How to Use Alexa as Your Alarm Clock

Wake to music, Alexa's soothing tones, lights, news, and more

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Updated on January 18, 2021

Amazon's personal digital assistant Alexa has many useful features. One of the best features turns any compatible device into an alarm clock. Here's how to configure an Alexa morning alarm routine, so you can wake up just the way you want.

To use Alexa as an alarm clock, you need to set it up properly. You should also place your Alexa-enabled device where you can hear it and it can hear you. Test the range before you set this up.

How to Use Alexa as an Alarm Clock to Wake From a Nap

If you need a one-off alarm for your nap, ask Alexa for one. If you need to wake in four hours, say, "Alexa, set a sleep timer for four hours," and the alarm goes off four hours from the time of your request.

How to Set a Daily Alarm With Alexa

If you get up at the same time every day, you can set your alarm right now. Simply say, "Alexa, set a repeating alarm" for the day and time. For example, if you need to be up at 6 a.m. every Monday, say, "Alexa, set a repeating alarm for Monday at 6 a.m."

How to Set a Daily Alarm Using the Alexa App

Here's how to set a daily alarm using Alexa and an Alexa-enabled device:

Open the Alexa app and tap the More menu in the lower-right corner.
Tap Reminders and Alarms.
Tap the Plus (+) to configure the alarm.
Set the time for your alarm using the dials at the top of the screen.
Select the device, repetition, day, and the sound you want for the alarm.

To set a daily alarm, tap Repeat and select Daily.
Tap Save to finalize the alarm.

How to Use Alexa as an Alarm Clock That Plays Music

If you have a subscription to a music service like Spotify or Deezer, you can easily wake up to music. First, connect Alexa to your preferred music service.

Some services won't work with Alexa on the services' free tier. Check your preferred music service's FAQs to see if it works.

Tap the More menu in the lower-right corner.
Tap Things To Try.
Select Music.
Select Amazon Music.
Tap Select Music Service.
Select Link New Service, or choose one of the available options.
Follow the on-screen prompts to link your account to Alexa.
To set a music alarm, use a voice command like, "Alexa, wake me up at 8 a.m. with 90s music," and your Amazon device creates the reminder.

How to Wake Up to News With Alexa

You can also set Alexa to wake you up to what Amazon calls a Flash Briefing, which is a short set of audio news pieces. To do this, configure a routine through the app. Here's how:

You can also add traffic and weather to this routine to get all the necessary information in one place.

Open the Alexa app, then tap the More menu.
Tap Routines.
Select the Plus (+).
Tap When This Happens.
Choose Schedule.
Tap Select next to Repeat.
Set the alarm for individual days or use a shortcut like Every Day, Weekdays, or Weekends.
Tap Select next to At Time.
Choose a time for the alarm and select Next.
You'll return to the previous screen. Select the plus sign next to Add action.
Scroll down and select News.
A confirmation screen appears. Tap Next.
Under From, select Choose Device.
Tap the name of the device you want to play the news from.
Select Save.

How to Cancel an Alexa Alarm

To stop an alarm, say, "Alexa, stop alarm." You can also stop an alarm that's going off by requesting Alexa to perform another task, such as playing music.

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