I think that almost everyone would admit to accidentally sleeping in on at least one occasion. Surely there is a way of combating this issue, if so I am certain that the Play Store will yield some results! The problem is which of the apps are worth downloading? Well hopefully my Top Ten 10 Android Alarm Clock Apps will help you in this department. I have tried and tested these apps and ranked them accordingly, I must admit that it was close for some of them.
1. I Can’t Wake Up!
I particularly liked this app, it has a good interface and many features, some more useful than others. The killer features of this app are the dismissal options, you can choose to dismiss the alarm by mathematical equation, ordering numbers, memory tests, repeated patterns and a barcode. While these features are good and get you out of bed, if you had the misfortune to leave the alarm on it would be infuriating! When you do mean to set the alarm, the Wake Up Methods (W.U.M) are very effective and as you can set more than one it really gets you going on a morning. Best of all this app is free!
2. Alarm Clock Plus
Alarm Clock Plus is one of the more feature rich of the alarm clock applications. The interface is pleasant. The home screen for the app includes the time and shortcuts to your phones home screen, a slide show of your pictures and your music. While these features are not needed, they are quite pleasant to have, an added bonus if you will.
This app allows you to have an alarm set for different days and also it allows a countdown for naps. It also gives you the chance to change the default settings for a new alarm, which is incredibly useful. Back-ups are also available which gives you peace of mind if something were to go wrong. I have seen no evidence to support the need for the back-up facility; I think it’s more useful as a way to ease the transition to a new phone.
To dismiss the alarm you can permit it to ask you 1 or more mathematical questions, just to make sure that you are awake. If not then the alarm will just keep on going until you either rip the battery out of your phone (which I do not recommend) or you finally answer the maths questions. I find this app incredibly easy to use, best of all there are 2 versions: Ad supported and Ad Free.
3. Alarm Clock Xtreme
This app also comes in 2 forms: Ad supported and Ad Free. Both of them are good reliable alarms that have always gone off when I’ve been using them. I feel that this app is a looker. It has both a countdown timer and an alarm. The alarm allows you to repeat it on certain days and has a number of dismissal methods. You have the option to dismiss via Captcha, maths problem, shake, button and dock. All of which work wonderfully well. Also like most other alarm apps you can have a crescendo alarm so you don’t wake too suddenly. It includes a widget that states when the next alarm is, which looks good on your home screen.
4. AlarmDroid
This is one of the best alarm clocks on the Play Store, I find it easy to use and as much as possible it is a pleasure to wake up to. It has a simple design but is full of the features that you would expect. Like most others it can play both ringtones and music; however it also sports a talking clock to inform you of the weather and time when you wake. I think that it has the best scheduling system on the market. It allows not only for repeated days, but also for odd and even weeks. It is by far the best scheduled alarm clock out there. It also features a pleasant widget, it informs you of either the time of the next alarm or the length of time until it will go off. Fair warning I feel. AlarmDroid also comes in 2 versions: Ad supported and Ad Free.
5. ElectricSleep
ElectricSleep is one of a small number of cyclic alarm clocks on the market. It attempts to wake at the optimal point as to improve you grogginess throughout the day. However, this does mean that your phone has to be on your bed and probably charging. It doesn’t take that much power, but it is more battery reliant than the normal alarms. You can state a window that it can wake you within, normally about 30-45 minutes long. The alarm then wakes you up while you are moving a reasonable amount. This movement implies that you are out of REM sleep and can therefore be woken more easily.
6. Ingenious Alarm
Ingenious Alarm is a rather run of the mill alarm clock; it has all of the usual features while still managing to look incredible. It has a world clock feature and many of the features that have already been discussed. One of the good things about the app is that it wraps the normal features that you would expect to see on most apps in a beautiful package. It includes the fairly regularly occurring Maths problem on alarm but it also includes a rather bizarre option. You can attempt to complete a Sudoku when the alarm goes off. However, the alarm does not stop while you complete the Sudoku and it just gets annoying. If you steer clear of this feature then the app is rather good. There is a trial and a full version of this app.
7. Alarm Clock
This is the very basic Alarm Clock; the only features it has are snooze, repeat and fade in. While it is a very lurid shade of green, I would say that it is perfectly functional and deserving of a place in the top ten. This app is free
8. Sleep as Android
Sleep as Android is one of the three cyclic alarm clocks in my Top Ten. The interface is up there with ElectricSleep, it is honestly a pleasure to use. The only problem with it is the fact that it does use an awful lot of battery, hence why it is lower than ElectricSleep. I have found on occasion that the alarm does not go off, but this is only because it has run out of battery. If the phone is plugged in all night then this app is great, however not everyone can manage that. There is a trial version and a full version of this app
9. SleepCycles Alarm
Another cyclic alarm that is a little bit more complex to use than ElectricSleep. The interface looks good but is not as functional as others that I have mentioned. I do like the scheduler; it shows the time beside each of the days that has an alarm set. This is a brilliant way to show the differences in alarms for each day. It makes it into my Top Ten because of its good looks and when you figure out how to work it properly (which doesn’t take too long) it is a perfectly good alarm. Free and Paid versions are available.
10. WakeUp or Die!
This is a most disturbing app; the title is enough for most people to avoid it. However, on reflection the app is most effective. It will get you up, just not necessarily in a pleasant manner. It is certainly a most effective alarm, not once did I fail to wake up. However, I have found that it doesn’t leave you feeling happy when you wake up… it is a genuine shock to wake up to such a noise. I would say use WakeUp or Die if you genuinely don’t wake up sometimes and you don’t mind the din! Free and Paid versions are available.