How to Set An Alarm On Android Devices

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Updated January 19, 2020

An alarm is a critical tool for daily life. With the advent of smartphones, you have a mini-computer in your pocket to help. Android users have four ways to set the alarm so you can get your life organized and stay on schedule.

You can use:

A standard Android alarm
Bixby voice instructions
Google Assistant voice instructions
Wear OS (formerly Android Wear) on your watch

How to Set a Standard Android Alarm

A standard alarm on an Android device is usually found in the Clock application.

On your Home screen (typically), look for an icon labeled Apps. (The location may vary, such as on the Android launcher found at the bottom of every screen.)
Select the Apps icon to open a view of all installed applications on your smartphone or tablet.
Select the Clock icon.
On the lower right-hand side, select the plus (+) sign.
Select the tiny calendar icon on the right side to pick the selected start date.
Select your selected start date.
Select Done.
Select each number, and using the keypad at the bottom, enter the time at which you want the alarm. In this example, the alarm is being set for 7 am.
Next, click on the days you want the alarm to go off.
Select the corresponding day abbreviations.
Next, give the alarm a name. This is optional, but handy if you have multiple alarms.
If you require a snooze alarm, (who doesn’t?) toggle the slider to the right. Select the description below to set the interval and repeat modes.

You can also turn on Snooze here by selecting the slider next to On in the on position.
Once you have set the interval and repeat, select the back (<) button.

How to Set an Android Alarm With Bixby

Use Samsung Bixby to set up and use alarms on your Samsung phone using your voice.

Press and hold the Bixby button.
Tell Bixby what time you would like to set an alarm for. For example, say "Set an alarm for 7 a.m." Bixby will automatically add a new alarm to the Clock app.
To turn off an alarm, press and hold the Bixby button. Tell Bixby which alarm you want to turn off, such as "Turn off the alarm for 7 a.m." or "Turn off the alarm for later."

How to Set an Alarm With Google Assistant

With Google Assistant, setting the alarm has gotten a bit easier. If you have given it access to your smartphone, all you need to do is ask Google Assistant, and it will get the ball rolling.

Say “Ok, Google” to wake up the assistant.
Say, “Set an alarm.”
Google assistant should ask when, or you can state, “Set an alarm for 7:00 a.m.”

You will still need to go into the alarm settings to do the advanced settings, but the Google Assistant can get you started.

How to Set an Alarm With Android 4.4 (Kitkat) to 5.1.1 (Lollipop)

Older versions of Android have a more straightforward interface for setting alarms. While most of the same concepts are there, it is just a bit different to set.

Once you’re in the Clock app, select the time to set your desired alarm time.
Below is where you’ll set time by moving the dial around as you select each number for your desired alarm.
Once you’ve set the time, select OK to set.
To set the days of the week that you want the alarm to go off, select the box Repeat.
Select each day you want the alarm to sound.
Select the Bell icon to set the alarm sound.
Select the sound you want for your alarm and select the back button to continue.
To give your alarm a name, select Label.
Enter the desired name and select OK.