(Credit: Getty Images/Vladimir Sukhachev)
Start your day with a banger by waking up to music as your alarm clock. Some people prefer the dulcet tones of birdsong, swear by the jarring screech of their phone's ringtone, or advocate for rising with the sunshine. But if you'd rather be roused from slumber by Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, or Bad Bunny, here's how to connect your smart speaker or smartphone to a music-streaming service and say goodbye to jarring alarms.
Wake Up to Music on Your iPhone
Want to set your iPhone alarm to your favorite song? Open the Clock app and choose the Alarm tab. Tap the plus (+) sign and choose Sound. Or, alternately, tap on an existing alarm and update it. From here, you can open the iTunes Store app to download a tone, or choose from those saved to your Apple Music library. Set the time, when it repeats, and whether you want the option to snooze, then tap Label to give it a name.
(Credit: PCMag / Apple)Wake Up to Music on Your Android Phone
Samsung device owners can open the Clock app and tap the plus (+) sign on the Alarm tab to create a new alarm (or select an existing alarm to edit it). Choose Alarm sound and choose an app, such as Spotify, to pick a song.
Those with a Pixel phone will need to open the Clock app, tap the plus (+) sign (or choose an existing alarm) and set the time. Now tap Alarm sound (the entry with the bell on it) to pick what song should play and where your phone should grab it. You can choose among YouTube Music, Spotify, Pandora, or Calm. Google also lets you record your own sounds for alarms and timers.
(Credit: PCMag)How to Wake Up to Music on Your Smart Speaker
Put that smart speaker—and the built-in assistant—to good use by replacing your clock or smartphone and wake up to a handpicked tune or custom playlist.
Amazon Alexa
Once you've connected an Echo speaker to your favorite music-streaming service, the easiest way to set an alarm with a specific song is to ask Alexa. Try something like:
- "Alexa, wake me up to Beyonce at 7 a.m. every day."
- "Alexa, wake me up to BBC's "Desert Island Discs" podcast."
- "Alexa, wake me up to Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now (Taylor's Version)' at 6:30 a.m."
- "Alexa, wake me up to a classical music station on iHeartRadio."
The feature supports several music streaming platforms, and can pull tunes from Amazon Prime Music, Spotify, Pandora, TuneIn, SiriusXM, and iHeartRadio. To manage alarms, use the Reminders and Alarms section in the Alexa mobile app.
Google Assistant
Those in the US with a Google Nest or Home speaker can select a song, artist, genre, or playlist from their default music service in the Google Home app. Tap the Settings button on the main screen, then select Music under the Services section, and pick the music service you want. Then, just ask the Google Assistant to set an alarm with your music of choice:
- "Set [song or artist] music alarm for 7 a.m. Monday"
- "Set [song or artist] music alarm for 7 a.m. every day."
The Google Home app allows you to pull songs from YouTube Music, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, Deezer, Amazon Music, or any other music app on your device.
(Credit: PCMag/Google)HomePod
Setting an alarm on one of Apple's HomePods is as easy as saying "Hey Siri, wake me up at 5 a.m." It's changing the alarm sound that's more complicated. Open the Home app and press down on the HomePod. Pick an existing alarm or tap New to create one, tap Play Media > Choose Media and pick an ambient sound, song, playlist, or radio station through Apple Music. (Turn on Repeat to play the song over and over or Shuffle to randomize a playlist.) Set the volume by tapping Use Custom Volume and dragging the slider, then press Done.