Open Settings, tap Sounds & Haptics, then choose a new alarm sound

To change your iPhone alarm ringtone, you need to go into the Sounds & Haptics menu in Settings. This is where your phone stores all the audio choices for alerts, notifications, and alarms. The steps are the same whether you use iPhone 14, iPhone 15, or earlier models—the menu location hasn't changed in recent years.

Start by opening the Settings app (the grey gear icon on your home screen). Scroll down and tap Sounds & Haptics. You'll see a list of different alert types. Look for the one labeled Alarm—it's separate from your ringtone, text tone, and notification sounds. Tap it, and you'll see a list of built-in alarm sounds to choose from.

Select whichever sound appeals to you. Your phone will play a preview so you can hear what it sounds like before you confirm. Once you've picked one, tap the back arrow or swipe back, and your new alarm sound is saved automatically. You don't need to hit a "save" button—the change takes effect right away.

Key Takeaways

  • The alarm sound setting is in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Alarm, not in the Clock app itself.
  • iPhone comes with about 25 built-in alarm sounds, and you can preview each one before choosing.
  • Your choice applies to all alarms on your phone unless you customize individual alarms inside the Clock app.
  • If you want a custom sound from your music library or a downloaded tone, you'll need to set it per alarm in the Clock app rather than globally in Settings.

Why the alarm sound is separate from your ringtone

Your iPhone keeps alarm sounds in a different menu from your ringtone because they serve different purposes. Your ringtone is what plays when someone calls you. Your alarm sound is what wakes you up or reminds you of an appointment. Apple designed it this way so you can have a loud, attention-grabbing alarm without changing the sound of incoming calls.

The Sounds & Haptics menu controls the default sound for all your alarms at once. If you change it here, every alarm you've set will use the new sound—unless you've customized individual alarms, which overrides the default. This is useful if you want one consistent alarm sound across your phone but still want to tweak specific alarms for different purposes.

Setting a custom sound for a single alarm

If you want one alarm to use a different sound than the rest, you can customize it inside the Clock app. Open Clock, go to the Alarms tab, and tap the alarm you want to change. Tap Sound, and you'll see the same list of built-in sounds plus any custom sounds you've added to your phone.

To use a song from your music library as an alarm, you'll need to add it to your phone first. Open the Music app, find the song, tap the three dots next to it, and select Add to a Playlist or save it to your library. Then go back to the Clock app, open that alarm's settings, tap Sound, and scroll to the bottom—your music library songs will appear there. Select the song, and that alarm will play it instead of a standard alarm tone.

Keep in mind that custom alarm sounds from your music library may not loop smoothly the way built-in alarm tones do, so test it the night before if you're relying on it to wake you up.

Built-in alarm sounds and what they sound like

Apple includes about 25 alarm sounds on every iPhone. Some are straightforward electronic beeps (like Alarm, Beacon, and Bells), while others are musical or nature-based (like Chime, Marimba, and Waves). The names usually give you a sense of what they sound like, but the preview feature in Settings lets you hear each one before you commit.

The most popular choices are Alarm (a classic electronic beep), Marimba (a wooden percussion sound), and Chime (a bell-like tone). If you find the standard alarms too jarring, Waves or Bells tend to be gentler. There's no "best" alarm sound—it depends on what actually wakes you up or gets your attention without startling you too badly.

Troubleshooting: your alarm isn't using the sound you chose

If you changed the alarm sound in Settings but your alarm is still playing the old one, check whether you've customized that specific alarm in the Clock app. Open Clock, tap the alarm, and look at the Sound setting. If it shows a specific sound rather than "Default," that alarm has been customized and will override your Settings choice. Tap Sound and change it back to Default if you want it to use your global setting.

Another reason your alarm might not sound the way you expect: if your phone is in Silent mode (the mute switch on the side of your iPhone is flipped down), your alarm will still play, but it may be quieter than you think. Alarms bypass the Silent switch, but they respect your volume level. If your phone's volume is turned down, your alarm will be quiet. Check your volume in Settings > Sounds & Haptics and make sure the slider next to Alarm Volume is turned up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a song from Spotify or Apple Music as my alarm?

Not directly. Streaming apps don't let you set their songs as alarms. You can read a song to your phone's music library (if your subscription plan allows it), then add it as an alarm through the Clock app. Otherwise, you're limited to songs you own or have saved offline.

Will my alarm sound change if I update my iPhone?

No. Your alarm sound choice is saved to your phone and won't reset during a software update. If you've customized individual alarms in the Clock app, those stay the same too.

What happens to my alarm sound if I restore my iPhone from a backup?

Your alarm sound setting and any custom alarms you've created will restore along with the rest of your backup. If you're restoring from an old backup, you'll get the alarm settings from that point in time.

Can I set different alarm sounds for weekdays and weekends?

Not automatically. You'd need to create separate alarms—one for weekdays with one sound, another for weekends with a different sound. The Clock app lets you set which days each alarm repeats, so you can manage them that way.