Apple Watch Alarms – How To Set Up, Use and Fix Common Issues

You probably know all about setting up an alarm on your iPhone or iPad,  but how about your Apple Watch? Yes, that’s right — the Apple Watch makes a terrific bedside clock and wake-up device.

In this guide, you’ll learn about the alarm feature on your Apple Watch. We’ll cover setting up Bedtime Mode, along with troubleshooting techniques, as well.

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How to Set Up Apple Watch Alarms

Ready to set the Watch to wake you up at a specific time? Let’s get started.

1. First, tap on the Apple Watch Digital Crown to go into Apps.
2. Tap on the Alarm app.
3. Hit the + button to add a new alarm.
4. Tap on one of the boxes to change the time you want to set your alarm to. You can adjust this via the Digital Crown.
5. When you’re happy, select the tick button.

Your alarm should now appear in the app with a switched on toggle. You can turn this toggle off if you don’t want to set it right away.

Use Siri

A hassle-free way to set up the alarm on your Apple Watch is to use Siri. In doing so, you don’t have to open the Alarm app and set the alarms manually. Instead, ask Siri to “Wake me up at” or “Set Alarm for” and specify your time. You can also say “Set Repeating Alarm for 7 PM” to set up an alarm that repeats daily.

This action will set up the alarm on your Apple Watch. Similarly, you can also use Siri to remove all your alerts by saying “Clear All Alarms.”

Editing and Deleting Alarm Times

You can change alarm times and whether you wish to repeat them from the main Alarm app screen.

1. Choose your alarm time.
2. Select Edit Alarm to change the time.
3. Choose your new time and hit the tick button again.

You can also change the following from the first page:

• Repeat: Choose whether you want your alarm to repeat daily, on weekdays, on weekends, or on certain days.
• Label: Change the name of your alarm. You’ll need to handwrite the words with your finger on your Apple Watch screen.

When the snooze feature is active, you can turn off your alarm just by tapping Snooze on your Apple Watch display. In several minutes, the alarm will sound again. You can also push the Digital Crown to snooze the alarm.

Delete an Apple Watch Alarm

To delete an Apple Watch alarm, simply go to the alarm time you want to delete. Then, scroll to the bottom of the first screen and tap Delete.

What is Nightstand Mode?

When you turn your Apple Watch on its side, and it’s connected to the charger, you’ll enter Nightstand mode. During this time, you’ll see the time and date displayed, not the Apple Watch face. You’ll also see how much your Apple Watch battery is charged.

If you are having issues with this function, go into your Apple Watch apps and select the Settings app. Select General > Nightstand Mode and make sure it’s turned ON. If it isn’t, toggle it ON.

How to Set the Same Alarms on Both Apple Watch and iPhone

To see the same alarms on both iPhone and Apple Watch:

1. Set the alarm on your iPhone in the iOS Clock app.
2. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone.
3. Tap the My Watch tab and select Clock.
4. Turn on Push Alerts from iPhone on this screen.

The best way to address alarm problems on your Apple Watch is to restart both the wearable device and your iPhone. Be sure to restart the iPhone before the Apple Watch.

On Apple Watch, press and hold the side button to bring up the Power Off slider. Slide your finger from left to right on the Power Off slider to restart your watch.

You can also toggle the Silent Mode ON and OFF a few times to see if that resolves the issue. When Silent Mode is enabled on Apple Watch, both alarms and timers are muted unless the wearable device is on the charger and connected to power. Use your finger to scroll up from the bottom of your Apple Watch to see the Control Panel. A bell icon represents silent Mode.

No Vibrations During Alarms

One of the issues you may experience with your Apple Watch alarm has to do with the device’s haptic mode. When active, this mode allows your wearable device to vibrate during alarms.

To check whether this feature is in the ON position:

1. Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and tap Sound & Haptics.
2. Turn the Haptic Alerts toggle to the ON position.

Next:

1. On your Apple Watch, go into the Settings app.
2. Tap Sounds & Haptics.
3. Toggle ON Haptic Alerts.

Scroll down and select the Prominent setting as well.  In doing so, you’ll receive an additional haptic tap to pre-announce alerts.

Alarms Set via Hey Siri Not working on Apple Watch

This is one of those random problems that can occur without reason or rationale. Try setting up an alarm on your Apple Watch by saying ‘Hey Siri, set an alarm for 6 am called yoga time’. If your hey Siri has been set up on your Apple Watch, you should see the response ‘OK I’ve set your alarm..’ which is how it should behave.

The problem is that it shows you the right message but sometimes, the Alarm is simply inactive. You can check all your alarms on the watch and you may see this.

Many users have reported this issue. There isn’t a straight cut solution to this issue. The only advice that we received from Apple Support was to unpair/re-pair your Apple Watch and see if this issue goes away.

What we have found is that sometimes the Hey Siri works better when it is reset on your Apple Watch. This is just not for the alarm function but also for other functions that require invoking ‘Hey Siri’ on your watch.

1. On your watch, tap on Settings > Siri.
2. Tap the first tab under Ask Siri.
3. Select Off.
4. Turn off your Apple Watch.
5. Restart your Apple Watch.
6. Enable Listen for Hey Siri again.

Now check if you are still having issues with setting up alarms via the ‘Hey Siri’ function.

Alarms Not Going Off on Apple Watch or iPhone

If your alarms aren’t going off on your Apple Watch or iPhone, the best thing you can do — after doing the above — is delete your alarms and start again.

The easiest way to do this is press and hold on the Digital Icon to activate Siri, before saying:

Hey Siri, delete all my alarms.

Your alarms should then delete; after that has happened, follow the steps in the first section on setting up an alarm. It’s also a good idea to set more than one alarm in close proximity, (e.g. 07:00 and 07:01).

Accidentally Turned Off Alarms on Apple Watch

If only some of your Apple Watch alarms are going off, it’s possible that you turned some of the others off. You should, in these circumstances, go into each one via the Alarm app and ensure that it’s toggled on. Then, choose to repeat for whichever timescale is necessary for you.

Apple Watch Alarms Questions and Answers

Here are some frequently asked questions about alarms on Apple Watch and the answers.

How Long Does the Watch Alarm Last?

Your alarm will continue to ring on your Apple Watch until you turn it off or hit the Snooze button.

Does the Apple Watch Alarm Make Sound or Just Vibrate?

This depends on your setting. By default, you’ll hear a sound and a feel a vibration each time the alarm goes off. However, when turning on Silent mode, you’ll only feel the vibration.

To turn on Silent mode, scroll up from the Apple Watch face. Tap the bell icon representing the setting.

Does the Watch Alarm Work Without an iPhone?

Yes, you don’t need to have your iPhone with you for the alarm to work on your Apple Watch.

How Do You Make the Apple Watch Alarm Sound Louder?

To make the sound of your alarm louder (or softer), go into the Settings app on your Watch. Tap Sounds & Haptics and change the Alert Volume up or down.

What About Bedtime Mode?

If you’re using Bedtime Mode on your iPhone, the alarm is also reflected on Apple Watch, assuming your wearable device is unlocked.

Set Up Alarms on Your Apple Watch

Setting up alarms on your Apple Watch is incredibly straightforward, and the steps aren’t too different from your iPhone or iPad. Most of the time, you shouldn’t have too many issues with using your alarms properly. But in some instances, you may encounter issues with your alarm not going off and the like. When this happens, the solution is normally quite easy.

Hopefully, these tips have helped you set up your Apple Watch alarms with no problems. If you want us to cover any other Apple Watch-related topics, feel free to let us know in the comments section.