing the iPhone's time manually in Settings (to skip a game timer, for example) isn't recommended and can affect alarms. If you have done that, set the correct time again.

2. Check the volume

A Clock alarm plays at your ringer volume: in Settings > Sounds & Haptics, drag the slider under Ringtone and Alerts. If Change with Buttons is on, the volume buttons change it too, so a press in a pocket or bag can turn tomorrow's alarm down.

On iOS 27, alarms and timers match the ringtone volume by default, but you can give them their own slider by turning off Match Ringtone Volume under Alarms and Timers. If you have, check that slider as well.

An alarm that rings but is too quiet has its own fixes, from Attention Aware Features to a muffled speaker: see why an iPhone alarm is too quiet.

3. Silent mode, Focus and headphones (rarely the cause for Clock)

For Clock alarms, Apple is specific: Do Not Disturb, the Ring/Silent switch and Silent mode don't affect the alarm sound. If headphones are connected, the alarm plays through the iPhone's built-in speaker as well as wired and wireless headphones.

So with the Clock app, these are rarely the reason. They matter a great deal for third-party alarm apps, covered below.

4. Sleep schedule alarms have their own settings

If you set up a sleep schedule in the Health app, its wake-up alarm shows in Clock separately from your regular alarms, with its own options. In Clock, tap Alarms, then Change, and scroll to Alarm Options:

Alarm must be on. It can be switched off for the next alarm only (Change Next Alarm Only), which is easy to do by mistake.
Sounds & Haptics sets this alarm's sound, separately from your other alarms.
Alarm volume has its own slider here.

Turning off Sleep Schedule in Health removes the wake-up alarm altogether.

5. StandBy and the bedside setup

When the iPhone is in StandBy (charging on its side), Apple says alarm haptics are turned off. An alarm with its sound set to None can then make no sound and no vibration at all, so check the sound.

Make sure the phone stays powered all night (plugged in and actually charging) and that nothing covers the speaker.

6. Update iOS and run a test

If every setting is right and the alarm still fails, install any pending update in Settings > General > Software Update and restart the iPhone. Then set a test alarm two minutes ahead, lock the screen and wait for it. If a correctly set Clock alarm still doesn't sound, contact Apple Support.

Third-party alarm apps follow different rules

Everything above describes Apple's Clock app. An alarm app from the App Store doesn't automatically get the same treatment, and how it behaves depends on how it delivers alarms:

How each kind of alarm is treated, per Apple's documentation
	Clock app	App alarms sent as notifications	App alarms using AlarmKit (iOS 26 and later)
Silent mode	Still sounds	No sound: Silent mode silences alerts	Rings through it
Focus and Do Not Disturb	Still sounds	Only if the app is allowed in that Focus, or the Focus allows Time Sensitive notifications	Rings through it
Permission	None needed	Notifications allowed, plus Time Sensitive if the app offers it	Permission to schedule alarms, changeable in Settings

Below iOS 26, notifications are the only way a third-party app can alert you. From iOS 26, apps can schedule system alarms with Apple's AlarmKit, and Apple says those break through silent mode and the current Focus. Not every app uses it, so check the app's own help pages.

For an app whose alarms arrive as notifications, check:

Settings > Notifications > the app: Allow Notifications on, and Time Sensitive Notifications on if offered.
Settings > Focus > each Focus you use, especially Sleep > Apps: add the app under Allow Notifications From, or turn on Time Sensitive Notifications.
Scheduled Summary: if you use it, set the app's delivery to Immediate Delivery.
Silent mode: keep the Ring/Silent switch (or Action button) on ring. Apple's wording is that in Silent mode the iPhone doesn't play alerts, while Clock alarms still sound.

For an app that uses AlarmKit, make sure you allowed it to schedule alarms when it asked. You can change that permission later in Settings.

How this applies to WakeOps

WakeOps uses both routes. On iOS 26 and later its alarms are AlarmKit alarms, the same kind the Clock app uses, so they ring through Silent mode and Focus. iOS always shows its own Stop button on them; in WakeOps that doesn't finish the mission, and the alarm rings again.

On iOS 17.6 to 18, WakeOps alarms are a chain of Time Sensitive notifications, every 30 seconds at first and then every minute. They get through Focus, but not through the Ring/Silent switch: in Silent mode they make no sound. On those versions, keep the switch on ring and Time Sensitive notifications on.

Whatever app you use, set an independent backup for a flight or an exam; how many alarms to set explains what counts as independent, and the Clock app compared with alarm apps covers the trade-offs. If the alarm rings fine and you still don't get up, that is a different problem: see why people sleep through alarms.

Common questions

Does the iPhone alarm go off in Silent mode?

The Clock app's alarm does: Apple says Silent mode, the Ring/Silent switch and Do Not Disturb don't affect it. Third-party alarms differ: ones sent as notifications are silenced, while apps using AlarmKit on iOS 26 and later ring through.

Will my alarm play through my AirPods instead of the speaker?

Apple says that with headphones connected, a Clock alarm plays through the built-in speaker as well as wired and wireless headphones, so headphones alone shouldn't silence it. For other apps, test with your headphones connected.

Why did my alarm only vibrate?

Its sound is probably set to None. In Clock, tap Edit, tap the alarm, tap Sound and choose a sound. In StandBy, alarm haptics are off, so an alarm set to None can be completely silent there.

Why didn't my wake-up alarm ring when my other alarms do?

If it is the sleep-schedule alarm from Health, it has its own on switch, sound and volume under Alarm Options, and it can be switched off for the next alarm only. Check it in Clock: Alarms, then Change.

Sources

How to set and change alarms on your iPhone, Apple Support
Change your wake up alarm in Clock on iPhone, Apple Support (iPhone User Guide)
Change iPhone sounds and vibrations (iOS 27: separate volumes for alarms and alerts), Apple Support (iPhone User Guide)
Silence iPhone, Apple Support (iPhone User Guide)
Allow or silence notifications for a Focus on iPhone, Apple Support (iPhone User Guide)
Change notification settings on iPhone, Apple Support (iPhone User Guide)
Wake up to the AlarmKit API (WWDC25), Apple Developer