# Is a cel phone also an acceptable alarm clock? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 23, 2010, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101 "2010-10-23T15:22:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/41 "2010-10-24T03:19:45Z")
I use a real alarm clock for my normal wakeup, but it’s such a pain in the ass to set that if I want a different time I use my phone. No problem. My boyfriend uses his phone all the time and it sounds like the fucking Luftwaffe is about to pound us into the stone age. One day I am flushing his phone down the toilet and I will have a party. ---
**Author:** ![sitchensis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sitchensis/32/4892_2.png) [@sitchensis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sitchensis)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/42 "2010-10-24T03:41:44Z")
I like the fact that I can set up to three alarm times on my phone. I generally have the first go off a half hour before I need to be up, the second when I need to be up, and the third for the holy shit I’m going to be late emergency backup. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/43 "2010-10-24T05:22:22Z")
> [@GiantRat](#): > > OMG… you’ve swallowed the KoolAid… Yeah. Next I want my smart phone to be able to replace my car keys, house keys, and possibly my pants. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zweisamkeit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zweisamkeit/32/4360_2.png) [@zweisamkeit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zweisamkeit)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/44 "2010-10-24T05:49:27Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > You seem to be the minority. There’s a VAST number of Youtube and Blogs devoted solely to hacks to pump the iPhones volume. It’s a well known shortcoming of the device. The number of videos about increasing the iPhone’s volume has absolutely no bearing on whether or not **Patty O’Furniture** is in the minority or majority opinion. I mean, if you think there’s no problem with the loudness of the phone, what kind of video are you going to upload? You’re gonna take the time to record you saying, “yep, this iPhone’s volume is totally fine for me! No hacks needed!”? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/45 "2010-10-24T06:22:09Z")
Wow, I often get woken up by my phone vibrating from drunken friends texting me at 3 in the morning. Being too quiet is not a problem I’ve found with my alarms. ---
**Author:** ![Cazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cazzle/32/75_2.png) [@Cazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cazzle)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/46 "2010-10-24T07:08:56Z")
I’m difficult to wake up, but my mobile phone alarm works for me. ---
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/47 "2010-10-24T07:20:16Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > … It’s also very nice to be able to change the alarm tune easily when I start to grow immune to one. … hey, nice to see that i’m not the only one. something different is sometimes more effective than volume for me. > [@zweisamkeit](#): > > The number of videos about increasing the iPhone’s volume has absolutely no bearing on whether or not **Patty O’Furniture** is in the minority or majority opinion. … not to mention that those hacks might have more to do with being audible in discos than bedsides. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/48 "2010-10-24T07:31:47Z")
I’ve used a cell phone for an alarm for years. It’s nice because it can be programed for weekdays. My last cell phone even would keep track of public holidays 🆒 which are more standardized here in Japan. Mine has up to 5 alarms, so I can have one set for the weekend. I also keep another one set for a later time, so if I decide to sleep in, I can just use that one rather than changing times. ---
**Author:** ![Gilliver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5fc32e/32.png) [@Gilliver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gilliver)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/49 "2010-10-24T08:12:11Z")
When I moved last year, I never even bothered to plug in my old radio/alarm clock. I can set my alarms for weekday/weekends in advance. No more checking or resetting my alarm clock every night. Another big plus, since I dont always listen to the news is that my phone automatically updates for daylight savings time changes and goes off at the correct time even if I forget or dont know. ---
**Author:** ![SecondJudith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5ac83/32.png) [@SecondJudith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SecondJudith)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 10:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/50 "2010-10-24T10:13:42Z")
I use my Nokia e63 for an alarm with no problems. I’ve been using my (various) mobile phones for my alarm for about four years. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/51 "2010-10-24T10:31:19Z")
Our teenaged son uses his cell phone as an alarm clock. It seems to be doing a better job of waking him up than his old clock radio did. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/52 "2010-10-24T14:07:30Z")
