Push-ups
Push-upsThe alarm that makes you do push-ups before it stops
A push-up alarm clock keeps ringing until you have done a set number of push-ups. In WakeOps, Push-ups is one of three movements in the Exercise mission, alongside Squats and a Plank: the phone lies on its side on the floor, the camera watches you side-on, and a counter climbs with every full rep. Pressing Stop or swiping the alarm away doesn't count; it comes back until the reps are done.
How it works
- 1
Choose Exercise as the alarm's mission, then Push-ups under Movement. Pick how many: 5, 10, 15 or 20, or Custom for any number from 1 to 100. Push-ups start at 5.
- 2
When the alarm rings, tap Start mission. Lay the phone on its side on the floor and turn side-on to it, so the camera can see your arms bend. A live stick figure shows what it sees, and if you are out of shot the screen says “Step back so all of you is in the frame.”
- 3
“Straighten your arms to start counting,” then follow the prompts: “Lower your chest,” “Push back up.” A depth gauge on the edge of the screen fills as you go down and turns coral when you are low enough. A rep counts only on the full movement back up, so half reps don't.
- 4
The last rep stops the alarm and records the morning. With Ring during missions on (the default), the alarm sounds until then.
What you can set
- Movement: Squats, Push-ups or Plank (10 seconds, 30 seconds or 1 minute, or a custom 5-300 seconds)
- How many: 5, 10, 15 or 20 push-ups, or a custom number from 1 to 100
- Ring during missions (per alarm, on by default): the alarm keeps sounding until the last rep
- Offer Math when stuck (per alarm, off by default): after 15 seconds, a card offers to switch to Math
- Mission Clips (off unless you turn it on): the front camera films the mission and the app makes a short clip of the win
Set up before the first morning
- Clear a strip of floor longer than you are, away from anything you could hit.
- Find a spot for the phone where it can't slide or fall, side-on to where you will be.
- Turn on a light. The camera has to see your arms and body, and it can't in a dark room.
- Run Try it now on the Exercise setup screen once, at the time and place you'll use it. It's free and records nothing.
Push-ups, squats or a plank?
All three live in the Exercise mission, and each suits a slightly different morning.
- Push-ups put you on the floor and take the most effort per rep: a good fit if you barely wake up at all.
- [Squats](mission:squats) leave you standing, a few steps from the bed: a good fit if you wake up and then get back in.
- Plank is a hold, not a count. The timer pauses when your hips drop out of line and carries on when you fix them, rather than starting again.
Want the camera without the strain? Yoga completes the moment it recognizes a standing or floor pose, and Dance counts seconds of moving.
Free to download for iPhone (iOS 17.6 or later). Setting alarms needs WakeOps Premium, an in-app subscription. Every mission can be tried for free.
Common questions
Is the camera recording me?
Not unless you turn on Mission Clips. Otherwise frames are analyzed on your iPhone while the mission runs and then discarded, and nothing is uploaded. Clips, if you choose them, stay on the phone in the Clips tab until you share them yourself.
Can I try it before setting an alarm?
Yes. Try it now on the Exercise setup screen runs the real ringing screen, sound and mission for free, and Test mission on the dashboard rehearses your next alarm's mission. A rehearsal records nothing.
Why isn't it counting my push-ups?
Usually the camera can't see enough of you. Turn side-on to the phone, get your whole body in the frame, turn a light on, and go down until the depth gauge turns coral before pushing back up.
What if I can't do push-ups that morning?
Lower the number, or switch the alarm to squats or a plank. If the camera is refused or isn't working, the mission offers Math straight away, and Offer Math when stuck can offer it after 15 seconds, though that switch is off by default.
