iPhone Sleep/Wake Up alarm snooze sounds on Apple Watch instead of iPhone

Question

imdmdmd Author

Level 1

11 points

iPhone Sleep/Wake Up alarm snooze sounds on Apple Watch instead of iPhone

I’m having a reproducible problem with the Sleep Schedule/Wake Up alarm on my iPhone.

My setup:

● iPhone 18 Plus running iOS 27.0.1

● Apple Watch Series 12 running watchOS 27.0.1

● Sleep Schedule/Wake Up alarm configured on the iPhone

● “Always Play on iPhone” is turned ON

● Watch app → Clock → “Push Alerts from iPhone” is turned OFF

● I do NOT wear my Apple Watch while sleeping; it is off my wrist overnight

What happens:

1. My Sleep/Wake Up alarm initially goes off normally on my iPhone in the morning.

2. I tap Snooze on the iPhone.

3. The iPhone remains in Sleep Focus, as expected.

4. When the snooze interval expires, the alarm does not sound again on the iPhone.

5. Instead, the alarm is sounding on my Apple Watch, which I am not wearing.

This means that if the first alarm does not fully wake me up, I can miss the snoozed alarm entirely.

I would expect the snoozed alarm to sound again on the iPhone, particularly since Always Play on iPhone is enabled and Push Alerts from iPhone to the Watch is disabled.

Both devices are fully updated to 27.0.1.

Has anyone else seen this behavior with iOS 27/watchOS 27? Is there another setting that controls where the snoozed Sleep/Wake Up alarm sounds, or does this appear to be a bug in the Sleep alarm handoff between iPhone and Apple Watch?

I’m especially interested in whether anyone can reproduce this sequence:

Sleep/Wake alarm sounds on iPhone → Snooze on iPhone → snoozed alarm sounds only on Apple Watch

iPhone 18 Pro, iOS 27

Posted on Oct 22, 2026 4:33 AM

Reply

Answer 1

SravanKrA

Level 10

451,624 points

Oct 22, 2026 6:15 AM in response to imdmdmd

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Get a Genius Bar Reservation and Apple Support Options - Apple

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Reply

Answer 2

SravanKrA

Level 10

451,624 points

Oct 22, 2026 6:20 AM in response to imdmdmd

When your Sleep Schedule is enabled, it is normal for Sleep Focus to remain on after you snooze your alarm. Sleep Focus does not necessarily turn off immediately when you wake up or snooze the alarm; its behaviour depends on your Sleep Schedule and settings.

However, if your Apple Watch sounds an alarm again after the snooze period expires, even when you are not wearing the watch, that is unexpected behaviour and needs further investigation.

Could you please clarify a few things?

Do you have multiple Apple Watches paired with your iPhone?
Is the Apple Watch that sounds the alarm being worn, or is it left off your wrist?
Does the alarm sound on both your iPhone and Apple Watch, or only on the watch?

These details will help us understand how the alarm is being handled between your iPhone and Apple Watch and narrow down the possible cause.

Reply

Answer 3

SravanKrA

Level 10

451,624 points

Oct 22, 2026 6:18 AM in response to imdmdmd

For the sleep schedules you set, a Sleep Focus helps reduce distractions before and during bedtime. For example, it can filter out notifications and phone calls ...Read more

Set up sleep in Health on iPhone

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Answer 4

imdmdmd Author

Level 1

11 points

Oct 22, 2026 7:38 AM in response to SravanKrA

Thanks. To clarify, the questions in your reply are already addressed in my original post. I have one Apple Watch, it is not being worn, and the initial alarm sounds on the iPhone. The specific problem is that after I press Snooze on the iPhone, the snoozed alarm subsequently sounds only on the Apple Watch despite “Always Play on iPhone” being enabled. I’m trying to determine whether anyone can reproduce that specific behavior on iOS/watchOS 27.0.1.

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