How to set and delete an alarm on the Apple Watch

The Apple Watch may be an all-powerful smartwatch, but sometimes basic features like setting an alarm can be the most useful.

Not only does the Apple Watch alarm let you avoid having to get out of bed to snooze your iPhone, but using one also means you don’t have to wake up your partner (or pets) unnecessarily.

But how do you add or delete an alarm on the Apple Watch, and how do you change it to silent or loud? Below, we’ll explain everything you need to know, including how to set timers on your wrist – y’know, for naps.

How to set an alarm on Apple Watch

Things may seem simple with Apple Watch alarms, but there are a couple of things you need to know before getting started. Firstly, be aware that anything you set on your phone will also come through on your Apple Watch, though silencing it on one device also silences it on the other.

If you want to set independent alarms and keep things just on your Apple Watch, though, that’s also an option. To make sure it’s silent, you’re going to need to make sure your Apple Watch is, well, on silent mode – and vice versa if you want it to sound. We say silent, but of course the Apple Watch alarm will vibrate (give haptic feedback) when set on this mode.

In order to turn off the alarm, simply press the side button. And if you feel like snoozing the alarm for nine minutes, just press the Digital Crown.

To add a new alarm on the Apple Watch:

1. Open the Alarms app on your Apple Watch.

2. Tap Add Alarm.

3. Turn the Digital Crown to your chosen hour, then tap on the minute section and twist again it to set.

4. Tap AM or PM to set when exactly the alarm will sound, then apply to add it to your list of alarms.

Delete or hide an alarm temporarily on the Apple Watch:

1. Open the Alarms app on your Apple Watch.

2. To turn the alarm off, hit the switch to the right of the time. You can then go back in at a later date and turn the same alarm back on.

3. To remove from the list entirely, select the alarm, scroll down to the delete tab and tap.

How to set an alarm with Siri

Of course, the fastest way to set an alarm is simply to ask Siri.

Just lift your Apple Watch close to your mouth (if raise to speak is enabled) and when Siri activates just say “set alarm for XX[am/pm]“.

The alarm will be set immediately.

Set a silent alarm with Bedtime mode

Most alarms are for sleep/wake up times, so before heading straight to the Alarm app on Apple Watch, why not think about taking advantage of Apple’s sleep tracking.

The iPhone and Apple Watch both have a feature, which lets you set sleep and wakeup times for each night of the week.

Half an hour before this time your iPhone and Watch go into a pared down Bedtime mode, where the screen dims and notifications are muted so you can start to decompress and chill before bed.

To set this up you need to go to the Health app on iPhone.

How to set up Bedtime for Apple Watch

1. Open the Health app

2. Head to Browse and choose Sleep

3. Scroll down to Full Schedule and then edit, or choose Add Schedule

4. Use the slider to choose your bedtime/wake up pattern which defaults to 8 hours

Within Bedtime mode you can also change how you’re woken up. The default is to have no alarm, but you can set a silent alarm which rouses you using the Apple Watch’s Taptic engine or a standard audio alarm.

When you edit the Schedule just scroll to the bottom and choose Wake Up Alarm. Toggle this on and then tap Sound & Haptics. Here you can select a vibrate option and some soothing sounds for an alarm. If you a silent alarm using the haptics only just turn the volume to minimum.

How to set up Nightstand Mode on Apple Watch

If you don’t want to use your Apple Watch to track sleep, and all the extra charging faff that goes with it, you can use your Apple Watch as a beside clock.

As shown in the image above, this is when your Apple Watch displays the date and time, the charge percentage and also an icon indicating any potential alarm you have set.

All you need to do to turn Nightstand Mode on is to head to the Settings app, tap through to General and then hit Nightstand Mode on.

From then, you’ll be able to see the Nightstand screen by tapping the screen or touching the Digital Crown or side button when the device is on its side and charging.

How to set a timer on Apple Watch

While there’s a little bit of complication when it comes to setting an alarm on the Apple Watch, setting a timer is actually much more straightforward. Whether you want to set one for a quick after-work nap or simply to keep an eye on what’s in the oven, here’s how to set up timers on the Apple Watch:

1. Open the Timers app on the Apple Watch.

2. Tap on either minutes or hours, then use the Digital Crown to tweak the timer.

3. Tap Start.

4. While it’s running, you can also Pause or Cancel the timer.

5. When the timer ends, you’ll get an alert on your wrist, at which point you can tap dismiss to help it disappear.

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