iPhone Alarm Bug Still Causing Issues for Some Users

MacRumors · Jan 3, 2011

Reuters has been keeping on top of the iOS alarm clock bug that has seen users experiencing problems with alarms activating properly in the new year. Despite reassurances from Apple over the weekend that alarms would begin functioning properly today, a number of users have reportedly continued to experience problems today, the first day of work in 2011 for many people.

Some iPhone users across the globe complained of malfunctioning alarms on the first working day of 2011, even after Apple reassured users that its phones' built-in clocks will work from Monday.

Bloggers, as well as Facebook and Twitter users, complained they missed flights or were late to arrive at work as the alarm built into Apple's iPhone failed to go off for a third straight day for some users.

Apple has yet to offer an updated response to the issue today, and it is unclear why only some users are continuing to experience the bug, which affects non-recurring alarms.

The New Year's bug is not the first alarm-related issue to affect Apple's iOS devices. Last year, an issue related to Daylight Savings Time calculations affected recurring alarms beginning in Australia and New Zealand in late September and moving around the world as other countries either began or ended Daylight Savings Time. Apple addressed that specific bug with the release of iOS 4.2 in late November.

Article Link: iPhone Alarm Bug Still Causing Issues for Some Users

WiiDSmoker · Jan 3, 2011

$300 billion market cap and can't make a clock app work that any first semester programmer can do.

djschief · Jan 3, 2011

Tried mine about 30 minutes ago and it works fine. Maybe it just had to be a particular time in order for it to work. I certainly hope they fix all these damn bugs, its kinda annoying.

gri · Jan 3, 2011

No problem

Just tested it for 16:59 (maybe it depends on the format, 12 vs 24 hrs) - and no problem here either...

BigTRQ · Jan 3, 2011

Obvious?

If folks only rely on a PHONE for their PRIMARY alarm, and then miss flights/work/etc., that's on them. People should know that an electronic device that does more than be an alarm clock might mess up that feature. Why people don't just spring for a $10 travel clock that works perfectly 100% of the time (save for battery death/changing) is beyond me.

lostfan916 · Jan 3, 2011

It's because they created the alarm yesterday. Try testing any alarm created today and it will work. Or maybe quit the clock app. It's not an issue anymore.

WiiDSmoker · Jan 3, 2011

BigTRQ said:
If folks only rely on a PHONE for their PRIMARY alarm, and then miss flights/work/etc., that's on them. People should know that an electronic device that does more than be an alarm clock might mess up that feature. Why people don't just spring for a $10 travel clock that works perfectly 100% of the time (save for battery death/changing) is beyond me.

Is this what you've become on trying to defend Apple? Pathetic.

blizaine · Jan 3, 2011

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

Mine wasn't working this morning so I deleted and recreated it. Now it's fine.

markm49uk · Jan 3, 2011

Happened to me this morning

Set a recurring alarm this morning (weekdays) for 06:45 as I was getting picked up by a colleague at 07:30. Damn thing didn't go off and I was instead awoken by a text from the guy picking me up saying he was sat waiting outside the house!

Bloody annoying.

Caharin · Jan 3, 2011

I set mine for 5:45am EST this morning and it did not work properly. I use a regular alarm clock though so I got up just fine (though a bit groggy after a week straight of vacation).

DCJ001 · Jan 3, 2011

djschief said:
Tried mine about 30 minutes ago and it works fine. Maybe it just had to be a particular time in order for it to work. I certainly hope they fix all these damn bugs, its kinda annoying.

How many "bugs" are there needing repair?

dpierre · Jan 3, 2011

BigTRQ said:
If folks only rely on a PHONE for their PRIMARY alarm, and then miss flights/work/etc., that's on them. People should know that an electronic device that does more than be an alarm clock might mess up that feature. Why people don't just spring for a $10 travel clock that works perfectly 100% of the time (save for battery death/changing) is beyond me.

