For Pillow to wake you up with an alarm, you must first start a sleep session either from the iPhone, iPad, or the Apple Watch. Alarms are not available when Pillow tracks sleep Automatically.
Pillow can wake you up using a combination of the following:
Audio alarms from the iPhone or iPad speaker or an external audio device connected to the iPhone
Vibrations from the iPhone
Haptic feedback on the Apple Watch
Here's a list of potential reasons why the alarm might not go off:
The preset you have used did not have alarms enabled.
On the iPhone or iPad:
Open Pillow on your iPhone
Tap on the alarm clock tab at the bottom
Swipe to the preset you want to use
Tap on the options button on the top right corner
Ensure that the switch for "Alarm" is turned on
One the Apple Watch:
Open Pillow on the Apple Watch
Swipe horizontally to view your alarm presets
Tap on the options button (Button with three dots) to edit the options for a preset
Make sure the switch for "Alarms" is turned ON
Check Pillow's background refresh permissions.
Open the Watch app on the iPhone
Go to General -> Background App Refresh
If the switch corresponding to Pillow is OFF, turn it to ON. If it's already ON, turn it OFF and then back ON again.
Pillow doesn't have microphone access.
Applicable only if you want audio alarms or vibrations from the iPhone.
Pillow uses the microphone to perform auxiliary sleep analysis and ensure the app stays running during the night. This is required even if you don't use the "Audio recordings" feature.
If Pillow doesn't have permission to access the microphone, iOS might disable Pillow during the night, and the alarm will not go off.
The enable microphone access:
Open the Settings app
Scroll down to locate and tap on "Pillow."
Make sure the switch for "Microphone" is enabled.
Make sure your iPhone or iPad is on the charger.
Applicable only if you track with your iPhone or iPad.
Pillow performs processor-intensive tasks that can consume battery. That is why we recommend that you keep your device on the charger during the night. If you don't, iOS might disable apps that run in the background, like Pillow, to preserve battery.
Make sure your Apple Watch has enough battery.
If the Apple Watch doesn't have enough battery, it might fall into Power-reserve mode. This will disable some of functionalities or apps.