The Clock app can use a song from your music library as an alarm sound, so you can wake up to music instead of Apple’s default tones. The song needs to be in your library and available when the alarm fires.
These steps apply to iOS 14 or later. Downloaded or library-added music is required for the most reliable alarm playback.
Does This Affect You?
Use this if you want a song as a new alarm, want to change an existing alarm sound, or cannot find the song you expected in the alarm picker.
Set a Song as the Alarm Sound
- Open the Clock app.
- Tap Alarm.
- Tap the plus button for a new alarm, or tap an existing alarm to edit it.
- Set the time and repeat days if needed.
- Tap Sound.
- Scroll to Songs or Pick a Song and choose music from your library.
- Tap Back or Save as shown by your iOS version, then save the alarm.
When the alarm goes off, the song starts from the beginning and uses the alarm/ringer volume rather than the Music app playback volume.
Fix Common Music Alarm Problems
Download the Song
If the song is only streaming from Apple Music, download it to the iPhone first. Open Music, find the song, add it to your library if needed, then use Download.
Raise Alarm Volume
Alarm volume follows Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone and Alerts, not the volume used while playing music.
Missing Song
Only music in your library appears in the picker. Add the song to your library, then reopen the alarm sound screen.
Sleep Schedule Alarms
If you use the Health app Sleep schedule, edit the Wake Up Alarm there. Song and sound choices are managed from that sleep schedule alarm rather than a normal Clock alarm.
Sources
- Apple Support: Set an alarm in Clock on iPhone
- Apple Support: Change iPhone sounds and vibrations
- Apple Support: Set up a sleep schedule on iPhone