Several instances of iPhone users sleeping in late after alarm failures have been reported, a common issue that has bothered the devices in the past. Reports started flooding online around January 22, 2025, with customers reporting their alarms failing to sound, ringing silently, or even ringing at the wrong times.
This is not the first instance of such problems; similar issues were noted in 2019 and 2024 as well, but Apple has still not presented a concrete solution to the problem.
Phone Alarms Fail
Increasingly, frustrated users have flooded social networking sites and bulletin boards such as Reddit with accounts of their disgruntlement. One user spoke of an especially disconcerting experience in which her 10:30 AM alarm went off at 12:42 PM instead.
Other people reported similar things, with alarms sounding hours behind schedule or failing to sound altogether after being programmed to do so. For example, one person observed that reminders designed to warn them at a specific time also started ringing sporadically after the planned program.
The incident has resulted in serious repercussions for others, ranging from lost work schedules to essential appointments. A user complained almost losing their job over a silent alarm, and another posted that they nearly missed a flight due to the same problems. Such experiences highlight the severity of the problem, which many users feel undermines the reliability of what should be a fundamental feature of their smartphones.
iPhone Alarms are Still Hitting the Snooze Button on Fixes
Even after earlier recognitions by Apple of alarm-related problems, most users complain that the issues continue to occur on different versions of iOS. In 2024, Apple indicated that it was developing solutions after there were widespread complaints brought to the fore by media such as NBC’s Today Show. Yet, almost a year later, users continue to struggle with faulty alarms.
The problem seems to be exacerbated by a new feature in iOS 17 dubbed “Attention Aware.” That feature takes advantage of the iPhone’s TrueDepth camera system to guess whether a user is gazing at the phone. When it incorrectly assumes the user is awake, it can inadvertently reduce alarm levels or mute them completely. This has caused some users to disable the feature in an attempt to return alarms to normal operation.
Solutions for Impacted iPhone Users
Although Apple has yet to release an official solution to these persistent alarm problems, users experiencing the issues can attempt the following troubleshooting measures:
- Adjust Volume Levels: Go to Settings > Sounds and Haptics and make sure the Ringtone and Alerts slider is adjusted to a high level. Moreover, disabling “Change with Buttons” will prevent accidental volume control.
- Recreate Alarms: Clear all alarms and recreate them slowly. Make sure to double-check AM/PM settings to ensure there is no confusion.
- Disable Attention-Aware Features: Settings > Accessibility > Face ID & Attention and disable Attention-Aware Features. This can possibly prevent the device from misjudging awareness by the user while they are sleeping.
Until Apple fully resolves these issues, users should double-check their alarm settings frequently and use alternative alarm methods, like conventional alarm clocks or other device alarms.
Finally, though iPhone alarms are intended to be trustworthy daily schedule management tools, repeated failures have left a large number of users in distress and fear of missing vital occasions. With continuing complaints, it is still paramount for Apple to address these concerns with urgency in order to regain users’ trust in the functionality of their devices.
