When your Apple Watch alarm isn’t working, start by force restarting it—hold the side button and Digital Crown for 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears. Next, open the Alarms app to verify your alarm is toggled on and set to the correct time. Disable Do Not Disturb and Focus modes in Control Center, then enable Break Through Silent Mode in settings so alarms always sound. If issues persist, update your watchOS, delete and recreate alarms, or investigate additional troubleshooting steps below.
Quick Guide
- Force restart by holding the side button and Digital Crown for 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears.
- Verify alarm is active with green toggle and enable Break Through Silent Mode in settings for reliable alerts.
- Disable Do Not Disturb and Focus modes via Control Center to prevent them from blocking alarm sounds.
- Update both watchOS and iOS, then delete and recreate alarms to eliminate corrupted data or sync issues.
- Contact Apple Support if alarms fail after troubleshooting, as hardware defects may require professional diagnosis.
Restart Your Apple Watch and Check Basic Settings
When your Apple Watch alarm stops going off, the first step you’ll want to try is restarting the device. Press and hold the side button until the Power Off slider appears, then slide to shut down completely.
After it powers off, press and hold the side button again until the Apple logo displays. Once restarted, verify your alarm settings and confirm the watch isn’t in Low Power Mode. If a simple restart doesn’t resolve the issue, you can perform a force restart by pressing and holding both the side button and Digital Crown together for 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears. A power-related issue can sometimes cause alarms to fail, so try a full power cycle to rule out power-related problems.
Verify Alarm Configuration and Sound Options
After restarting your Apple Watch, you’ll need to examine the alarm itself to make sure it’s properly configured. Start by opening the Alarms app and verifying that the alarm time is set correctly with the appropriate AM/PM designation, and confirm the toggle switch appears green to indicate it’s active.
You should also enable “Breakthrough Mode” in your Focus settings, which allows alarms to sound even when Do Not Disturb or other Focus modes are enabled. If you prefer a silent alarm, open Control Center and tap the bell icon to enable silent mode, which will make your Watch tap your wrist without playing the standard chime.
If alarms still fail, try power cycling your Apple Watch and paired iPhone to rule out temporary software glitches.
Check Alarm Time Settings
If your Apple Watch alarm isn’t sounding when expected, the issue often lies in how the alarm itself is configured.
Open the Alarms app and verify the time is correct by checking the hour, minute, and AM/PM settings.
Confirm you’ve saved changes by tapping the green checkmark.
Also, make sure the alarm toggle switch displays green, indicating it’s active and will sound.
Enable Break Through Mode
Starting with watchOS 11.4, Apple introduced Break Through Silent Mode—a feature designed to guarantee your alarms sound audibly even when your watch is set to silent.
Open the Alarms app, select your alarm, and scroll down to find the “Break Through Silent Mode” toggle below Snooze. Turn it on to make certain alarms bypass silent and Do Not Disturb modes with both sound and haptic feedback.
Disable Do Not Disturb and Focus Modes
When your Apple Watch alarm fails to sound, Do Not Disturb or an active Focus mode is often the culprit.
Open Control Center by pressing the side button, then tap the Moon icon to disable Do Not Disturb. If a Focus mode is active, tap its icon to turn it off.
You can also use Settings > Focus to manage these modes and make certain alarms sound properly.
For added safety, consider turning off Focus modes when not needed and remember to set AirDrop to Receiving Off on nearby iPhones to reduce unexpected interruptions.
Sync Alarms Between Iphone and Apple Watch
After addressing Do Not Disturb and Focus modes, you’ll want to verify that your iPhone and Apple Watch are properly synced for alarms.
Open the Watch app on your iPhone, go to My Watch > Clock, and enable “Push Alerts from iPhone.” This mirrors iPhone alarms to your watch automatically.
Note that alarms created directly on Apple Watch won’t sync back to your iPhone.
Adjust Silent Mode and Vibration Settings
Silent Mode on your Apple Watch can interfere with alarm sounds if you’re not careful about your settings. By default, alarms only vibrate when Silent Mode is active.
To make sure your alarms sound audibly, enable Break Through Silent Mode in the Sleep app under Sounds and Haptics, or activate it for individual alarms in the Alarms app—available in watchOS 11.4 and later.
Update Software and Reset Alarm Data
Outdated software often causes alarm malfunctions on your Apple Watch, so keeping both watchOS and iOS current resolves many timing and notification issues.
You’ll need to check for available updates through the Apple Watch app on your iPhone by accessing My Watch > General > Software Update.
If your alarms still fail after updating, deleting and recreating them manually can eliminate corrupted settings that prevent proper activation.
Update Watchos and Ios
When your Apple Watch alarm fails to sound or vibrate, updating both watchOS and iOS often resolves the underlying software bugs causing the malfunction. These updates include fixes for sleep tracking, alarm scheduling, and notification routing.
To update watchOS, open the Watch app on your iPhone, steer to General > Software Update, and follow the prompts. Similarly, update iOS through Settings > General > Software Update to guarantee proper synchronization between devices.
Delete and Recreate Alarms
Sometimes software updates alone won’t fix your Apple Watch alarm issues, and corrupted alarm data may be the real culprit.
Delete all existing alarms by swiping left on each one and tapping the trash icon, or use Siri to “clear all alarms.”
Then recreate them fresh through the Alarms app. This process eliminates glitched settings causing repeated or phantom alarms that won’t stop ringing.
Contact Apple Support for Hardware Issues
If your Apple Watch alarm continues to malfunction after you’ve tried software troubleshooting steps, the problem likely stems from a hardware defect that requires professional evaluation.
Contact Apple Support through their website, phone, or app to access diagnostic experts. They’ll guide you through additional checks and help schedule a Genius Bar appointment or mail-in service. Have your model number, watchOS version, and warranty details ready when reaching out.
Wrapping Up
You’ve now got multiple solutions to fix your Apple Watch alarm issues. Start with simple fixes like restarting your device and checking sound settings, then move to more advanced steps like software updates if needed. Most alarm problems stem from incorrect configurations or software glitches you can resolve yourself. If nothing works, hardware issues might require Apple Support’s assistance. Your alarm should be functioning reliably again.