How to set a custom alarm sound on iPhone

"Pick a song" vs. a custom tone

In Clock → Alarm → Sound, the Pick a song option only shows tracks from Apple Music or songs synced through the Music app. If you have an MP3, a downloaded song, a voice recording or a video clip, that option can't use it — and if you don't subscribe to Apple Music, it's mostly empty. A custom ringtone sidesteps all of that: it's a file installed on the phone, so it works offline, without a subscription, and it's listed under Ringtones in the same menu.

Step by step: song to alarm

1. Choose the wake-up sound

   Open RingTon101 and import the song, video or recording. Upbeat songs with a clear beat make better alarms than slow intros — you're going to hear it half asleep.

2. Trim 30 seconds that loop well

   Drag the handles to the most energetic 30 seconds. Alarms repeat the tone until dismissed, so end the selection at the end of a phrase, not mid-word, and add a short fade so the loop point isn't a click.

3. Boost the volume

   Set Boost Volume higher than you would for a ringtone — 3× or more. The alarm volume also follows Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone and Alert Volume.

4. Export and install

   Tap Ringtone → Download, then in GarageBand Share → Ringtone → Export → Standard Ringtone.

5. Set it in Clock

   Open Clock → Alarm, tap an alarm (or +), tap Sound, scroll to Ringtones and choose your tone. It appears at the top of the list.

Making an alarm that actually wakes you

• Start loud. Skip quiet intros; begin on the drop or the chorus.
• Loop-friendly ending. Because the alarm repeats, cut at the end of a bar so the restart feels natural.
• Two alarms, two tones. A gentle tone at 6:50, your loudest cut at 7:00.
• Check silent mode. Alarms play even with the Ring/Silent switch on silent, but Focus modes can quiet notifications — alarms still fire.
• Sleep schedule alarms (Health → Sleep) use the same Ringtones list, so your custom tone works there too.

Troubleshooting

My tone isn't listed under Sound

Scroll down — custom tones sit under the Ringtones header, above Apple's built-in ones. If it's missing entirely, the GarageBand export didn't complete or the clip was over 30 seconds.

The alarm is quieter than the preview

Alarm volume is set by Ringtone and Alert Volume in Settings → Sounds & Haptics (and "Change with Buttons" if enabled). Turn that up, and re-export with a higher Boost if needed.

It plays once and stops

That's the snooze/stop behavior — alarms loop until dismissed or for about 15 minutes. If it stops immediately, check that the alarm's Sound isn't set to None.