Why is there a random alarm set on my phone?

Checking Notification Settings

One of the most common reasons for a random alarm going off on an Android phone is if a notification was accidentally enabled in the device’s settings. To check your notification settings, open the Settings app and navigate to “Apps & notifications” and then “Notifications.” Here you can review notifications from recently sent apps as well as your conversation, default, and advanced notification settings. Make sure to thoroughly go through each app and notification type to see if an alarm or other alert was mistakenly turned on [1]. You can also try searching “alarm” or “alert” in the Settings app to see if an alarm notification pops up. Android allows granular control over notifications, so check all the sections thoroughly. Once you identify any errant alarms, you can disable or customize them to prevent random alerts. Keep in mind that many apps like Calendar, Clock, and third-party apps have their own notification settings, so expanding each one is important to track down the source.

Reviewing Apps

One possible cause of a random alarm on your phone is an app that has enabled its own alarm or notification settings. It’s a good idea to open up all the apps you’ve downloaded and thoroughly check their individual settings.

Look in the app’s settings or notifications menu for options like “Enable notifications” or “Set alarm.” Disable any alarms or notifications you don’t remember enabling or don’t want.

Be especially careful with productivity apps, calendar apps, meditation/mindfulness apps, weather apps, or apps related to health and fitness. These types of apps commonly give users the option to set up reminder alarms and notifications. Disable any you find unnecessary.

According to a recent Computerworld article, “apps that set alarms or watch your other apps” are a common source of mysterious notifications (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38389618). So carefully scrutinize any app that monitors usage or activity on your device.

Checking Calendar

One potential cause of random alarms on your phone is an errant calendar event or reminder. Open the Calendar app and carefully review any scheduled events, appointments, or reminders. Look for any alarms that may have unintentionally been set for odd times. According to this Google support thread, calendar alerts sometimes trigger at the wrong time, especially if there are multiple reminders set.

Go through your calendar and double check the alarm settings for each event or reminder. Make sure there are no unintended alarms set, and that the alarms are configured for the proper dates/times. If you find an alarm set accidentally, simply edit the calendar event to update or remove the alarm. This should prevent random alarms from that calendar event going forward.

You can also check the default calendar alert settings. According to an Apple support thread, the default alerts may be triggering randomly. Open the calendar settings and adjust the default alarm tones and schedules as needed to stop random alarms from occurring by default.

Clearing Cache

Sometimes clearing the app cache and data can reset errant alarms that seem to randomly go off. This essentially resets the app back to its default settings which can clear out any issues caused by corrupted data or glitches.

To clear the cache and data for the Clock app, go to Settings > Apps > Clock > Storage & Cache and tap Clear Cache followed by Clear Data (Megabite). This will delete any temporary files stored by the app as well as reset any customized settings, which can reset buggy alarms.

Clearing the cache should be one of the first troubleshooting steps for random alarms, as it often resolves the issue quickly without needing more complex solutions like factory resetting the device. It’s an easy fix to try before digging deeper.

Updating Software

One potential cause of random alarms is outdated software. Both the phone’s operating system and individual apps can contain bugs that lead to errant alarms. It’s important to keep your phone’s OS and apps fully updated to the latest versions. According to a discussion on the Apple Support forums, checking for iOS updates can “help make sure the software is working as expected.”

On an iPhone, you can update your iOS version by going to Settings > General > Software Update. For Androids, open Settings > System > Advanced > System Update. Also open the Play Store or App Store and check for any available updates to your downloaded apps. Keeping everything updated to the latest versions can often resolve software bugs causing random alarms.

As noted in a Reddit thread, there have been known alarm bugs in previous iOS versions that were fixed by Apple in subsequent updates. So always make sure your iPhone is on the newest iOS. The same logic applies to Android phones – installing the newest OS version from your manufacturer can fix many alarm issues.

Checking Accessibility Settings

One potential cause of random alarms is having an accessibility feature enabled that is accidentally creating alarms. Many smartphones like iPhones and Android devices have accessibility settings such as VoiceOver or TalkBack which can read text aloud or speak notifications. If configured improperly, these text-to-speech features could trigger random alarms going off.

