How to Change the Alarm Sound on Your iPhone?

If you’re like me, you’ve probably been jolted awake by the default iPhone alarm sound, “Radar,” more times than you can count. It’s effective, but it’s not exactly the most pleasant way to start the day. The good news is that you’re not stuck with it. Customizing your alarm sound is a simple process that can make your mornings a little more personal and a lot less jarring.

Whether you want to wake up to a calmer default tone or your favorite song, I’ll walk you through all the options. We’ll cover how to change the alarm sound on your iPhone using the built-in sounds, songs from your music library, and even how to find brand new ones.

The Standard Method: Changing Your Alarm in the Clock App

This is the most direct way to switch things up. Your iPhone comes pre-loaded with dozens of different ringtones and alarm sounds you can choose from.

Here’s the step-by-step breakdown:

1. Open the Clock App: Find and tap the Clock icon on your Home Screen or in your App Library.
2. Go to the Alarm Tab: Look at the bottom of the screen and tap on “Alarm.”
3. Select Your Alarm: In the top-left corner, tap “Edit.” Then, tap on the alarm you want to change. If you’re creating a new one, tap the “+” button instead.
4. Tap on “Sound”: This will take you to the sound selection menu.
5. Choose a New Sound: You can now browse through the list of “Ringtones” and pick one that you like. Tapping on a sound will play a preview.
6. Save Your Changes: Once you’ve found a sound you like, tap “Back” and then make sure to tap “Save” in the top-right corner.

A quick tip: While you’re in the “Sound” menu, you’ll also see an option for “Haptics.” This allows you to change the vibration pattern that plays with your alarm, or turn it off entirely by selecting “None.”

Waking Up to Your Favorite Jam: Setting a Song as Your Alarm

If the built-in sounds don’t do it for you, why not wake up to music you actually love? You can easily set a song as your alarm, but how you do it depends on where your music comes from.

Using a Song from Apple Music

If you have an active Apple Music subscription, you have millions of songs at your disposal.

Follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the “Sound” menu for your alarm using the same steps described above (Clock > Alarm > Edit > Select Alarm > Sound).
2. At the top of the list, under the “SONGS” section, tap “Pick a song.”
3. This will open your music library. You can now browse your downloaded songs, artists, albums, or playlists to find the perfect track.
4. Once you select a song, it will be set as your new alarm sound. Just remember to tap “Back” and then “Save.”

Important: The song must be downloaded to your iPhone for it to work reliably as an alarm, especially if your phone is in Airplane Mode or has a poor internet connection overnight.

Using a Song Purchased from the iTunes Store

Don’t have Apple Music? No problem. If you’ve purchased songs from the iTunes Store, they are yours to use. The process is identical to the Apple Music method. When you tap “Pick a song,” your purchased tracks will be available to select from your library.

What about Spotify, YouTube Music, etc.?
Unfortunately, due to iOS restrictions, you cannot directly set a song from Spotify or other third-party streaming services as your alarm sound using the native Clock app. The functionality is limited to Apple Music and purchased iTunes tracks.

Finding Something New: The iTunes Tone Store

If you want a unique sound effect, a clip from a movie, or a specific type of chime that isn’t available by default, the Tone Store is your next stop. Here, you can purchase custom tones for a small fee (usually around $0.99 to $1.29).

To access it, go to the alarm’s “Sound” settings page and tap “Tone Store.” This will open a special section of the iTunes Store where you can browse and buy thousands of short audio clips perfect for alarms or ringtones. Once purchased, they will appear at the top of your Ringtones list.

More Than Just Sound: Volume and the Sleep Schedule

Getting your alarm just right involves more than just the sound itself. The volume and the type of alarm you’re setting also play a huge role.

Adjusting the Alarm Volume

Ever noticed your alarm is either way too loud or barely audible? This is a common issue. Your iPhone’s alarm volume is tied to the “Ringer and Alerts” volume.

You can adjust this in two ways:

• Fixed Volume: Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics. Turn the toggle for “Change with Buttons” OFF. Now, the volume slider on this screen is your master volume for all alerts, including your alarm. It won’t be affected by the side volume buttons.
• Variable Volume: If you turn “Change with Buttons” ON, your side volume buttons will control the ringer and alarm volume when you’re not playing other media.

For more details on these settings, you can check out Apple’s official support page on sounds and haptics.

The “Sleep | Wake Up” Alarm is Different

If you use the Sleep Schedule feature in the Apple Health app, you might have noticed its alarm is separate from the ones in the Clock app. To change this specific alarm:

1. Open the Health app.
2. Tap Browse > Sleep.
3. Scroll down to “Your Schedule” and tap “Full Schedule & Options.”
4. Tap “Edit” for the schedule you want to modify.
5. Under “Alarm Options,” you can change the “Sounds & Haptics.”

The sounds available here are generally gentler and designed to wake you up more gradually than a standard alarm.

Wake Up Your Way

There’s no reason to stick with an alarm sound you don’t like. As you can see, it’s incredibly easy to change the alarm sound on your iPhone to better suit your style. By taking a few minutes to explore the Clock and Health apps, you can customize your tones, songs, and vibration patterns to create a much more pleasant wake-up experience. Go ahead and give your morning routine a personalized audio upgrade.