Open Settings and find the Clock app alarms

To change an alarm tone on your iPhone, you start in the Clock app itself, not in Settings. Open the Clock app (the one with the clock face icon on your home screen), then tap the Alarm tab at the bottom of the screen. You'll see a list of all your alarms.

Find the alarm you want to change and tap Edit in the top left corner. This opens the alarm details screen where you can adjust the time, label, and sound.

Key Takeaways

  • You change alarm tones inside the Clock app, not in Settings — tap the Alarm tab, then Edit on the alarm you want to change.
  • Tap the Sound row to see all available alarm tones, including ringtones, text tones, and songs from your Music library.
  • Custom songs from Apple Music or your own recordings work as alarm tones, but they must be added to your iPhone first.
  • If you don't hear your alarm, check that your iPhone volume is turned up and that Do Not Disturb is not silencing it.

Tap Sound to see all available alarm tones

On the alarm details screen, you'll see a row labeled Sound with the current tone name next to it. Tap anywhere on that row to open the sound picker. This shows you every tone your iPhone has built in, organized into sections like Sounds, Ringtones, and Music.

Scroll through the list and tap any tone to hear a preview. The preview plays at your current volume level, so if you can't hear it, check that your volume buttons are turned up. Once you find the tone you want, just tap it — it's selected automatically.

Use songs from your Music library as alarm tones

You're not limited to Apple's built-in tones. If you have songs in your Music app, you can use them as alarms. In the sound picker, scroll all the way to the bottom and tap Music. This shows every song on your iPhone organized by artist.

Tap any song to preview it and select it as your alarm tone. The alarm will start playing from the beginning of the song when it goes off. Keep in mind that if you delete the song from your Music library later, the alarm will revert to a default tone.

Return to the alarm and save your changes

After you've picked your new tone, you're automatically returned to the alarm details screen. The Sound row now shows the name of your new tone. Tap the Save button in the top right corner to lock in your changes.

Your alarm is now set to use the new tone. The next time that alarm goes off, you'll hear your chosen sound instead of the old one.

Troubleshoot if your alarm is silent or too quiet

If you set a new alarm tone but don't hear it when the alarm goes off, the problem is usually your iPhone's volume, not the tone itself. Check the physical volume buttons on the side of your phone — they control your alarm volume separately from your ringtone volume. Turn them up to the level you want.

The second common issue is Do Not Disturb mode. If Do Not Disturb is turned on, it silences alarms unless you've specifically allowed them through. Go to Settings > Focus > Do Not Disturb and make sure the Clock app is listed under "Allowed Notifications" if you want alarms to sound during Do Not Disturb hours.

Change the default alarm tone for all new alarms

If you want every new alarm you create to use a specific tone instead of the default, you can set that in Settings. Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Alarm, then tap the tone you want to use as your default. From now on, any new alarm you create will start with that tone selected.

This doesn't change any alarms you've already set — only new ones. If you want to change an existing alarm's tone, you still need to edit it individually in the Clock app.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use a voice memo as an alarm tone?

Not directly through the Clock app. Voice memos don't appear in the sound picker. However, if you record a voice memo and then save it to your Music library or use a third-party app to convert it to a song file, you can then use it as an alarm tone through the Music section of the sound picker.

Why does my alarm tone sound different than the preview?

Your alarm volume is controlled by the physical volume buttons on your iPhone, and it's separate from your ringer volume. The preview plays at your current volume level, but your actual alarm will play at whatever volume you've set with those buttons. Turn them up before your alarm goes off if you want it louder.

What happens if I delete a song I'm using as an alarm tone?

If you remove a song from your Music library, that alarm will stop using it and revert to the default alarm tone the next time it goes off. To avoid this, keep songs you use as alarms in your library, or use one of Apple's built-in tones instead.

Can I set different tones for different alarms?

Yes. Each alarm has its own tone setting. Edit each alarm individually in the Clock app and choose a different sound for each one. This way you can have a gentle tone for your morning alarm and a louder tone for an important appointment reminder.