How to Set a Song as Alarm on iPhone

Most iPhone users have become accustomed to using the device's alarm clock for their daily wake-up calls and reminders. However, while this feature is undoubtedly convenient and useful, you might get tired of starting your day looking the same.

Also, many users have noticed that many iPhone alarm tones leave a lot to be desired when it comes to their sound. Maybe you're one of those people who doesn't particularly like 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 the music of your choice as an alarm is handy.



In this article, we'll show you how to customize your iPhone alarm melody and set it to play any song you want.

Set Song as Alarm on iPhone

If you use the default iPhone app for your alarms, you might also get used to setting them up through Siri. In this 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 to changing the melody will be to set the alarm manually. This way you will have access to additional options not present when using Siri. Here's how to choose a different tone when manually setting the iPhone alarm:

  1. Enter the “Clock” app on your iPhone.
  2. At the very bottom of the screen, you will see the "World Clock", "Alarm", "Stopwatch" and "Timer" buttons. Press "Alarm".
  3. On the alarm screen, tap the “Plus” (+) button. This will take you to the configuration dialog screen.
  4. Choose the time, if you want the alarm to repeat, and the label. Next, tap on the “Sound” option to view different tones.
  5. In the middle of the screen, there will be a "Songs" section, located directly above "Ringtones." In this section, choose "Choose a song".
  6. This option will take you to your music library. From the categories displayed below the search bar, choose “Songs”.
  7. Find the song you want to assign as an alarm tone from the list. Alternatively, you can use the search bar to find the song by title. Tap the song to select it as the new alarm sound.

Your alarm should now play the selected song. However, this will only be the case if you have already purchased the melody. If you haven't, you'll need to go to the music app to download the song you want.



Note that if you have selected a song from Apple's library, the alarm setup will show it as the designated ringtone. But the song will not play if not downloaded. To get the song you want to listen to, you will need to visit the "Music" app on the iPhone and follow these steps:

  1. After opening the app, select “Songs” from the library.
  2. Find the desired song in the list and tap the three dots next to its title. This will open the options menu.
  3. Tap the "Download" button, which should be at the top of the menu. You will see a down arrow icon right next to the song title, which will indicate that the song has been downloaded.

This is the complete method to set a song as an alarm on your iPhone. However, you may have noticed that this method limits your choice to the music library. Fortunately, other options are available.

Set 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 as an alarm tone. In this case, using a service like Spotify may seem more convenient.

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


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 this by following these steps:


  1. Open the "Music Alarm Clock Pro" app and tap the "More" icon to enter the alarm creation menu.
  2. You will have options similar to those offered in the default app, including snooze time and snooze. You need to tap on “Choose Music”.
  3. A pop-up window will appear, asking if 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 tap "Search", the app will ask you to sign in to your Spotify account. You will need to log into your account from a browser page and give all necessary permissions to continue.
  6. Once you've linked Spotify with 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, press "Back" to return to the previous menu and activate the alarm you created.

Following these steps will create a custom alarm that will play the song you chose. However, the music will only play in its entirety if you have Spotify Premium. For free accounts, full songs will not be available. Instead, your alarm will only play the first 30 seconds of the selected track.


Set Song as Alarm on iPhone Using MP3 Files

If you already have the song you want to play as alarm melody as MP3, you can use “Garageband” app to make ringtone from it. This app is free for iPhone users. Here's how to create a ringtone from an MP3 file using Garageband and set it as an alarm:


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

Wake up to your favorite song

The options for assigning custom ringtones to alarms are somewhat limited on iPhones, but you can use one of the methods provided to create a workaround and make your alarms sound exactly the way you want.

Now that you know how to set a song as an alarm on iPhone, you can start every day in a good mood. All you have to do is resist the temptation to hit the snooze button too many times.

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

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