What the Tech: People report problems with iPhone alarm clock
By JAMIE TUCKER Consumer Technology Reporter
Have you ever blamed your phone for being late? Well, if you’re an iPhone user, you might not be making excuses.
Across the nation, many people are waking up late, groggy, and frustrated, not to the sound of their alarm—but to the silence of a failed notification.
We’ve come to rely on our smartphones for nearly everything, including waking us up in the morning. But what happens when technology fails us? Many iPhone users report that their alarm clocks are malfunctioning, causing them to miss school, work, and other important engagements.
I tested by setting an alarm with the default iPhone notification sound. The alarm goes off as expected, but then, almost immediately, the volume drops to a whisper. “No way that would wake me up,” you might think. And you’d be right. So, what’s behind this sudden unreliability of iPhone apps?
Some users have traced the problem back to a few settings that may have been altered with the latest iOS update. If you’re struggling with a similar issue, here are a couple of fixes that might help:
● Attention Aware Features: Found under “Face ID & Passcode” in your settings, this feature lowers the volume of alerts if the phone detects you’re looking at it. Turning this off has resolved the issue for some.
● Volume Adjustments: Others have found success by adjusting the volume under “Sounds & Haptics.” It seems that system updates may inadvertently lower this setting.
If your iPhone alarm still isn’t reliable, you might consider using a smart speaker. A simple “Hey Google” or “Alexa, wake me up at 7” can serve as a good backup plan.
It might also be time to drag out the old analog bedside alarm clock that’s been taking up room in storage.
There are plenty of alarm clock apps in Apple’s App Store. Some of those even require you to get out of bed and walk into another room, take a photo, solve a math problem, or scan a bar code on a tube of toothpaste before it turns off.
This isn’t the first instance of iPhone alarms going silent. Back in 2009, Apple addressed a similar bug. While they work on a fix, you might have a temporary excuse for being late—though it’s probably not one your boss will appreciate for long.
