If you have a busy schedule, setting alarms can help keep your schedule in check. Since reminders should be loud enough, sometimes there are other people in the room, and you want to avoid disturbing them with deafening noises. This begs the question of whether you can hear the sound through your headphones.
So, do iPhone alarms go through headphones? All iPhone alarms go through the built-in handset speaker and any linked additional audio gadget simultaneously. It is a default setting, and you don’t need to make any adjustments; as long as you have wired or Bluetooth headphones, you will hear the alarm through the phone and the earphones. However, there are no settings to make the alarm sound exclusively through external audio devices and not the phone unless you have third-party apps or adjust the speaker’s volume.
You may be using your headphones but have set a reminder for specific tasks, or you are asleep with your AirPods in, and you need your morning alarm to alert you. While many are used to alarms going off through their device, other users wonder whether the phone will ring through headphones.
The iPhone’s alarm goes off on the in-built speakers and any extra audio device you have connected. It is an automatic response if you use the headphones and may not otherwise hear the phone ring.
It works for wired and wireless Bluetooth headphones like AirPods as long as the audio gadget is connected. The only exception is that there is no way to make the alarm go off exclusively through your headphones; it must also ring through the iPhone’s speakers if your wireless audio devices fall off or lose battery.
Headphones are gaining popularity among users, especially after Apple launched wireless alternatives that are more versatile and convenient to use. Many owners often have them on all day and sometimes sleep with them as long as they have power. If you are one of the users with headphones on for the better part of the day, the chances are high that your reminders and alarms will go off with the devices connected.
Therefore, there should be a way for you to hear the sound, even with wired headphones or AirPods. Luckily, by default, the alarm will ring through the iPhone’s speakers and any other audio device you have connected simultaneously.
It will go off through any headphones, wireless or wired, provided that you have correctly linked it to your iPhone. You can try it with your headphones by setting an alarm and checking that it rings through the phone and audio device.
If your iPhone runs on iOS 12 or a better version, the alarm should sound through your connected AirPods, but it won’t work with earlier versions. The only problem is that AirPods have volatile batteries that may not last all night if you want to use them for your morning alarms. They usually stay on for around five hours, but you can charge them in the middle of the night to last until the morning when you need your waking reminder.
However, the iPhone’s settings only allow ringing through the speaker and the headphones, and there is no way to tweak the system to sound exclusively through the AirPods.
Apple wanted to ensure that you can still hear the reminder even if something happens to the speakers, preventing it from working. This may be in situations where the battery depletes, or the buds fall off your ears when you are asleep.
The best part about this feature is that you can set alarms and reminders to keep you on track throughout the day, but you don’t have to disturb others in the process. This feature is important if you share a room with others and want to wake up very early or don’t want to wake the entire house. However, remember that your headphones must be comfortable if you use them all night. If not, you risk damaging them, and they may affect your sleep.
Do Alarms Ring Through Headphones?
All smartphones come with an alarm clock that you can set to help you wake up in the morning or remind you to attend to tasks. The alarm settings may differ depending on your type of phone, whether Android or iPhone. However, you may wonder what happens when your headphones are plugged in or connected; will the alarm still ring?
Alarms usually go off through your headphones and any other audio device you have linked to your handset. In both iPhones and Androids, the phone’s speaker and the headphones will both sound, but there are third-party programs that you can use to help direct the ring to the earpiece only. You can tweak the settings and channel the alarm to your headphones with such apps. This way, you won’t disturb others, especially when you are in a quiet and busy environment.
Your alarms will go off via your earphones as long as you have them plugged in at the same time when you expect the phone to ring. The loud sound will disrupt those near you until you cancel it, but if you have your headphones on while the speaker’s volume is low, only you can hear the alarm go off. Besides, if you have a third-party app, you can redirect the alert to ring exclusively through the headphones.
However, note that alarms are pretty loud and require quality earpieces safe for your ears; otherwise, you may start developing hearing problems. You might wonder why alarms must reroute through the ear pods despite ringing through the speaker. First, if you sleep with your earphones on, they may fall off during the night, and if the ring were to sound on the earpiece only, you will miss your reminder.
Secondly, the chances are high that your wireless headphone’s charge may deplete before the alarm goes off, and the speaker’s sound would be the only backup. Finally, your earphones can fail due to specific problems, but you can rely on the phone. There is no option to set the alarm sound only on the headset, and the alarm must also come through your phone.
Generally, the default alarm and phone’s settings cannot adjust the reminder to go off only through the headphones. Fortunately, there are workarounds to make it possible, thanks to apps on your Play Store or App Store.
