At some point, the default alarm sound on your iPhone might stop waking you up every morning. You either
tune it out, or it just gets very annoying. Here’s how to change the alarm sound on your iPhone to any song or tone that you prefer. Start by opening the “Clock” app on your iPhone and selecting the “Alarm” tab.
RELATED: Wake Up Groggy or Grumpy? Scientists Say Skip the Traditional Alarm
Here, make sure you can see the alarm you want to customize. Tap the “Edit” button in the top-left corner of the screen.
Now, select the alarm you want to customize.
From the alarm customization screen, choose the “Sound” option.
You have two options to choose from: You can either use one of the available ringtones or choose a song from your phone’s audio library (or Apple Music).
Swipe down to the “Ringtones” section and tap a ringtone to hear a preview and to select it. If you don’t like any of the ringtones, you can select the “Tone Store” button to browse ringtones from the iTunes Store that you can buy and download to your iPhone.
If you don’t like one of the available ringtones, local options are your best bet. From the “Songs” section, tap “Pick a Song.”
From the next screen, you can choose to browse through your library, or you can directly search for a song. Once you find a track you like, tap to select it.
Once your selection is done, tap the “Back” button.
Finally, tap “Save” to save your alarm with the custom sound.
The next time your alarm rings, you’ll be woken up with your new customized ringtone.
If you still find you’re missing alarms, take a look at our guide on how to make sure the iPhone alarm wakes you up.
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By Amy Spitzfaden–Both Updated 08/31/2020 Apple’s default iPhone alarm sound might be too harsh if you prefer softer sounds or too gentle if you’re hard of hearing. Fortunately, it's easy to change the alarm sound on an iPhone is easy. Here’s how to change the
alarm sound on an iPhone using Apple’s ringtones, Apple Music, or iTunes ringtones. Related: How to Change the Default Snooze Time on the iPhone You can easily change the default alarm tone on your iPhone in the Alarm tab in the Clock app by editing an existing alarm or setting a
new one. You can also change the snooze time on your iPhone's alarm if you're having a hard time waking up! Here's how to change the alarm sound on your iPhone:How to Change the Alarm Sound on an iPhone
- Open the Clock app.
- Go to Alarm.
- Tap Edit to change an existing alarm.
- Or
set a new alarm on your iPhone by tapping the + icon.
- If you are editing an existing alarm, tap the alarm you want to choose a new tone
for.
- Tap Sound.
- Here, you have three different options for changing
the alarm sound on your iPhone: Choose a new iPhone alarm clock ringtone, a song from your Music Library, or purchase a new alarm sound from the iTunes Tone Store. Scroll down for instructions on how to choose each of these.
- Every time you create a new alarm, the default will become whichever ringtone you chose last.
How to Change the Alarm Sound to a Different iPhone Alarm Clock Tone
For a simple tone, use your iPhone's built-in alarm clock ringtones.
- In the Sound menu, scroll down to Ringtones. Already purchased and downloaded tones will be at the top of the list. Below that will be Apple's other alarm clock ringtones.
- Tap on each ringtone to hear a preview.
- Choose the ringtone you like; a check will appear next to it.
- Tap Back.
- Tap Save in the top right corner. It’ll take you back to the main page, and your alarm should be set.
How to Change the iPhone Alarm Sound to a Song
Here’s how to change the alarm sound on your iPhone with Apple Music. If you don't have an Apple Music subscription, you will be limited to your purchased songs.
- Choose one of the songs already in your list of songs or tap Pick a song.
- This takes you to your Music Library.
- Find the song you want to use.
- Tap
the + sign on the right and it will turn into a check mark.
- Your phone will take you back to the Sound page and there will be a check mark next to the song you chose.
- Tap Back.
- Tap Save on the top right corner. It’ll take you back to the main page, and your alarm should be set.
How to Purchase a New Alarm Clock Ringtone on Your iPhone
You can buy alarm clock ringtones from the Tone Store (in the iTunes app) for your iPhone alarm sound. However, you pay for an iPhone alarm sound instead of using Apple’s free alarm clock ringtones.
- Tap
Tone Store.
- Then tap More on the bottom right.
- At the top, choose Tones.
- On the Tones page, scroll down to choose a tone to preview and purchase.
- For easier browsing, choose from one of the Quick Links options like '80s Ringtones.
- Purchase the song and go back to the Clock app.
- Tap Download All purchased Tones and your purchase should show up under Ringtones.
- Choose the song.
- Tap Back.
- Tap Save on the top right corner. It’ll take you back to the main page, and your alarm should be set.
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Author Details
Amy Spitzfaden Both is a Feature Writer at iPhone Life, an award-winning novelist, and an iPhone enthusiast. Over the past decade, her work in the publishing industry has included live coverage of industry events including the Yale Publishing Course and Magazine Innovation’s ACT 9 Experience, providing editing services for several start-up publishing houses, and acting as newsstand consultant for magazines such as The Old Farmer’s Almanac and The
New York Review of Books. She graduated from M.I.U. with a Bachelor’s in Literature and Writing, and has gone on to publish two novels and two short stories. Her debut novel Untold won the 2014 Chelson Award for Fiction.
Writing everything from book reviews to skincare tips, Amy discovered a passion for bringing exciting and useful information to even the most casual researcher. The mix of usability and endless possibilities is what drew her to Apple products originally, and the
more she learns, the more she loves.
Amy lives in New Hampshire with her husband and daughter. When she’s not writing or glued to her iPhone, she enjoys hiking, traveling, and creating her own tea blends.
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