I guess some people are so blind, that when a product doesn't work as intended they say it's your fault

Why should I waste $10 on an alarm clock if my phone can do it? Can that alarm clock wake me up if the power is out?

ugahairydawgs · Jan 3, 2011

There's an app for that....

Apollo21 · Jan 3, 2011

BigTRQ said:
If folks only rely on a PHONE for their PRIMARY alarm, and then miss flights/work/etc., that's on them. People should know that an electronic device that does more than be an alarm clock might mess up that feature. Why people don't just spring for a $10 travel clock that works perfectly 100% of the time (save for battery death/changing) is beyond me.

Do you also carry around a PSP, a wristwatch, a calculator, a portable camera, and an iPod with your iPhone? ... I didn't think so.

akacaj · Jan 3, 2011

They are simply holding the phone wrong while creating the alarm.

TimTheEnchanter · Jan 3, 2011

Apollo21 said:
Do you also carry around a PSP, a wristwatch, a calculator, a portable camera, and an iPod with your iPhone? ... I didn't think so.

No, I think he's saying people should use a sundail with a rube goldberg machine alarm. Anything else would be unreasonable and unreliable.

goobot · Jan 3, 2011

A few thoughts.

First, who the hell uses a phone as a main alarm clock?

Second, wow apple

Third, I bet it happens again when the clocks get set the other way later this year.

ouimetnick · Jan 3, 2011

I just find it pathetic that a company like Apple can't even properly program a fricken clock. The issue doesn't hurt me though. I dont use an alarm.

nikoneko · Jan 3, 2011

Alarm

Mine works fine.

PinkyMacGodess · Jan 3, 2011

So it's only on alarms that are set after 12/31/10? My partner set an alarm on 12/31 for 1/1 and it worked fine... I told her about the issue and actually expected it not to happen, but it did... :-(

Weird...

awr · Jan 3, 2011

"Bloggers, as well as Facebook and Twitter users, complained they missed flights or were late to arrive at work as the alarm built into Apple's iPhone failed to go off for a third straight day for some users."

If you've let this alarm screw you for the third day in a row, that's on you.

It's a phone, it's not gonna think for you . . . .

PinkyMacGodess · Jan 3, 2011

awr said:
It's a phone, it's not gonna think for you . . . .

Even then their phone may be smarter than they are...

Stridder44 · Jan 3, 2011

WiiDSmoker said:
$300 billion market cap and can't make a clock app work that any first semester programmer can do.

Came in here to say this same thing. I mean a bug like this once is pretty lame, but forgivable. But twice? Come on, no excuses there. I could buy a $4 crappy clock from Wal-Mart that would at least work. My $200 "smart"phone can't even play a sound file at a certain time?

BigTRQ said:
If folks only rely on a PHONE for their PRIMARY alarm, and then miss flights/work/etc., that's on them. People should know that an electronic device that does more than be an alarm clock might mess up that feature. Why people don't just spring for a $10 travel clock that works perfectly 100% of the time (save for battery death/changing) is beyond me.

Because a $200 smartphone should be able, without a doubt, to work as an alarm clock. You let a $200 phone off the hook but tell us to rely on a $10 piece of crap clock? Come on dude, stop drinking the kool aid. I love Apple as much as the next guy but they still deserve criticism.

baryon · Jan 3, 2011

How the clock app is coded (in pseudocode because I can't really code):

If (alarmTime == currentTime and currentYear != 2011){
activateAlarm()
}

After some more digging around in the source code, this is what I found:

If (girlfriendBirthday == currentDay and random(10)>8){
activateReminder()
}

...and some more:

If (importantMeetingDay == currentDay){
deleteAllAlarms()
currentDay = Tomorrow
setNewHour = random(12)
setNewMinutes = random(60)
trace("haha you suck!")
}

markm49uk · Jan 3, 2011

goobot said:
A few thoughts.

First, who the hell uses a phone as a main alarm clock?

Er quite a few people do these days - I have since my Nokia's in the late 90's.

Never had an issue before.

iPhone Alarm Bug Still Causing Issues for Some Users

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