Sleep better with iOS 10's Bedtime alarm
Apple's new recurring iPhone alarm can help you get a good night's sleep.
Flicking up on my iPhone, tapping the Timer button from Control Center, tapping the Alarm button and then tapping to turn on my alarm is a familiar sequence, but that's no longer the last thing I do at night before going to bed. Thanks to iOS 10's new Bedtime alarm, my iPhone wakes me up at the same time each morning, letting me save the regular alarm for weekend naps. Not only that, but Bedtime alarm reminds me to go to bed each evening so that I get enough sleep.
With iOS 10, Apple has added a new Bedtime button to the Clock app. It lets you set a time to wake up and the number of hours of sleep you'd like to get each night.
When you first open the Bedtime alarm, you'll need to answer four questions:
1. What time would you like to wake up? (6:30, please.)
2. Which days of the week should the alarm go off? (Monday through Friday; I'll get up on my own on weekends.)
3. How many hours of sleep do you need each night? (I can function on 6 hours, and 8 hours feels gluttonous and cuts into my Netflix time; let's go with 7 hours.)
4. When would you like a bedtime reminder? (A 30-minute warning ought to give me enough time to finish whatever I'm watching on Netflix.)
You'll also need to choose a Wake Up Sound from among nine choices. All feature gentle sounds that gradually rise in volume to get you out of bed. There is also a snooze option when the alarm goes off. Unfortunately, you can't choose a track from your music library to wake up to.
After you answer the above questions, the next time you open the Bedtime alarm, you'll see a clock dial with your bedtime and wake time displayed. You can drag on the dial to adjust the times, and if you tap the Options button, you can adjust the alarm's days of the week, reminder buffer, sound and volume.
For more, check out our complete guide to iOS 10.
