iPhone alarm too quiet? Here's how to make it louder

Alarms are obviously meant to wake you up, so it’s a problem when an iPhone alarm isn’t loud enough. Did your iPhone alarm suddenly get too quiet? Today, we’ll show you how to make your iPhone alarm louder.

Editor’s note: We used an Apple iPhone 12 Mini running iOS 17.2 to formulate these instructions. Some menus may change with different models and software versions.

Why is my iPhone alarm so quiet?

If your device isn’t doing much to wake you up, you may be wondering: why is my iPhone alarm so quiet? There are multiple possible reasons.

The most common one is having a low system volume. There is also the possibility that your alarm sound is a bit too quiet. Some audio can be quieter by nature. You may have also accidentally set your alarm sound to “None.” Sadly, there is also a chance your phone is damaged.

How to make your iPhone alarm louder

Increase the system volume:

If you get annoyed by notifications and phone calls, you may think a good solution is to lower the device’s volume. Interestingly, this will also reduce the volume of your alarm sound. The best way to get rid of phone sounds without affecting the alarm is to put your phone in Silent or Do Not Disturb mode. These actually don’t do anything to the alarm.

All that said, here is what you need to do to increase the system volume again.

1. Launch the Settings app.
2. Go into Sounds & Haptics.
3. Under the Ringtone and Alerts section, you will see a volume slider. Slide it to the right to increase the volume.
4. If you want to use the physical volume buttons to control this setting in the future, you should also toggle Change with Buttons on.

Ensure your alarm is actually using an alarm sound

Did you know it’s possible to have an iPhone alarm with no sound? Some prefer to have the phone only vibrate! If your alarm isn’t making a sound at all, there is a chance you may have accidentally set it that way.

1. iPhones use the Clock app to manage alarms. Find it and launch it.
2. Select your alarm. You can also create a new iPhone alarm.
3. Tap on Sound.
4. Check if your alarm sound is set to None. If it is, change it, then hit Back.
5. Tap Save when ready.

Is your alarm sound naturally quiet?

There is a wide variety of alarm sounds in your iPhone, and you can also use your own songs. Some audio files are quieter than others. There is a chance the alarm sound you chose is just quiet by nature. Let’s show you how to change it.

1. Launch the Clock app.
2. Tap on your alarm.
3. Hit Sound.
4. Go through the available sounds in the Songs and Ringtones section.
5. When you find the one that you like and is loud enough, select it. Then hit Back.
6. Tap Save when ready.

There may be something wrong with your iPhone

If the above tips don’t work, there should be no other reason why your iPhone alarm is abnormally quiet. It could be a bug, in which case a restart may help. Otherwise, the only other advice we can give is to contact Apple Support or take your phone to an Apple Store. There is a chance something is wrong with the device. Maybe one of the speakers stopped working.

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