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This might be why your iPhone alarms don't go off when they're supposed to

One of the culprits could be Apple’s “Attention Aware Features," which, when switched on, allow the iPhone to lower sound alerts.
iphone alarm
Posted at 3:38 PM, May 01, 2024
and last updated 2024-05-01 17:38:48-04

If you’ve ever set an alarm on your iPhone only for it never to go off, you’re not alone and you’re not to blame.

After many users took to social media to complain about missing work or class because their alarms never woke them up, Apple told NBC’s “Today” show it is aware of the issue and is working to fix it.

In most cases, iPhone users have reported the alarms appear to launch but never omit any sound.

One of the culprits could be Apple’s “Attention Aware Features," which, when switched on, allow the iPhone to automatically lower sound alerts and dim the display screen when you’re not looking at your phone.

To turn the feature off, go to the “Face ID & Attention” section of your iPhone settings and toggle “Attention Aware Features” to off, which should turn the indicator gray instead of green.

Apple said another reason your alarm may not trigger could be your sound settings. The company said to check your sound settings under “Sound & Haptics” before you retire for the night, as well as the sound settings listed for each alarm you’ve set up in the clock app.

Apple recently published step-by-step instructions on how to set, edit or delete an iPhone alarm on its support page.

In the meantime, it probably wouldn’t hurt to have an old-fashioned alarm clock for backup.

An AirTag is seen being connected to an iPhone.

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