Where to find alarm sounds on your iPhone

Open the Clock app on your home screen, tap the Alarm tab at the bottom, then tap Edit in the upper left. Find the alarm you want to change and tap it. Scroll down to the Sound section — that's where you pick a new alarm tone.

When you tap Sound, your iPhone shows a list of built-in alarm sounds. Each one plays a few seconds when you tap it, so you can hear what it sounds like before you commit. Once you find one you like, tap it to select it, then tap Save at the top right of the screen.

Key Takeaways

  • The Clock app's Alarm tab is where you change which sound plays when your alarm goes off.
  • You can pick from dozens of built-in tones, and tapping each one plays a preview so you know what you're choosing.
  • If you want a song from your music library as an alarm, you can use the Sounds app instead of the Clock app on newer iPhones.
  • Changing the alarm sound does not affect notification sounds or ringtone sounds — each one is separate.

Using songs from your music library as alarm sounds

On iPhone 15 and newer, you can set a song from Apple Music or your personal music library as an alarm tone. Open the Sounds app, go to Alarm Sounds, tap Create, and choose a song. Name it, set the fade-in time, and save it. Then in the Clock app, that custom sound appears in your Sound list.

On older iPhones, the Clock app's Sound menu only shows Apple's built-in tones. You cannot use your own music directly from the Clock app, but you can use a workaround: create a ringtone in GarageBand or a similar app, save it to your phone, and it will appear in the Clock app's Sound list.

What happens if you don't hear your alarm

If you changed the alarm sound but it doesn't play when the alarm goes off, check whether your phone is in Silent mode. The physical mute switch on the left side of your iPhone silences alarms — flip it so the orange stripe is not showing. Alarms will sound even if your volume is turned all the way down, but they will not sound if Silent mode is on.

Also check that you actually saved the change. After you tap a new sound in the Clock app, you must tap Save at the top right, or the old sound stays active. If you're still not hearing anything, restart your iPhone and try the alarm again.

Built-in alarm sounds and what they sound like

Apple includes about 30 alarm tones with every iPhone. Some are gentle and gradual — like Radar, which starts quiet and builds slowly — while others are loud and sudden from the start, like Alarm or Siren. Bells, Chimes, and Marimba are in the middle: noticeable but not jarring.

You don't have to guess. When you're in the Sound menu of the Clock app, tap any tone and it plays for a few seconds. This is the best way to find one that will actually wake you up without startling you so badly that you hit snooze by reflex.

Changing the alarm sound for just one alarm

Each alarm on your iPhone can have a different sound. In the Clock app, tap Edit, then tap the alarm you want to change. Scroll to Sound and pick a new tone. When you save, only that alarm changes — your other alarms keep their original sounds.

This is useful if you have a gentle alarm for weekends and a louder one for work mornings, or if you want to use different sounds to tell alarms apart at a glance. You can also change the label (the name of the alarm) to help you remember which is which.

Why your alarm sound might be different than you remember

If you updated your iPhone to a new version of iOS, Apple sometimes changes which sound is the default for new alarms. You might also have accidentally changed it while adjusting other settings. The easiest fix is to go back into the Clock app, find the alarm, and pick the sound you want.

If you set a custom song as your alarm and it disappeared after an update, the song may have been removed from your music library or your subscription ended. Check whether the song is still in Apple Music or your phone's storage, and if it is, create the custom alarm again in the Sounds app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a song from Spotify as my alarm sound?

No. The Clock app only recognizes songs in Apple Music, songs you own and have downloaded to your phone, or Apple's built-in tones. Spotify songs cannot be set as alarms because the app doesn't give other apps access to them that way.

Will changing my alarm sound affect my ringtone or text notifications?

No. Alarm sounds, ringtones, and notification sounds are completely separate. You can change your alarm sound without touching anything else. If you want to change your ringtone or notification sounds, you do that in Settings under Sounds & Haptics.

What if I want the same alarm sound on multiple alarms?

You can set the same sound on as many alarms as you want. Just go into each alarm one at a time, tap Sound, pick the tone you want, and save. There's no way to change multiple alarms at once, but it only takes a few seconds per alarm.

Can I delete a built-in alarm sound I don't like?

No. Apple's built-in tones cannot be removed from your phone. You can ignore them and use a different one instead. If you create a custom alarm sound in the Sounds app, you can delete that one by swiping left on it and tapping Delete.