How to Set an Alarm for a Future Date on an iPhone

How to Set an Alarm for a Future Date on an iPhone

Updated: July 27, 2023

3 min read

If you're wondering, "Can you set an alarm for a specific day on iPhone?", yes, it's possible. However, you can't do this via the Clock app or the default Alarm feature.

Instead, you can set an alarm for a specific day on an iPhone using the Calendar app or by downloading a new alarm app from the Apple app store.

In this article, we'll explain our hack on how to set an alarm for a specific day and answer other questions about setting iPhone alarms in advance or at a custom frequency.

Can You Set an Alarm for a Specific Day on an iPhone?

Even though it's not commonly known, yes, you can set an alarm for a specific day on an iPhone. However, it's a little tricky to do.

Here's how to set an alarm for a future date on an iPhone or iPad:

  1. Visit "Calendar"
  2. Find the date you want to set an alarm for
  3. Tap the "+" button in the top right corner
  4. Add a title, start, and end time
  5. Tap "Alert"
  6. Choose when you'd like the alarm to go off (i.e., at the time you've set, 5 minutes before, 1 hour before, etc.)
  7. Tap "New Event" to save changes and go back
  8. Tap "Add" to save the alarm

Remember, iPhone Calendar alerts have a default sound, which is a subtle "chord" chime. If you want the alarm to be loud enough to hear when sleeping, you'll need to change the sound of Calendar alerts via Settings.

Here's how to change the sound of Calendar alerts on an iPhone:

  1. Visit "Settings"
  2. Scroll or search for "Sounds & Haptics"
  3. Tap "Calendar Alerts"
  4. Choose a tone or ringtone by tapping it (a tick should appear once it's been selected)
  5. Go "Back" to save your settings

This hack will enable you to set an alarm on a specific day in the future.

Just remember that you won't be able to snooze this alarm, as it isn't actually possible to set a proper alarm in advance for a specific day on an iPhone.

How Do I Set an Alarm on an iPhone for the Next Day or a Day in Advance?

You can only set an iPhone alarm up to 24 hours in advance.

Therefore, setting an alarm for the next day on an iPhone (i.e., tomorrow) can only be done when the time you want to set the alarm for has already passed today.

For example, if you want to set an alarm for 2 PM tomorrow, you'll have to wait until 2 PM or later today.

Here's how to set an alarm on an iPhone for the next day:

  1. Wait until there are less than 24 hours before the time of your alarm
  2. Visit the "Clock" app
  3. Tap the "+" button in the top corner
  4. Choose your time
  5. Optional: Give your alarm a label or change the sound
  6. Tap "Save" to set your alarm

How Do I Set My Alarm Every 2 Days?

When setting an alarm on an iPhone, you have the option to make the alarm recurring.

For example, you can set the alarm to repeat every Monday to Friday if you need to wake up at the same time every day.

However, you can't choose a custom frequency for the alarm, like every two days or bi-weekly.

The easiest way to set an alarm every two days is to use Calendar alerts. This is a 2-step process. First, you have to create the alert every two days. Then, you'll need to change the sound of the alert to something loud enough to hear, even if you're sleeping.

Here's how to set an alarm every two days on an iPhone or iPad:

  1. Visit "Calendar"
  2. Tap the "+" button in the top right corner
  3. Add a title, start date, end date, and time
  4. Tap "Repeat"
  5. Tap "Custom"
  6. Choose "Every" and choose two days
  7. Tap "Repeat" to save the setting and go back
  8. Tap "New Event"
  9. Scroll down and tap "Alert"
  10. Choose when you'd like the alarm to go off
  11. Tap "New Event" to save settings and go back
  12. Tap "Add" to set the alarm

Now your alert has been set. You can change the sound that plays when the alert goes off to something louder or more preferable to wake up to.

Here's how to change the sound of Calendar alerts on an iPhone:

  1. Visit "Settings"
  2. Scroll or search for "Sounds & Haptics"
  3. Tap "Calendar Alerts"
  4. Choose a tone or ringtone by tapping it (a tick should appear once it's been selected)
  5. Go "Back" to save your settings
Burak Özdemir
My name is Burak, and I used to have difficulties waking up in the morning due to unreliable alarm clocks. Over the past few years, I've dedicated part of my life to sharing my knowledge about time and alarm clocks with people through this blog.