Since the release of iOS 17, iPhone users have discovered that the default alarm sound is now set to “Radial” – a synthetic, electronic-sounding alert. While some may enjoy waking up to this futuristic noise, others find it unpleasant or simply want more options to personalize their wake-up experience.
The good news is, it’s easy to change your iPhone’s alarm sound to any song or sound in your music library with just a few taps. However, a newly reported bug causes issues when trying to save a custom sound. Even if you painstakingly choose your favorite morning song, Siri and iOS 17 may revert back to the default Radial sound behind your back.
Read on to learn how to change your alarm tone on iOS 17, work around the custom song bug, and take back control of your morning routine.
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Access the Alarm Sound Menu
The process starts within the new consolidated Clock app, which contains the Alarm, Timer, and World Clock functions all in one place.
- Open the Clock app.
- Select the Alarm tab at the bottom.
- Choose the specific alarm you want to edit, or tap + to create an entirely new alarm.
- Tap Sound next to the alarm’s on/off slider.
This opens a list of all built-in alarm sound options and provides access to your music library.
Choose From Default Alarm Sounds
iOS 17 comes pre-loaded with a variety of tones and tunes to wake up to:
- Radial: Synthetic chimes and beeps (the new default)
- Reflection: Peaceful guitar chords that increase in tempo
- Night Owl: Subtle, echoing beeps
- Cosmic: Ethereal chiming tones
- ** Pulse:** A mix of electronic beeps
- ** Presto:** Upbeat descending piano notes
- And more classic options like Alarm, Ascending, and Beep Beep
To set any of these default sounds for your alarm:
- Tap the sound in the list under Default Sounds.
- Confirm your selection by tapping Default next to the chosen sound.
The alarm will now wake you with your selected noise.
Choose Songs From Your Music Library
If you have a favorite track or one that helps ease you into the morning, you can also set it as your custom alarm sound.
- Scroll down and tap Pick a Song below your music library headings (Playlists, Artists, Albums etc.)
- Navigate to and select the desired song.
- Confirm by tapping Music next to the song name at the top.
Just be aware that this custom song setting may be overwritten by iOS 17’s tendency to revert back to the default Radial sound. Read on for more details about this issue.
Work Around the Custom Song Bug
Many iOS 17 users have encountered a bug where, after successfully saving a song from their music library as the alarm sound, Siri and iOS later reverts it back to the default Radial chime without asking.
Frustratingly, there is no current fix or setting that prevents this from occurring automatically behind-the-scenes. However, you can take proactive steps to manually override the change each day.
- When you wake up to to the wrong Radial sound, reopen your alarm settings and reset your desired song before the next morning.
- Tell Siri verbally each night to “set my 7am alarm sound to [Song Name]” so it sticks at least for your next alarm.
- Alternatively, use a third party alarm app without this song saving issue.
Hopefully Apple will push out an iOS update addressing this annoying bug soon. But in the meantime, you can override the behavior by staying on top of checking and manually adjusting your alarm sound daily.
Customize Additional Alarm Settings
While you have the alarm editing screen open, take the opportunity to modify other important settings like:
- Time: When the alarm goes off
- Label: Custom name for your alarm
- Repeat: What days the alarm is active
- Snooze: Duration of snooze interval (or turn off)
And if using your iPhone for sleep tracking through the new Sleep Mode, you can also configure gentle wake up sounds that start playing before the main alarm to ease you out of deep sleep more naturally.
Summary of Steps
To review, here are the key steps to change your iOS 17 alarm sound:
- Open Clock > Alarm and select the alarm
- Tap Sound
- Choose a default sound or Pick a Song from your music library
- Confirm selection
- Override Radial bug by resetting sound before next alarm
- Further customize alarm settings as needed
It may take some extra effort initially, but you can take control of your alarm sound on iOS 17. Override Siri’s insistence on the bothersome new Radial default and start waking up happier!
| Default Alarm Sounds | Source |
| Radial | Built-in synthetic chimes |
| Reflection | Built-in guitar chords |
| Night Owl | Built-in subtle beeps |
| Cosmic | Built-in ethereal chimes |
| Pulse | Built-in electronic beeps |
| Presto | Built-in piano melody |