Can you make your own alarm sound iphone

Wake up and go to sleep to your favorite songs

Updated on April 17, 2022

What to Know

• Add music to alarm: Tap Clock app > Alarm > Plus (+) (or Edit > select alarm). Enter a time > tap Sound > pick a song.
• Set timer to stop music: Tap Clock app > Timer > set time length > When Timer Ends > Stop Playing > Set.
• Your Apple alarm clock only works with songs that are saved in the Music app on your iPhone.

This article explains how to set an alarm with music on iPhone iOS 6 and above, and how to set a timer to stop playing music on iPhone iOS 12 and above.

How to Add Music to an iPhone Alarm

Setting an alarm with music is done differently than setting ringtones on an iPhone. To make a music alarm, select the Clock app.

1. In the Clock app, select Alarm from the bottom menu bar.

2. Select the plus (+) sign to set up a new alarm.

   Or, to edit an existing alarm, tap Edit in the upper-left corner, then select the alarm to add music.

3. Select Sound. Then, under Songs, tap Pick a song.

4. From your Library, choose the song you want to set as the alarm sound.

5. In the upper-left corner, select Back, then select Save in the upper-right corner.

Set Up the Timer to Stop Music

The Clock app has a Stop Playing feature that automatically turns off any music, video clip, TV show, etc., that's playing on your iPhone. Start the Stop Playing timer, then turn on your music and doze off to your favorite tunes, confident that your iPhone will turn off the music when you want it to.

1. On the iPhone home screen, open the Clock app.

2. Choose Timer in the lower-right corner.

3. Use the two virtual spin wheels to set the countdown timer to play music. For example, to play the music for an hour, set the time to 1 hour.

4. Select When Timer Ends.

5. Scroll to the bottom of the screen and choose Stop Playing. Then, select Set in the upper-right corner to save your choice.

6. Go to the app where your music is, and start playing it.

7. Return to the Clock app and select Timer. Then, select Start to activate the timer.

8. The music stops playing automatically after the time you set elapses.

You must switch When Timer Ends back to a tone if you need to use your timer for other purposes and want to hear it go off.

Can't Find the Right Alarm Clock Song?

Your personal Apple alarm clock only works with songs that are saved to your phone in the iPhone Music app. Unfortunately, this means you can't set the iPhone alarm music to something from Spotify, Pandora, or other music streaming apps.

To make a specific song your alarm on iPhone, use Apple Music to purchase the song or sync your iPhone with your computer to transfer the song from iTunes to the iPhone.

You can also download free ringtones and make your own iPhone ringtones to use as custom alarm clock sounds.

How to Fix an iPhone Alarm That's Not Working

FAQ

• How do I make a Spotify song my alarm on iPhone?

  You'll need a third-party app and Spotify Premium to use a Spotify song as an alarm on your iPhone. For example, download the Alarm Clock for Spotify iPhone app. In the app, sign in to Spotify, go to the Alarms section, select Add, and choose a Spotify alarm song for your iPhone.

• How do I make a song my alarm on Android?

  On an Android device, open the Clock app, tap Alarm, and tap your current alarm sound to change it. Tap Add New and navigate to a song you've downloaded on your Android device. If you have YouTube Music, Pandora, or Spotify, you'll have the option to choose songs from these services.

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i Image courtesy of Apple.

Ringtones and alarms on the iPhone use the M4R audio format. If you already have an alarm tone in an M4A format, you can change the extension to make it compatible with your iPhone alarm. Apple ringtones and alarms are identified by the operating system because of the extension used. Changing the extension from M4A to M4R doesn't change the quality of the ringtone or alarm. Additionally, when creating an alarm, you must make sure the audio file doesn't exceed 30 seconds since only the first 30 seconds are available to your phone or alarm application. For longer alarms, select a song from your music library directly within the alarm settings on your iPhone.

Create an Alarm With iPhone Voice Memos

Step 1

Tap the "Voice Memos" app on your iPhone to make an alarm tone by recording audio.

Step 2

Tap the "Record" button and begin recording the sound you want for your ringtone. Make sure it doesn't exceed 30 seconds in length. Tap the "Stop" button when finished recording.

Step 3

Tap the "Speaker" icon and press the right arrow next to your recording. If you need to trim the recording, tap the "Trim Memo" option and use the sliders to select the beginning and end of the audio you want to cut.

Step 4

Tap "Share" and select "Email" to send the audio file to your computer by entering an email address and pressing "Send."

Step 5

Select the recording from your email message, right-click the attachment and select "Save As" to save it to your computer. Change the extension to ".m4r" and click the "Save" button.

Create an Alarm With GarageBand for Mac

Step 1

Click the "Go" menu, select "Applications" and choose "GarageBand" from the list of applications.

Step 2

Select the "iPhone Ringtone" option and select the "Loops" option to use pre-recorded sounds, or select "Voice" to record audio. Click "Create."

Step 3

Select a sound from the categories in the sidebar on the right and double-click a sound to preview it. When you find a sound you like, drag it to the location in the audio timeline that you want it to appear. Continue to edit your alarm tone by adding removing or manipulating your audio file. You can drag audio bytes and change the characters by double-clicking an audio excerpt in the timeline and choosing from the available editing options. Record live audio by clicking the "Record" button while singing or playing an instrument.

Step 4

Click "Share" and select "Send Ringtone to iTunes" when finished creating your ringtone.

Sync and Select an Alarm Tone on Your iPhone

Step 1

Launch iTunes by clicking the Windows "Start" menu and typing "iTunes" into the Search field. On a Mac, click the "iTunes" icon in the Dock.

Step 2

Drag the audio file you saved to your computer into the main iTunes window.

Step 3

Click the "Tones" tab and select the "Sync Tones" check box. Click "Apply" or "Sync" to send the alarm tone to your iPhone.

Step 4

Tap the "Clock" app on your iPhone and create an alarm by clicking the "+" button and setting the time options. Tap "Save" to save your alarm.

Step 5

Tap the "Sound" option in the Add Alarm settings and select your alarm tone from the list of ringtones. If you created an alarm, changed the file name to the "M4R" format and sync with iTunes. The alarm will appear in your list of ringtones. Alternatively, select "Pick a Song" from the Songs section and select a song from the songs available on your iPhone.

Step 6

Tap "Back" after previewing your alarm and tap "Save" to set the alarm.

References

Warnings

• Information in this article applies to Mac OS X Mountain Lion, Windows 7 and iPhone running iOS 6. It may vary slightly or significantly with other versions or products.

Writer Bio

Avery Martin holds a Bachelor of Music in opera performance and a Bachelor of Arts in East Asian studies. As a professional writer, she has written for Education.com, Samsung and IBM. Martin contributed English translations for a collection of Japanese poems by Misuzu Kaneko. She has worked as an educator in Japan, and she runs a private voice studio out of her home. She writes about education, music and travel.