Alarm Ace
A mission alarm clock that forces you awake. Reliable ringing, every time. No subscription. No ads.
Wake up. For real.
Alarm Ace is an alarm clock for people who sleep through standard alarms. You set an alarm and choose a wake-up mission — photograph a preset object, scan a QR code, solve math problems, shake the phone, or simply dismiss. The alarm will not stop ringing until the mission is completed.
Five missions, all included
- Photo — take a photo of a preset object to stop the alarm
- QR — scan the QR code you printed or set up at configuration time
- Math — solve the problems correctly (easy, medium, or hard)
- Shake — shake the phone a set number of times
- Simple — just dismiss, for the mornings you don't need the mission
Every mission type is included in the price. No paywall on any mission, ever.
Lock-in mode
Some mornings you need to cheat-proof the alarm. Turn on Lock-in mode per alarm and the dismiss and snooze buttons disappear while ringing — the only way to stop it is completing the mission. Every mission except Simple supports it, free.
It rings. Every time.
The one job of an alarm clock is to ring. Alarm Ace schedules alarms as local notifications, so they fire even if the app was swiped away, the phone is on silent, or the screen is off. Alarms ring through Do Not Disturb and Focus on iOS, and through Do Not Disturb on Android. If you fall asleep with headphones in, the alarm still routes to the speaker. If you sleep with white noise playing, the alarm ducks it so you hear the ring.
Your wake-up audio
Pick a song from your library or a built-in tone. Volume ramps gradually from 20% to 100% over 30 seconds — no jarring blast at full volume.
Try free, then $6.99 once
- 14-day full-functionality trial — every feature, no limits
- One $6.99 purchase — no subscription, no ads, no recurring charge
- After the trial: your existing alarms keep ringing. Creating and editing new alarms requires the unlock, nothing else changes
- No account, no server — everything lives on your device
Not a sleep tracker
Alarm Ace is an alarm clock with wake-up missions. It is not a sleep tracker, not a medical device, and not a wellness app. No sleep analysis, no shaming, no spooky notifications — just a reliable alarm.
Alarm Ace is published by TLC Designs. Available on the App Store and Google Play.
What makes Alarm Ace so good?
Rings every time
Alarms fire as local notifications — even if the app was swiped away, the phone is on silent, or the screen is off. A self-healing scheduler re-checks every scheduled alarm on each launch, so a silently dropped alarm gets repaired before you need it.
Photo mission
Take a photo of a preset object to stop the alarm. If the camera fails while you're locked in, Alarm Ace substitutes a math mission so you're never trapped by broken hardware.
QR mission
Alarm Ace generates a printable QR code at setup. At ring time, scan it — from a printed sheet or another screen — and the alarm stops. The classic lock-in mission, restored and free.
Math mission
Solve problems correctly to stop the alarm — easy, medium, or hard difficulty. Answers are evaluated with correct operator precedence, so a correct answer is never rejected. No punishment loops at 6 a.m.
Shake mission
Shake the phone a set number of times (default 20) to stop the alarm. When VoiceOver or TalkBack is active, a tap-count button replaces the shake, so it's fully accessible.
Lock-in mode
Per-alarm toggle: when ON, the dismiss and snooze buttons disappear while ringing — completing the mission is the only way to stop it. ON by default for Math and Shake, OFF for Photo and QR. Every mission supports it, free.
Your audio, ramping up
Pick a song from your music library or a built-in tone. Volume ramps from 20% to 100% over 30 seconds. With headphones connected the alarm routes to the speaker, and competing audio (white noise, music) is ducked at ring time.
No ads. No subscription.
One $6.99 purchase after a 14-day full-feature trial. Existing alarms keep ringing after the trial ends. No account, no server, no tracking — your alarms live on your device.
Try free, then pay once
Free to install, fully functional for 14 days. One $6.99 purchase unlocks Alarm Ace forever — no subscription, no ads, no recurring charge.
- 14-day full-feature trial — every mission, no limits
- One $6.99 purchase — yours forever
- Existing alarms keep ringing after the trial ends
- No account, no server — your alarms stay on your device
Frequently asked questions
The most common questions about Alarm Ace — answered.