Alarm clock doesn't work when phone is switched off

Question

Level 1

0 points

Alarm clock doesn't work when phone is switched off

Hi guys
When I'm travelling, I like to use my phone as an alarm, and after switching away from using a CrackBerry to an iPhone, I've found that the Alarm function doens't work when I switch the phone off.
I'm running iOS 4.1, and I'm somewhat surprised that setting the Alarm doesn't trigger the phone to wake up. This strikes me as a particularly silly oversight as just about every phone I've ever had (aside from a rubbish Motorola about 15 years ago) has always turned itself on when setting an alarm.

Corei7, Windows 7

Posted on Oct 21, 2010 2:46 PM

Reply

Answer 1

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Oct 21, 2010 2:59 PM in response to scottyman2k

Well, with an iPhone, off means exactly that: Off. This is not an oversight, this is the way the phone is designed.

Reply

Answer 2

Oct 21, 2010 3:00 PM in response to scottyman2k

I've found that the Alarm function doens't work when I switch the phone off.

"Off", somewhat surprisingly, means "Off". If you want the phone on (so the alarm will work), but don't want to receive calls or messages, use Airplane mode.

Reply

Answer 3

scottyman2k Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 21, 2010 3:10 PM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

Yes, and when I'm using my Blackberry or a Nokia - Off also means off - it doesn't preclude predefined events turning the phone "On" again - like for example an Alarm clock.
You're suggesting that not only do I leave my phone on every night, I also have to remember to turn on airplane mode every night so that I don't get woken by calls/texts/emails or other events?

Reply

Answer 4

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Oct 21, 2010 3:14 PM in response to scottyman2k

The alarm works on silent mode, the switch on the upper left side of your phone.

Reply

Answer 5

Oct 21, 2010 3:19 PM in response to wjosten

The alarm works on silent mode, the switch on the upper left side of your phone.

But it will still vibrate for other alerts (unless vibrate is disabled).

Reply

Answer 6

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Oct 21, 2010 3:24 PM in response to Malcolm Rayfield

I think the OP needs to read the User Guide, otherwise we'll be posting the whole thing here: 😉

http://manuals.info.apple.com/enUS/iPhone_iOS4_UserGuide.pdf

Reply

Answer 7

scottyman2k Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 21, 2010 3:37 PM in response to wjosten

I agree that it's entirely possible to change half a dozen settings on my phone to get it to trigger an ad hoc alarm:
a. set it to silent
b. disable vibrations
c. set an alarm
or for a daily alarm:
1. set a repeating alarm
repeat steps a and b every night until I get so frustrated with the process that I throw the iphone out the window - then I go back to my Blackberry or move to Android
My point is that I can set a daily alarm, and automatically turn my blackberry off at 11pm every night (and on again at 6am if I so desire) which is fairly basic functionality that I would expect to be present.

In the userguide under Alarm, I don't see anything to indicate that the iPhone does not provide basic alarm functionality, more that it limits functionality that most reasonable users would expect to be present

Reply

Answer 8

wjosten

Level 10

95,321 points

Oct 21, 2010 3:44 PM in response to scottyman2k

Ya know, no device meets every consumer's wants, needs or desires. In your case, this is the way the iPhone is designed/works. If this is a huge shortcoming in your view, fine, sell the phone & purchase a device that meets your needs.

Reply

Answer 9

Oct 22, 2010 1:32 AM in response to scottyman2k

The truth is that there are lots of things that you can do easily on a Blackberry that you cannot do on an Iphone. What you have to weigh up is whether the whole user experience on an Iphone is better for you than a BB or not.

I had both BB Storms and loved them. I now have my first apple phone and love that as well, although its many restrictions are annoying. I use it for many more things than the BB as it is more 'I' than phone. So I overlook its many shortcomings and enjoy it for what it is.

Reply

Answer 10

ScuseMe

Level 2

222 points

Oct 22, 2010 7:44 AM in response to jeffkinn_uk

I agree completely. I have a Blackberry Tour and an iPhone 3GS/4. Both have their strengths and weaknesses. Since I'm not using my smartphones for business purposes, I find that the iPhone paradigm is much more suited to my lifestyle than Blackberry's.

As always, it's only you who can determine what you like.

Reply

Answer 11

sn4p2k

Level 4

1,228 points

Oct 22, 2010 10:54 AM in response to scottyman2k

I dont see this as a big deal at all if I turn the phone off I want it off no alarms no nothing

Reply

Answer 12

Oct 22, 2010 11:25 AM in response to sn4p2k

When you migrate to the Iphone from other platforms and find that your favourite function doesn't work any more, it is very annoying. Thus you might not see it as a big deal but someone else clearly does. There are many functions that are common on other phones that are signally absent from the Iphone and they should be available to us. Top of the list is the customisation of Text message alerts. I continue to find this annoying but it clearly isn't a big deal to many other users.

Reply

Answer 13

Buffoire

Level 1

0 points

Jan 12, 2011 5:51 AM in response to scottyman2k

This problem has been buggin me for a while. It came to me last night and I believe if you switch the phone to airplane mode (flight mode), the alarm features will still work, however you won't be woken by emails, calls, skype or whatever during the night.

Reply

Answer 14

Oct 11, 2011 9:17 AM in response to Buffoire

I'm sort of stunned at the hostility shown in this thread. This is a feature that is available on most old phones even let alone smartphones.

First, expecting people to do a manual process for anything means that by definition it is a broken promise. The one night you forget to do this is the same night that you have a big meeting the next day. You might also forget to take it out of standby so you could say miss an urgent call.

Second, this feature might not be a big deal if your job involves saying, do you want fries with that or doesn't require advanced degrees and a lot of experience. Some of us have high level, high paying jobs and don't want to be woken by people in other time zones.

Third, here is what Apple would have to do to make this feature work. When you set up an alarm, an on/off slider than says, "Should this alarm turn on your phone if it is off." That's it. No need for all of the hositility.

Reply

Answer 15

jkovaly

Level 1

0 points

Oct 30, 2011 6:30 PM in response to smarterthanyou

Agreed. In fact, I have forgotten to take the phone out of airplane mode after the alarm went off in the morning, and several times have missed important calls. I guess I'll just keep using my old alarm clock until Apple fixes this. In fact, I would be happy with an on/off slider that says "should this alarm exit airplane mode"

Reply