How to change the alarm sound on iPhone (tones, songs and volume)

Each alarm keeps its own sound, so you can have a gentle tone on weekends and a loud one on workdays. There is no setting that changes the sound of every alarm at once, and new alarms start with the default tone, so set the sound as you create each one.

Why the alarm is too quiet

Alarm volume is never the media volume you use for music and videos. On iOS 26 and older it follows Ringtone and Alert Volume; on iOS 27 it can have its own slider. You can have videos loud and alarms almost silent at the same time. On Face ID iPhones, Attention Aware Features also lower the alarm as soon as the phone sees you looking at it. A thick case or a phone lying face down on a soft mattress can muffle the speaker as well.

• Raise the alarm slider in Settings › Sounds & Haptics (Alarms and Timers on iOS 27, Ringtone and Alert Volume on older versions).
• Turn off Change with Buttons if the side buttons keep lowering it.
• Turn off Attention Aware Features in Settings › Face ID & Passcode if the alarm fades when you look at it.

Vibration-only alarm

To wake up without disturbing anyone, open the alarm, tap Sound, scroll to the top of the list of tones and choose None, then tap Haptics and pick a strong vibration pattern. Keep the phone under your pillow or on the bed so you feel it. A paired Apple Watch in Silent mode does the same job on your wrist and is easier to notice.

You can also make your own vibration. In the alarm’s Sound screen, tap Haptics, then Create New Vibration, and tap the screen in the rhythm you want. Tap Save and give it a name. It then appears under Custom for every alarm.

Label and snooze

While you edit an alarm, tap Label to name it, for example Gym or Medication. The label shows on the Lock Screen when the alarm rings, which helps when you have several. The Snooze switch on the same screen decides whether a Snooze button appears. Turn it off for alarms you must not sleep through.

Pick a Song not working?

• Make sure you are signed in to the Music app with your Apple Account, and that the song is in your library, not just playing from search.
• Songs you bought from the iTunes Store also work without an Apple Music subscription.
• If Pick a Song shows nothing, open Settings › Apps › Music and check that Sync Library is on.
• Music from Spotify, YouTube Music or other apps cannot be used in the Clock app.

Choosing a sound that actually wakes you

• Pick a tone with a sharp start, such as Radar or Beacon, if you sleep deeply. Soft tones and songs with long intros are easy to sleep through.
• Change the sound every few months. People get used to a sound they hear every morning and start sleeping through it.
• Put the phone across the room so you have to get up to stop it, and keep it plugged in so it never runs flat overnight.
• Test a new sound at full volume before bed by setting an alarm for two minutes later, then set the real one.

Change the timer sound too

Timers have their own sound, set separately from alarms. In the Clock app, tap Timers, then tap When Timer Ends and choose a tone. There is also Stop Playing at the bottom of that list, which turns a timer into a sleep timer that stops your music or podcast instead of ringing.

Wake Up alarm from your Sleep schedule

The alarm at the top of the Alarms list, marked Sleep | Wake Up, comes from your Sleep schedule. Tap Change next to it, then scroll to Alarm Options to pick its sound. You can also change it in the Health app under Sleep. This alarm has its own volume slider in Alarm Options, so if it is quiet while your other alarms are loud, check that slider.

Using a song as your alarm

• Download the song to your iPhone first, so it plays even without an internet connection.
• Songs play from the start. Pick one that begins loudly enough to wake you.
• If the song is later removed from Apple Music, the alarm falls back to a default tone.
• If your Apple Music subscription ends, songs from it stop working as alarms, so pick a tone for important alarms.

Alarm not making any sound?

• Make sure the alarm’s Sound is not set to None.
• Check the alarm is switched on and set for the right AM or PM and days.
• On iOS 27, check the separate alarm volume in Sounds & Haptics.
• Restart your iPhone after a software update if alarms stop working.

For every other cause, see our full guide to an iPhone alarm that does not go off. If you snooze too often, you can also change how long snooze lasts.

Alarms on Apple Watch and iPad

Alarms you set on the iPhone can also go off on a paired Apple Watch, which taps your wrist. When the watch is in Silent mode it only vibrates, which suits a shared bedroom. On iPad, the Clock app works the same way as on iPhone, with its own alarms and sounds.