Top 9 Fixes for Alarm Not Working on Android Phones

Smartphones have replaced most traditional gadgets, and an alarm clock is one of them. Our phone does the job of being a great alarm clock, allowing us to set multiple alarms, change the alarm tone, customize the snooze time, and more. What if this great functionality is broken – the alarm no longer goes off? Terrible, isn’t it? Several Android users are experiencing the same issue. If you are one of them, this post will provide you with several fixes to get your alarm back on track.

Imagine setting an alarm for an early morning flight and the alarm never went off. Even the thought of that gives me goosebumps. If the problem happened with you once, fix it as soon as possible. You shouldn’t expect it to happen again.

Fortunately, the issue is easy to fix and mostly happens due to some changed settings. Let’s see various ways to fix alarm not going off on Android phones.

1. Reboot Phone

As always, the first troubleshooting fix should be to restart your phone. So stop whatever you’re doing and hit the restart button.

2. Check the Alarm Volume

Some Android phones, especially those running stock Android, come with a separate setting to control the alarm volume. If this volume is silent, you will not hear your alarm. So turn up the alarm volume.

For that, go to Settings and then Sound. Here you will find various volume sliders. Increase the slider next to the alarm sound. If the sliders are not directly available, you will find the Audio option. Tap on it and you will have the volume sliders.

Alternatively, press the volume up or down button on your phone. A software volume slider will open. Tap the options icon to go directly to other volume sliders. Increase the alarm volume.

Pro Tip: If your phone does not have a separate Alarm volume, increase the volume for all available options.

3. Check the Alarm Tone

Sometimes, the selected alarm sound does not work due to a corrupted file or the file being moved. In such cases, you won’t hear anything when the alarm goes off. So check if the alarm sound is working or not.

Open Clock app to check and verify alarm sound. Click on your alarm. You will find the tone option. Tap the tone and see if it works fine. If you’re trying to use a tone you downloaded or added from somewhere, try using a system tone for alarms instead.

Pro Tip: Some phones have a “Volume up” setting. Make sure you choose a value above zero for this. Also, tap on the days you want the alarm to sound. Sometimes only one day is selected and therefore the alarm does not sound on other days.

4. Check Sound Settings

In most cases, notifications from the Clock app were accidentally muted. This is because any app can easily dismiss its notifications by swiping directly from the notification panel.

You need to enable Clock app notifications in settings. For this, follow these steps:

Stage 1: Open Settings on your phone and go to Apps or Apps & notifications.

Step 2: Look for Clock under All apps. Tap on it.

Stage 3: Tap on Notifications. If the Show notifications button is off, turn it on.

If it’s already on, Upcoming alarms, Bedtime, etc. Tap on the available options in Notifications, such as Make sure notifications are enabled for each setting. Also, if you see the Priority setting, alarms should be kept at a high priority.

5. Check Do Not Disturb Settings

While the do not disturb (DND) mode is a great feature on smartphones, it is mostly notorious for causing problems with other apps. This is because users do not properly control the DND settings. A DND setting may be incorrect even if alarms do not sound.

Here are the steps to resolve it.

Stage 1: Open Settings and go to Sound.

Step 2: Tap on Do Not Disturb. On some phones, you can find the Do not disturb setting in Settings > Notifications.

Stage 3: Tap on See all exceptions or Allow exceptions. Here you will find the Alarm option. Make sure the switch next to it is on.

6. Disable Flip to Shhh (Pixel Phones Only)

Google Pixel phones have a “Dial Shhhh” feature that activates do not disturb mode. If enabled, turning your phone upside down will turn on DND mode and eventually turn off the alarm.

Either allow alarms as stated above or turn this feature off. To do this, go to Settings > System > Gestures > Turn to Shhh. To close.

7. Clear Cache and Data

Clearing the clock app’s cache and data has been helpful for many Android users. The downside of using this fix is ​​that if you delete the data you will lose your old alarms. Take a screenshot or make a note of existing alarms so it’s easy to reproduce.

To clear the cache and data of the clock app, go to the phone’s Settings > Apps > Clock. Tap on Storage. Here you will find Clear cache and Clear storage/data button. Tap on Clear cache first. Restart your phone. If the problem persists, tap on Clear storage.

8. Uninstall Updates

The Clock app cannot be completely removed from your phone. But you can uninstall the latest updates and roll back to the factory version. This has come in handy for several users experiencing the same issue.

For this, go to Settings > Apps > Clock. Tap on the three-dot icon at the top and select Uninstall updates. Once installed, go to Play Store and update Clock app from My App. If there is no update, wait for a while and the app will be updated automatically.

9. Reset App Preferences

If nothing works, you should go ahead and reset app preferences. This does not delete any personal data. However, it will reset all settings on your phone to their default values. If there is a setting that disrupts the normal operation of the alarm, it should be corrected with this method.

To reset app preferences go to Settings > System > Reset options > Reset app preferences. On some phones, the setting can be found under Settings > Apps. Find out in detail in our guide the exact location of the setting and what happens when you reset app preferences.

Look for the Small Things

Sometimes we miss checking out the little things. For example, Bluetooth must be enabled and the sound may be coming from the connected headset. Even weirdly, some people expect the alarm to go off when their phone is turned off. That won’t happen, my dear friend. Lower your expectations.

Next: Stock Clock app throwing tantrums? Check out 5 great alternatives for your Android Clock app from the next link.