I need to get up earlier than my wife. I use my iPhone as an alarm clock, and I have to turn the volume way down so it doesn’t wake her. I also have to remember to turn off all the buzzing and beeping and chiming of all the other alerts, or she will threaten to throw it across the room. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/53 "2010-10-24T16:43:52Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Not my previous cell phones, but my new LG Ally android phone is what I rely upon now. Fast and easy to set and disable. Lights up, vibrates, alarms. I work nights, so I have an afternoon wake up, a short nap alarm for the evening, a stop what you are doing and go to work set. > > And I can set it to go off only on certain days of the week, like say 8:45 Thursdays, unlike my old bedside clock radio. You can set a probably unlimited number of alarms. 10:00 am Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays only, for example. > > I am never going back to programing a bed side clock that will only accept an am and pm alarm only. > > For me the smart phone has already replaced my watch, alarm clock, will probably soon replace my Ipod, has replaced my GPS, digital camera, video camera, etc. I could ditch my entire home based computer network if I wanted to, because the phone is just as fast and the only drawback is it’s small screen; the keyboard is actually more intuitive than my home computer. > > Hell, I haven’t even approached the potential use for this one tool, and the tools are getting better as I type. > > Scan a bar code in the market and be shown where to buy the product cheaper in my area. Point it at a random star in the sky and be told the name of the star and constellation. > > My bed side digital alarm clock is an obsolete anachronism. Which is kind of funny in a way. Hell yes. My HTC (droid) Incredible is my alarm clock. The chief feature I like is that everytime I set it, it tells me “this alarm is set for X hours and X minutes from now”. This has saved me from a few am/pm mistakes and Sunday/Monday mistakes too. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/54 "2010-10-24T17:46:23Z")
Easier to snooze an alarm clock than my cell phone, and I always use snooze. But when I travel, I will use the phone rather than the hotel clock. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/55 "2010-10-24T17:49:26Z")
> [@D\_Odds](#): > > Easier to snooze an alarm clock than my cell phone, and I always use snooze. But when I travel, I will use the phone rather than the hotel clock. To snooze my iphone I just touch it. Admittetly the whole screen isn’t the snooze button, just a smaller part of the screen, but for a zombie\* it’s not too difficult. [sub]\*Person who is 95% asleep[/sub] If I can be late for work (such as today) I ‘snooze’ about fourteen times! Too asleep to think to just reset the alarm for a later time. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/56 "2010-10-24T17:56:25Z")
My wife uses the cell phone for an alarm and it is very loud. ---
**Author:** ![KellyM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/57b2e6/32.png) [@KellyM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyM)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/57 "2010-10-24T18:20:59Z")
I use my Droid X as an alarm clock, works fine. The ability to set multiple alarms with different repeat schedules and different alarm tones is extremely useful. ---
**Author:** ![kittenblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ba8739/32.png) [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/58 "2010-10-24T18:44:13Z")
I can’t see well enough without my glasses to find the right button to hit snooze on my cellphone (normal cellphone, not fancy-pants iPhone) so I invariably turn it off instead of snooze, so I don’t rely on it alone. And I like being able to wake up in the middle of the night, roll over and look at the clock without fumbling for a phone, and see what time it is. So I use both. When I travel I only use the cellphone unless it’s really, really crucial to be up and out of bed immediately. Then I will use the hotel clock AND the wake-up service! I hear the alarm fine, but I just hit the wrong button on the cell phone too many times. Or the cats knock it off the nightstand. And lately, I think I’m sleeping through the cell phone alarm, because I’m only waking up to the regular alarm. I wish I could break the snooze habit, but I can’t. After a certain time, though, my cat will step on me and bite me to get me out of bed because she wants my spot. However, she is in the process of dying, so I can’t rely on her anymore. Plus, I am not a creature of habit. So there may be times I forget to take my cellphone out of my purse and on to the charger. Or I may have left it in the pocket of my coat, and I fall asleep before I remember and drag myself down to get it. So I will always have a clock on my nightstand. ---
**Author:** ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/59 "2010-10-24T18:51:38Z")
> [@Lobsang](#): > > To snooze my iphone I just touch it. Admittetly the whole screen isn’t the snooze button, just a smaller part of the screen, but for a zombie\* it’s not too difficult. Too much thinking. Plus, every cell I’ve had has a different snooze, and I tend not to figure it out until the first time I need it. Just about every alarm clock has a big ass button on top I can just bang on (though I’ve seen some with tiny snoozes - not one I would ever buy). ---
**Author:** ![Otara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a88e4f/32.png) [@Otara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otara)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2010, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101/60 "2010-10-24T22:11:43Z")
I just set my alarm for when I actually need to be awake. Bonus is it does daylight saving automatically as well. Otara [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-cel-phone-also-an-acceptable-alarm-clock/558101.md?page=4)