Apple Adds a Long-Overdue Alarm Feature in the iOS 26.4 Update

ios 26.1 beta 2 alarm fixes

Apple recently rolled out a software update that fixes a common issue for people who track their sleep. If you wear an Apple Watch to bed, you probably know that it takes over your morning wake-up routine. The watch alerts your wrist instead of letting your iPhone play a loud sound. Now, the latest version of iOS 26 finally gives you the choice to change how this works.

The new update lets your phone ring alongside your watch

Before this update, wearing the watch at night meant your phone stayed completely silent when it was time to wake up. Most people keep their watch on silent mode. This means the alarm only creates a soft vibration on the wrist. That setup is great if you do not want to wake anyone else in the room. But it can be a big problem if you are a heavy sleeper who needs a loud noise to get out of bed.

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You can find the setting inside your sleep schedule menu

To fix this, the software adds a new setting called ‘Always Play on iPhone’. You can turn it on by editing your sleep schedule in either the Clock app or the Health app. When activated, the alarm will ring loudly from your phone while still buzzing on your wrist. Just keep in mind that this only applies to your official sleep schedule. It does not work for regular, one-time alarms you set manually.

This small change lets you enjoy the newest watchOS sleep tracking tools without worrying about sleeping past your alarm. The company clearly listened to feedback and gave its users a reliable way to start the morning.

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