Documentation

How Alarm Ace works — missions, lock-in mode, audio, trial, and platform details.

Alarm Ace Documentation

Publisher: TLC Designs
Platform: iOS 17.0+ and Android 10 (API 29) or later
Bundle ID: com.tlcdesigns.alarmace (both platforms)

Overview

Alarm Ace is a mission-based alarm clock. You set an alarm, choose a wake-up mission, and the alarm keeps ringing until the mission is completed. It is designed for people who sleep through or dismiss standard alarms.

The app is not a sleep tracker, not a medical device, and not a wellness app. It does not collect data, requires no account, and works fully offline.

Missions

Mission	Setup	At ring time	Default
Photo	Capture a reference photo	Take any photo to stop the alarm	—
QR	App generates a printable QR code	Scan the QR code from the print or another screen	—
Math	Pick difficulty (easy / medium / hard)	Solve N problems correctly (default 3)	Difficulty: easy
Shake	Set a shake count	Shake the phone that many times	20 shakes
Simple	None	Tap dismiss	—

All missions are included in the price. There is no paywall on any mission.

Lock-in mode

Lock-in mode is a per-alarm toggle (available on every mission except Simple). When ON, the dismiss and snooze buttons are hidden while ringing — the only way to stop the alarm is completing the mission. When OFF, a dismiss button appears after the mission is attempted once (an intentional emergency exit).

Defaults: ON for Math and Shake, OFF for Photo and QR.

Audio

Choose a built-in tone or a song from your device music library
Volume ramp: starts at 20% and rises to 100% over 30 seconds (can be disabled)
If a custom audio file is missing at ring time, a built-in fallback tone plays
Alarms ring through the silent switch (iOS) and Do Not Disturb / Focus
With headphones connected, the alarm routes to the built-in speaker
Competing audio (white noise, music) is ducked at ring time

Snooze

Snooze is configurable per alarm (default 9 minutes, can be disabled)
With lock-in ON, snooze is unavailable
A per-alarm snooze cap (1–10) is available to stop endless snoozing

Reliability

Alarms fire via local notifications — no server, no push
Alarms fire when the app is swiped away (killed), on silent, screen locked, and in airplane mode
The app verifies scheduled notifications on every open and repairs any that are missing — a self-healing scheduler
Settings → About → Alarm integrity shows the last 30 ring / snooze / missed events so "did it ring?" is always answerable

Trial and purchase

State	Entered when	Duration
Trial	First-run acknowledgement	14 days
Expired	Trial elapsed without purchase	Until purchase
Purchased	$6.99 unlock completes	Permanent

Capability	Trial	Expired	Purchased
Existing alarms ring with missions	Yes	Yes	Yes
Create new alarms	Yes	No	Yes
Edit alarms	Yes	No	Yes
Delete alarms	Yes	Yes	Yes
JSON export / import	Yes	Yes	Yes
Snooze	Yes	Yes	Yes

Trial: fully functional for 14 days from first-run acknowledgement.
Expired: existing alarms keep firing with full mission behavior — the user is never left without a wake-up. Creating and editing are gated.
Purchased: one $6.99 non-consumable unlock. Family Sharing is enabled (iOS). Purchase is cached and honored offline. An iOS purchase does not unlock the Android app, and vice versa.
Restore: use Restore Purchase in Settings after a reinstall or new device.

Export and import

Export: all alarms are saved as a JSON file, including mission payload, audio reference, repeat schedule, snooze, and lock-in settings. Audio files are referenced by path, not embedded.
Import: additive only — never deletes or overwrites existing alarms, skips duplicates, and works even in the expired state (restoring alarms is recovery, not creation).

Permissions

Notifications: requested on the first alarm creation (not at launch). If denied, alarms cannot ring — the app shows a clear warning.
Camera: required only for Photo and QR missions; blocked at setup if the permission was denied.
Exact alarms (Android): SCHEDULE_EXACT_ALARM for precise scheduling.

Data & privacy

Everything is stored locally on your device — no account, no server, no telemetry
The local database is included in platform device backup
JSON export is the portable copy you control
App Privacy (iOS) and Data Safety (Play): no data collected, no data shared
Full policy: tlcdesigns.com/alarmace/privacy

Accessibility

VoiceOver and TalkBack can create, edit, and delete alarms without sighted assistance
Mission alternatives: math problems read aloud; shake replaced by a tap-count button when VoiceOver is active; photo via a guided capture button
All interactive targets are at least 44pt/44dp; supports Dynamic Type
Light and dark appearance both meet WCAG AA contrast; reduced-motion respected

Roadmap

v1.1: home-screen widgets, optional biometric app lock, real photo matching (instead of any-photo-dismisses)
v2 (not committed): Apple Watch / Wear OS app, sunrise simulation, weather-aware alarms, shared alarms