These third-party applications can be handy when you need to use the headphones for your alarms exclusively. There are numerous options in the App Store if you are using an iPhone, while Android users can access them through the Play Store.
Lastly, there is the volume adjustment method, where you reduce the phone’s sound to zero before plugging in the headphones. However, this option may not be full proof since the phone will still ring, but you can set the sound to low to avoid disturbing the people around you. After inserting the earpiece, increase the volume again, and this time, it will only affect the earphones’ volume.
How Do I Make My Alarm Go Through My Headphones?
If you want your alarm or reminder to be discreet, to avoid waking or disturbing other people around you, you may need a way to make it go through your headphones. It would help if you sleep with AirPods or if you use wired or wireless headphones during the day to listen to your music and shows.
Your alarm will go through your headphones by default if you have connected it as an additional audio device. It will ring via your phone’s speakers and also through the headphones. However, there are no settings for you to hear the sound only through the headphones and not the handset’s speakers. There are only two workarounds if you want to achieve this; you can reduce your phone’s volume manually for the sound to come from your audio devices or use third-party apps.
Phones usually let the alarm ring through the speakers and any other linked audio device. If you have wired headsets or wireless Bluetooth options, you will hear the sound from both of them if you have correctly connected the headphones.
You don’t need unique settings because your phone will automatically detect the device and transmit sound through it. You can even test it by setting an alarm a minute from now when you have plugged your earphones.
The default setting is for the reminder to sound through the phone and the headphones, but sometimes you don’t want other people to hear it. You may be at work or share a room with others and don’t want the loud noise to disturb them. Unfortunately, there are no in-phone settings for the ring to be exclusively through the AirPods. However, two alternatives work for most users: using apps or adjusting the volume.
Some third-party applications allow setting one or multiple alarms and let you adjust them to only ring through your headphones. Depending on your phone type, you can find them on your Play Store or App Store. Alternatively, you can manually reduce your iPhone volume before connecting your earphones to prevent sounds from coming through the speakers.
Therefore, adjusting the volume will not interfere with the iPhone’s speaker volume when connecting the external devices. Therefore, when the alarm rings, the sound will still go through the phone’s speaker and headphones, but more sound will be on the audio device according to your settings since the speaker’s sound is too low.
Why Can’t I Hear Alarms Through Headphones?
Regardless of your smartphone type, it will automatically reroute alarms to ring through your headphones and phone simultaneously. However, your alarm may fail to ring through your earphones, and you may want to know how to fix it.
One of the reasons why you may not hear the alarm through your headphones is if you accidentally set it to silent mode. Also, if your ringer volume is too low, you may not hear it, or maybe there is a faulty connection, or your headphones have issues preventing them from ringing. Additionally, if you have wireless earbuds that only work when charged, they may fail to sound when the battery dies. Luckily, you only need to make some adjustments instead of replacing the headphones.
Alarms will go off seamlessly if your headphones are in good shape and you have made proper settings on your smartphone. However, you can expect a few hitches when dealing with electronics, affecting your connection.
Some of these hiccups are easy to repair even without requiring help from a professional. In most cases, the issues involve problems with the earpiece cable if it’s wired, a dead battery on your ear pods, or improper tethering.
Furthermore, settings on your smartphone can also influence the ringing. You can correct such problems by increasing the volumes on your phone through the up button. If the issue persists, you can open the alarm app and adjust the ring volume. You can also set vibration alerts as long as they are audible enough for daily reminders, but they may not be ideal for waking alarms if you are a heavy sleeper.
Besides the ring settings, the silence may be from faults in connecting the earphones and the phone. If your settings are fine and you are using a wired link, maybe your headphone cable is broken somewhere. The only option is to find a replacement. Alternatively, for Bluetooth devices, the issue may be a weak link. You can sever the tethering, forget the device and reconnect.
If this fails, you can restart the phone and connect the headphones again. Otherwise, if there are no changes, you may conclude that your wireless earbuds have faulty batteries that don’t hold power. It is evident when you fully charge them, but they die soon after turning them on. If you have tried all the above remedies, but nothing is working, the last resort would be to get new headphones.
Wrap Up
You don’t have to worry if you often have earphones plugged in during the day or at night when you also want to set alarms and reminders. All phones can detect when you have plugged in an external device and automatically ring through them and the internal speakers. Therefore, your wired or Bluetooth wireless headphones will sound when you have plugged them.
The only challenge is that the phone will also ring, meaning that you will disturb other people around you when the alarm goes off. However, you can install some third-party apps that will make the alarms ring exclusively through the headphones. Alternatively, you can reduce the phone’s volume while maintaining a high sound on the earphones.
