Android alarm not ringing? Check these settings first.

1. Check Alarm volume—not Media volume

Android usually separates Alarm, Media, Ring, and Notification volume. Turning up music or video volume does not necessarily make an alarm louder.

Open Android sound settings and locate the Alarm slider. Make sure it is not muted and choose a level you can hear from the place where you charge your phone. Preview the selected ringtone as well; some sounds begin quietly or contain long silent sections.

If your alarm uses gradual volume, remember that it intentionally begins below the final level. Test long enough to hear the increase.

2. Allow Alarms & reminders

On recent Android versions, apps may need special exact-alarm access to ring at the precise minute you selected. The setting is commonly called Alarms & reminders or Schedule exact alarms.

If exact-alarm access is disabled, an ordinary background task may be delayed by the system. An alarm app should show whether access is available and take you to the relevant Android screen.

3. Allow notifications and alarm channels

Notifications provide an important visible and audible route for an active alarm. Check both the app-level notification permission and the alarm notification channel. A channel may have its own sound, vibration, and lock-screen behavior.

If you previously changed an alarm channel, Android may preserve that choice across app updates. Open the app’s Notification settings and confirm its alarm channel is enabled and allowed to alert.

4. Enable full-screen alarm access

Full-screen access allows an alarm activity to appear prominently when the phone is locked. On Android 14 and newer, this may appear as a separate Full-screen notifications or Full-screen intents setting.

Without this access, Android may show a notification instead of opening the ringing screen. Do not confuse this Android permission with a manufacturer’s separate “Show on lock screen” control—some phones require both.

5. Remove battery restrictions

Look for the app’s Battery use, App battery usage, Power usage, or Battery optimization page. Choose Unrestricted, No restrictions, or the closest equivalent when your phone provides it.

Battery Saver and Ultra Battery Saver can still change background behavior. If an alarm is critical, avoid testing only while a power-saving mode is active.

6. Review manufacturer-specific controls

Samsung, Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO, OPPO, Realme, OnePlus, Vivo, iQOO, Huawei, Honor, and ASUS may add settings beyond standard Android. Names vary by model and software version.

• Xiaomi, Redmi, POCO: check Other permissions for lock-screen display and background pop-up windows, plus Autostart and No restrictions.
• OPPO, Realme, OnePlus: look for App battery management, Allow background activity, Auto launch, and display-over-lock-screen controls.
• Vivo and iQOO: review Background power consumption management, Autostart, and lock-screen display.
• Huawei and Honor: check App launch and allow the app to run in the background.
• Samsung: avoid placing the alarm app in Sleeping or Deep sleeping apps; select Unrestricted battery use where available.

Because labels change, follow the guidance shown on your actual device. BlockWake detects common device families and presents the manufacturer step before the final Android full-screen check where order matters.

7. Run a realistic locked-screen test

1. Create a test alarm a few minutes ahead.
2. Confirm the alarm appears as the next scheduled alarm.
3. Lock the phone and leave the app.
4. Wait without opening BlockWake again.
5. Confirm the screen wakes, sound loops, vibration runs, and the selected Stop method works.

Also test once after restarting the phone. Do not Force stop the app: Android intentionally cancels or blocks background work after Force stop until you open the app again.

If alarms still fail, record the phone model, Android version, app version, battery mode, scheduled time, and what appeared on screen. Those details are much more useful than “the alarm did not work.”