Alarm clock doesn't work when phone is switched off

Yeah, this issue has happened to me quite a few times over my period of ownership of iPhones. Just today I woke up 2 hours after I was supposed to be at work, only to see the screen that shows when the alarm is sounding, with the whole "snooze" button etc., but no sound being made.

Usually I set a bunch of alarms, say every 15-20 minutes for a certain period that I want to be up (as sometimes I'll sleep through the alarm since I'm a pretty heavy sleeper usually). Most of the time it works out fine, but I've had this issue come up enough times that I'm going to have to buy a dedicated alarm clock, even though I hugely prefer the convenience of setting up multiple alarm times on the iPhone :\

I was thinking that it happens when an alarm is left ringing and isn't stopped, and then another alarm sounds, and also isn't stopped, and eventually the iPhone just stops sounding the alarm. I don't know if it's a bug or if it's an intended feature so that the vibration function and the speaker don't get ruined by being blasted for a super long time...

I'm with you Scottyman2k. I slept in this morning and was late for work - luckily no meetings this morning. I don't want to leave it in standby as it still uses juice. Every other phone I have owned has this basic ability to switch itself on even when they are turned off. I was gobsmacked to find this feature not available on the whizz-bang iPhone. While I know there are some features it doesn't have (like Nokia's nice hardware switches), I would expect such a basic function like this alarm capability to be available. The fact that so many people have been caught out by it says a lot about what people have come to expect from mobile phones in general.

Concerning the meaning of the word "off".

The difference between the other phones and the iPhone is, that OFF means OFF for the iPhone.

When you turn a BB off this really means to put the device in some kind of deep sleep mode. When you would physically turn off a BB it would take several minutes for it to boot up! All these devices still use power when turned off - except the iPhone. So it is really a completely different implementation method of turning the devices off.

Sorry to disagree, but I don't believe that off really means "off" as you describe. A couple of examples; If I have turned my phone "off", then plug it into the charger it turns itself back "on" automatically, something a phone with an actual "off" switch wouldn't do. As another example, the same applications are running when I turn the phone "on" as were running when I turned the phone "off", another indication that off is not really "off". Would that still happen if I were able to unplug the battery and then plug it back in? Probably not. Maybe this is just an excuse by Apple as to why they haven't fixed the problem?

It turens itself back on because it detects a power source. Short of this, it is not possible for the phone to power itself on. Apps can resume their position. The state is saved when the phone is shut down.

It's not a "problem" that needs fixed. It's by design.

"but I don't believe that off really means "off" as you describe."

You are wrong. Off is off.

" If I have turned my phone "off", then plug it into the charger it turns itself back "on" automatically"

True it was off. The connection to a power source turns it on.

Off is off.

If you want to believe that, go ahead. Doesn't matter, the bottom line is that the iPhone alarm not working the way most people need it to is the problem, whether by design limitation or whatever. I gave up on Apple fixing this deficiency and bought an alarm clock, as I am sure many others have done. Maybe in the next version of the phone if enough people complain...

Can't beleive this lack of functionality...... I have just bought my 1st phone an Iphone4 after having the limited edition Nokia Brick company phone for many a year.

Set the alarm, switched the phone off as I didn't't want to be disturbed during the eraly hours and lo-and-behold I'm late for my meeting......

Come on Apple this should be a basic.....

Just my opinion.

Have you read the thread? This is not a lack of functionality and there is nothing to fix.

To be honest I had read the thread but may be I missed something because I was sure that I couldn't' simply set the alarm on this phone and then switch the phone off. Well I can but I won't hear the alarm as it won't go off.... Nice feature.... I wonder if there are any more features that I can use that don't work.... Please let me know.... Should have stuck with my European model instead of this Chinese crap

Until I read this thread it had never occurred to me that someone would set an alarm and then turn the phone off. Off as in OFF, not as in asleep or hibernating or whatever. On the iPhone, off means off. Why in the world anyone would think a phone is supposed to boot itself back up just to sound an alarm is beyond me. The iPhone has been designed this way since the first one was introduced. I use the alarm most every day and it works fine. I have notifications set to vibrate at night. If the phone rings I will hear it because the vibration pattern is quite annoying and loud, especially the way I have the phone setting on my nightstand. Otherwise, I don't hear the other vibrating notifications, and the alarm wakes me just fine in the morning.

I agree with the OP and as for people saying off means off, what a lot of rot. Every phone I've ever had has had this function. Also as for switching to flight mode I'll say that apple is really off the ball here same goes for wifi I can't believe there is still not a widget to turn that stuff on and off. You still have to navigate a settings menu. Which brings me to my next point, they haven't released any widgets for the notifications centre. I close in saying this, I am bored with the iPhone and can't wait to get my new sony Xperia.

You are entitled to your opinion. As for it being "a lot of rot". It's not. It's fact. If you don't like it, go get something else. Then you can troll thier forums instead.

I'm not trolling. I don't like it and if you cared to read my post I did say that I'm getting something else. Have fun living in the dark ages.

A lot of phones/smartphones do have this "basic" function of having alarm clock running while the cell is completely switched off. That's what we need to avoid calls while sleeping, simple as that!. If you do have your iPhone on to have the alarm running, the battery will die the next morning!