To check if this is the case, go into your device’s Settings app and navigate to Accessibility. Review the different options to see if text-to-speech or any other accessibility features are enabled. If so, try disabling them and test if the random alarms stop occurring. Re-enable the features one by one to determine if a specific one is responsible. You may need to adjust the settings to prevent unwanted alarms.

Accessibility services are very useful for those who need them, so be sure not to disable anything you require. But double check that the configurations are not inadvertently creating random alarms at inconvenient times. With the right settings tuned, you can benefit from accessibility tools without nuisance alarms.

Factory Reset

As a last resort, backing up data and performing a factory reset on the device may resolve the issue of random alarms (Source: https://android.stackexchange.com/questions/248150/unknown-alarm-appearing-and-disappearing-at-random-time-on-the-lock-screen). A factory reset will wipe the device and restore it to original factory settings, which should eliminate any corrupted files or settings causing the phantom alarms.

Before factory resetting, be sure to backup any important data, photos, or files stored on the device that you want to keep. This can be done manually by copying files to a computer, or using a cloud backup service. Then, go into the device settings, find the reset option, and select factory reset. Follow the prompts to fully erase the device. When it reboots, it should be cleared of any issues that were causing the random alarms.

A factory reset is effective because it eliminates any problematic apps, files, or configurations that could be contributing to the phantom alarms. By wiping the device and starting fresh, the alarming behavior is likely to disappear. However, it can be an inconvenient process since it also removes all custom settings and data. But for a stubborn issue like unexplained alarms, a factory reset may be the go-to solution when other options have failed.

Smartphone Malware

Malware or adware on your smartphone could be creating random alarms. Malware is malicious software that is designed to damage or disrupt your device, often showing intrusive ads or popups like fake virus warnings. Adware also displays unwanted advertisements. Both malware and adware sometimes come hidden in apps downloaded from outside the official app stores.

To check if your device has malware, run a scan with antivirus software. Popular free antivirus apps on Android include AVG Antivirus and Avast Mobile Security. On iPhones, malware is less common but you can check for any unknown or suspicious profiles under Settings > General > Profiles & Device Management. You can also factory reset your phone to remove any malware, with the tradeoff of deleting your data.

For more information, see:

[KB3758] False virus alerts on Android mobile devices. (2022, September 14). ESET. https://support.eset.com/en/kb3758-false-virus-alerts-on-android-mobile-devices

How to Figure Out If Your Phone Has Malware. (2023, December 28). PCMag. https://www.pcmag.com/how-to/how-to-figure-out-if-your-phone-has-malware

Checking Connected Devices

Your smartphone connects to many other devices, like Bluetooth headphones, smartwatches, and Internet of Things gadgets. These connected devices can sometimes trigger actions on your phone without you realizing it [1]. For example, if you own a smartwatch that’s paired to your phone, it may have an alarm set that’s causing your phone to go off randomly.

Check any connected wearables, like smartwatches or fitness trackers, in their own apps and make sure there are no alarms set accidentally. You can even try unpairing the devices temporarily to see if that stops the random alarms.

Also check any smart home devices connected to your phone, like security cameras or doorbells, to ensure you don’t have motion alerts or other notifications enabled that could be triggering an audible alarm.

Disconnecting other devices, even car Bluetooth connections, can help determine if something external is causing the phantom alarms on your smartphone.

Contacting Support

If you’ve tried all the usual troubleshooting steps and the random alarm persists, it may be time to contact the device manufacturer’s support team. Each phone brand has dedicated customer service teams to help troubleshoot technical issues.

For example, Samsung users can contact Samsung Support through their support site, by phone, or via online chat to speak to a representative [1]. Apple users can contact Apple Support and make a Genius Bar appointment at an Apple Store, where an Apple technician can examine the device in person [2].

When contacting support, be ready to provide details about when the random alarm occurs, troubleshooting steps already attempted, and any other relevant information. Support agents can use diagnostic tools and tap into engineering resources to get to the bottom of stubborn technical issues.

As a last resort, the support team may recommend a factory reset to eliminate any corrupted software or settings causing the random alarm. Be sure to backup your data before a reset. With help from the device experts, the strange alarm mystery can usually be solved.