What do users report?
The thread “iPhone alarm sound not playing on iOS 26” started on September 17, 2025. The first post says: “I've awoken (late) in the morning to see that my phone had my alarm on the screen, but no sound playing.” By November 14, 2026, 1,295 users had marked the thread with “Me too”.
Users in the thread name different causes: the volume slider, Attention Aware Features, StandBy, a Bluetooth device and an alarm sound that is set to None. Apple has confirmed none of these as the cause of the reports.
Which settings do you check first?
| Check | Where | What Apple says |
|---|---|---|
| Alarm volume | Settings, Sounds & Haptics | In iOS 26, drag the slider under Ringtone and Alerts. In iOS 27, the slider is below Alarms and Timers. |
| Alarm sound | Clock, Alarms, Edit, Sound | If the sound is None, the iPhone only vibrates. |
| Headphones | Bluetooth and wired devices | The alarm plays through the iPhone speaker and through connected headphones. |
| Attention Aware Features | Settings, Accessibility, Face ID & Attention | The iPhone can lower the volume of some alerts when you look at it. |
| StandBy | Settings, StandBy | Haptics for alarms are disabled when you use StandBy. |
| Date and time | Settings, General, Date & Time | A manual time change can affect alarms. |
How do you fix an alarm that plays no sound?
- Open Settings, tap Sounds & Haptics and move the alarm volume slider to a high level.
- Turn on Change with Buttons if you want the volume buttons to change the alarm volume. Turn it off if you often lower the volume by accident.
- Open the Clock app, edit each alarm, tap Sound and select a sound that is not None.
- If you use a sleep schedule, open its alarm options in the Health app. The wake up alarm has its own volume slider.
- If the alarm becomes quiet when you look at the iPhone, turn off Attention Aware Features.
- Install the current iOS version.
- Set a test alarm for two minutes from now, lock the iPhone and listen.
Silent mode and Focus are not on this list. Apple states that they do not affect the alarm sound. See iPhone alarms on silent and in Focus.
What if the alarm is still silent?
Some users in the thread report that the alarm was silent with correct settings. There is no confirmed fix for those reports.
- Contact Apple Support and describe the fault. The support page on alarms has a link for this.
- Use a second alarm on a different device for mornings that you cannot miss.
- Test the alarm again after each iOS update.
A different alarm app is not a certain fix. Alarm apps for iOS 26 schedule their alarms with AlarmKit, which is part of the same system, and they use the same iPhone speaker.
If you see the alarm and stop it without memory of it, the cause is different. See why you turn off your alarm in your sleep.
Common questions
Has Apple confirmed a bug in the iOS 26 alarm?
No confirmation was found by November 14, 2026. Apple's update notes for iOS 26 do not name a fix for silent alarms.
Does Silent mode cause a silent alarm?
No. Apple states that Do Not Disturb, the Ring/Silent switch and Silent mode do not affect the alarm sound.
Why does my alarm only vibrate?
Apple says to check that the alarm sound is not set to None. Open the Clock app, edit the alarm, tap Sound and select a sound.
Can Attention Aware Features make an alarm quiet?
Apple says that this setting lets the iPhone lower the volume of some alerts when you look at it. You can turn it off in Settings, Accessibility, Face ID & Attention.
Sources
- iPhone alarm sound not playing on iOS 26. Apple Support Community, started September 17, 2025.
- How to set and change alarms on your iPhone. Apple Support, April 2026.
- Set an alarm in Clock on iPhone. iPhone User Guide, Apple.
- Change Face ID and attention settings on iPhone. iPhone User Guide, Apple.
- About iOS 26 Updates. Apple Support.