Can anyone tell me if iOS 18 fixes the issue of Siri setting a timer instead of an alarm?
I used to be able to tell Siri to set an alarm for x minutes/hours, etc, and it did as requested, but after iOS 17 it only sets timers unless I give it an exact time.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
iPhone SE, iOS 17
Even with iOS 18, Siri remains stubbornly fixated on timers when you mention durations like “30 minutes”—a quirk that started in iOS 17 and still irks users. Imagine Siri as a timekeeping stickler: she’ll only craft an alarm if you hand her a *specific moment* (e.g., “4:00 PM”), not a countdown. To avoid confusion, treat her like a precision-obsessed chef—serve exact times, not vague simmering periods.
Even with iOS 18, Siri remains stubbornly fixated on timers when you mention durations like “30 minutes”—a quirk that started in iOS 17 and still irks users. Imagine Siri as a timekeeping stickler: she’ll only craft an alarm if you hand her a *specific moment* (e.g., “4:00 PM”), not a countdown. To avoid confusion, treat her like a precision-obsessed chef—serve exact times, not vague simmering periods.
No, iOS 18 doesn’t fix it. I just started having this issue after replacing my Apple Watch series 3 with a series 10 — which required me to upgrade my iPhone from iOS 17 to 18 to pair them. I’ve only ever used my watch to ask for alarms, not my phone, so in my case I imagine the older WatchOS 8 may have kept me from seeing this issue under iOS 17.
I actually still can get an alarm when it’s more than 1 hour away. I just tested, asking to set an alarm for 59 minutes or one hour sets a timer, whereas one hour and one minute sets an alarm.
I suggest you ignore anyone forgiving Siri’s current behavior here. You ask for an alarm, you should get an alarm. When you tap the Alarms app, you wouldn’t accept it if the Timers app launched instead. They are distinct functions that should each be accessible with a single command. I appreciate the workaround suggested here by IdrisSeabright; however, I will still be annoyed every time by the paid downgrade and the extra hassle.
As Lawrence suggested, I’m going to send Apple feedback, and I hope you did, or will, too.
This wasn't an issue prior to iOS 17--Siri always set an alarm when I asked for an alarm for a certain amount of time. There's a thread on it that was started after the 17 update: "iOS 17: Siri Substitutes a Timer for Alarm."
I don't always know what the exact time is. When I would be working in the kitchen or carrying a load of laundry, it was easy to ask Siri to set the alarm for 10 minutes or 45 minutes and it would do so. Alarms can be snoozed which I find preferable to the timers.
It seems clear from the responses that it's still an issue on 18 which answers my question.
srressler wrote:
I don't always know what the exact time is. When I would be working in the kitchen or carrying a load of laundry, it was easy to ask Siri to set the alarm for 10 minutes or 45 minutes and it would do so. Alarms can be snoozed which I find preferable to the timers.
"Siri, what time will it be in 45 minutes?" "Siri, set an alarm for <time given as answer to previous question>."
I don’t know what there is to fix. If I say “Siri, set an alarm for 4 pm” it sets an alarm. If I say ”set an alarm for 10 minutes” it creates a timer. As far back as I can remember (back to the date that Siri was introduced) it has always worked that way. If you want an alarm say the time you want the alarm.
I don’t remember it starting in iOS 17. As far as I can remember it has always worked that way. But if it was changed, it was intentional, not a bug. As there is a trivial workaround I don’t see any problem.
If you think it should work differently you can let Apple know. The best place to suggest something to Apple is here→Product Feedback - Apple
This is a user-to-user forum, with minimal Apple moderation only, so posting here accomplishes nothing.
srressler wrote:
Can anyone tell me if iOS 18 fixes the issue of Siri setting a timer instead of an alarm?
I used to be able to tell Siri to set an alarm for x minutes/hours, etc, and it did as requested, but after iOS 17 it only sets timers unless I give it an exact time.
[Re-Titled by Moderator]
I'm not sure I understand the issue here. If you ask for an alarm in x minutes, you are setting a timer. If you ask for an Alarm at a specific time, you are setting an alarm.
In either scenario, you will get an alert at the time you want.
LD150 wrote:
What difference does it make if it still wakes you up?
The OP wants a timer but one that can be snoozed. The built in timer doesn't snooze.
Personally, I set a timer and if I really need more time (and nothing is about to burn), I just set another time for the additional minutes.
LD150 wrote:
It was intended to be tongue-in-cheek 😉 I wouldn't trust Siri to do anything important anyway.
Ah! I should have known. ;-)
I regularly ask Siri to set alarms. And timers. It has proven reliable for me. But, maybe I'm nicer to Siri.
flyleaf wrote:
To be fair, the OP is asking the community their experience with this under iOS 18. If people would simply focus on that, posting here would certainly accomplish what was asked.
To be fair they got answers early on. You get from Siri precisely what you ask for, don't be ambiguous and you'll be fine.
LD150 wrote:
flyleaf wrote:
To be fair, the OP is asking the community their experience with this under iOS 18. If people would simply focus on that, posting here would certainly accomplish what was asked.
To be fair they got answers early on. You get from Siri precisely what you ask for, don't be ambiguous and you'll be fine.
Completely off topic here, but your post with the word iconography was perhaps the best response to that sorry topic yet!
lobsterghost1 wrote:
Completely off topic here, but your post with the word iconography was perhaps the best response to that sorry topic yet!
😂 Hope it wasn't too strong, the thread seems to have disappeared , good riddance.
Thank you very much for the straight answer.
What's the point of "Ask the Community" if no one can bother to just answer with a simple yes or no. I don't understand how this question, which was a huge thread right after the iOS 17 release, triggered a few unnecessary commenters who are clearly not affected by the change.
I completely agree with your point when asking for an alarm. This is a function I use often, and I shouldn't have to add extra steps to what used to be a simple 1-step task prior to the previous update. I did send Apple feedback a few times after iOS 17. I guess I'll try again.
LD150 wrote:
lobsterghost1 wrote:
Completely off topic here, but your post with the word iconography was perhaps the best response to that sorry topic yet!
😂 Hope it wasn't too strong, the thread seems to have disappeared , good riddance.
I didn't get away with it second time around.
srressler wrote:
Thank you very much for the straight answer.
What's the point of "Ask the Community" if no one can bother to just answer with a simple yes or no.
No point in us sympathising when you expect Siri to understand an ambiguous (look it up) command.
Does iOS 18 fix the issue of Siri setting a timer instead of an alarm?
