How to Set a Song as an Alarm on the iPhone

Most iPhone users have grown accustomed to using the device’s alarm clock for their daily wake-up calls and reminders. However, while this function is undoubtedly convenient and helpful, you might grow tired of starting your day with the same tune.

Additionally, many users have noticed that plenty of iPhone alarm tones leave a lot to be desired regarding their sound. You might be among the people who aren’t particularly fond of the default alarm sounds on the iPhone, or maybe you have a specific song you’d like to hear to start your day. Either way, having the option to set your music of choice as an alarm comes in handy.

In this article, we’ll show you how to customize your iPhone alarm tune and set it to play the song of your choice.

How to Set a Song as an Alarm on the iPhone

If you’re using the default iPhone app for your alarms, you might also have a habit of setting them through Siri. In that case, you should know that whenever Siri sets your alarm, it will assign the default tone to it.

Since this is the case, the first step towards changing the tune will be to set up the alarm manually. This way, you’ll gain access to additional options not present when using Siri. Here’s how to choose a different tone by setting the iPhone alarm manually:

1. Enter the Clock app on your iPhone.
   
2. At the very bottom of the screen, you’ll see the World Clock, Alarm, Stopwatch, and Timer buttons. Tap Alarm.
   
3. On the alarm screen, tap the Plus (+) button. This will take you to the setup dialogue screen.
   
4. Choose the time, whether you’d like the alarm to repeat, and the label. Then, hit the Sound option to view different tones.
   
5. In the middle of the screen, there’ll be a Songs section, located directly above Ringtones. Within this section, choose Pick a song.
   
6. This option will take you to your music library. From the categories displayed beneath the search bar, choose Songs.
   
7. Find the song you want to assign as the alarm tone from the list. Alternatively, you can use the search bar to find the song by title. Tapping the song will select it as the new alarm sound.
   

Your alarm should now play the selected song. However, this will only be the case if you’ve already purchased the tune. If you haven’t done that, you’ll need to go to the music app to download the desired song.

Note that if you’ve selected a song from Apple’s library, the alarm setup will show it as the designated ringtone. But the song won’t play if it isn’t downloaded. To get the song you want to be played, you’ll need to visit the “Music” app on the iPhone and follow these steps:

1. After you’ve opened the app, select Songs from the library.
   
2. Find the desired song from the list and tap the three dots next to its title. This will open the options menu.
   
3. Tap on the Download button, which should be near the top of the menu. You’ll see a downward-facing arrow icon right beside the song title, which will indicate that the song has been downloaded.
   

This is the complete method for setting up a song as an alarm on your iPhone. However, you might’ve noticed that this method limits your choice to the music library. Luckily, there are other options available.

Set a Song as Alarm on iPhone Using Spotify

Since we live in a world where streaming is becoming more popular than owning media, you might not like the idea of having to download a song to use it as an alarm tone. In that case, using a service like Spotify might seem more convenient.

Unfortunately, even if you already own a Spotify account, songs from your library won’t be available as alarm ringtones in the default Clock app. If you want to use your Spotify songs for this purpose, you’ll need a third-party app.

The app in question is called “Music Alarm Clock Pro,” and you can get it through the App Store for the price of $2.99. If you choose to download it, the app will allow you to assign Spotify songs to your alarm. You can do just that using the following steps:

1. Open the Music Alarm Clock Pro app and press the Plus icon to access the alarm creation menu.
   
2. You’ll have similar options to those offered in the default app, including repeat time and snooze. You should tap Choose Music.
   
3. A popup will appear, prompting you whether you want to choose a playlist or a song. Tap Song.
   
4. Use the app’s search bar to find the song you want.
   
5. When you hit Search, the app will ask to link with your Spotify account. You’ll need to log in to your account from a browser page and give all the necessary permissions to continue.
   
6. Once you’ve linked Spotify to the Music Alarm Clock Pro app, you’ll see a list of songs that match your search. Tap the desired song to select it.
   
7. Finally, tap Back to return to the previous menu and toggle on the alarm you’ve created.
   

Following these steps will create a custom alarm that will play your chosen song. However, the music will only play in its entirety if you own Spotify Premium. For free accounts, complete songs will be unavailable. Instead, your alarm will only play the first 30 seconds of the selected track.

Set a Song as Alarm on iPhone Using MP3 Files

If you already have the song you’d like to play as the alarm tune as an MP3, you can use the “Garageband” app to create a ringtone out of it. This app is free for iPhone users. Here’s how to create a ringtone from an MP3 file using Garageband and set it up as an alarm:

1. Open Garageband and tap Plus to start a new project.
   
2. Select Tracks, then Drummer.
   
3. You’ll see the drummer track timeline. Double-tap it to display the menu, then choose Delete.
   
4. Tap the third icon from the left to bring up Timeline View. After this, choose the second icon from the right, which imports audio loops.
   
5. Select Files from the loops menu and choose the Browse items from the Files app option, which will be at the bottom of the screen.
   
6. Find the MP3 file containing the song you wish to add and drag and drop the file into your timeline.
7. Once imported, crop the file to a length of 30 seconds. This is an essential step because your iPhone won’t accept longer songs as ringtones.
8. Share the project as a ringtone, name it, and Export the new file.
   

Wake Up to Your Favorite Song

Options for assigning custom ringtones to alarms are somewhat limited on iPhones, but you can use one of the proposed methods to create a workaround and get your alarms to sound just the way you want them to.

Now that you know how to set a song as an alarm on the iPhone, you can start every day in the right mood. All you’ll need to do is resist the temptation of hitting that “Snooze” button too many times.

Did you manage to get your favorite song as an alarm on your iPhone? Which method did you use? Let us know in the comment section below.