May 2, 2024

Apple's iPhone alarm stopped working and caused some unknown number of human beings around the world to be late for work.

The London Times reports.

The company said it was working to fix an issue with the smartphone’s alarm...
Some users have suggested that turning off the iPhone’s “attention aware features” has helped them solve the issue. This was introduced in the latest iOS 17 operating system and is designed to turn down the volume of alerts or alarms if it detects the user is looking at or using the phone. It can be changed by going to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Attention-Aware Features....

23 comments:

Aggie said...

The Machine Stops.

MadisonMan said...

When I set the alarm on my phone, I invariably wake up before the alarm. The exception is when I'm in a different time zone.

Original Mike said...

"This was introduced in the latest iOS 17 operating system…"

Huh? That attention aware feature showed up on my iPad in 2020. It caused much anxiety because I was traveling during much of that time and I didn't trust the alarm. I spent 6 months trying to figure out why the alarm was behaving so squirrelly. Turns out it was working just as it was (stupidly) designed to work. I eventually stumbled on the answer.

There's a real problem with the tech industry's mode of operation of constantly "updating" our devices and expecting us to figure out what they did. Updates should come with a detailed explanation of all of the changes. But then that would take resources away from their efforts to implement the next tranche of stupid "updates". Their hubris knows no bounds.

Rocco said...

We don’t have iPhones. But good thing we have cats as a backup wake-up alarm.

n.n said...

AI progresses.

n.n said...

Silence is violence.

violence (n.)

late 13c., "physical force used to inflict injury or damage," from Anglo-French and Old French violence (13c.), from Latin violentia "vehemence, impetuosity," from violentus "vehement, forcible," probably related to violare (see violation). Weakened sense of "improper treatment" is attested from 1590s.
- etymonline.com

PM said...

"..late for work.'
Seems so quaint.

donald said...

Doesn’t everybody automatically wake up at 3:05am?

Hassayamper said...

good thing we have cats as a backup wake-up alarm.

I have a little Scottie dog who begins whimpering for his breakfast and rattling the gate in the hallway at 0600 sharp every morning. That is pretty much the right time for me to get up and get ready for most of my work shifts. I still set my alarm but rarely need it.

I'm thinking of joining this fad to plan my life around waking up at 5 AM every single morning. Just as tithing to church helps you be a more diligent money manager, I suspect a hard rule about arising very early would help my time management, not to mention the time available for exercise.

n.n said...

I set Andrea ("Android") to wake my canine being for his morning round around the lawn.

Leland said...

"Oh no! Anyway,"

Build a routine with a strong work ethic and you'll wake up the same time every day. After my freshman year in college, I didn't use an alarm clock for 2 decades. I only started using one again because I too often woke up earlier than necessary and wanted to train myself to get a bit more sleep.

Michelle Dulak Thomson said...

From Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's "alternate" lyrics to Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, to the tune of "When I am Laid in Earth":

When I am late, am late for work,
May my wrongs create no trouble, no trouble
For the rest!
Remember me! Remember me! But, ah, forget I'm late!

Marcus Bressler said...

I have an iPhone and use the alarm but also set my clock alarm for those days I must get up to travel to a client's establishment to conduct training classes.
My bladder usually serves me well in getting me out of bed. If I return and I notice I have about an hour (or more) left to sleep, I am at peace. But when it is 15 minutes or less, I just say eff it and get up then.

Rocco said...

Doesn’t everybody automatically wake up at 3:05am?

Wake up? In my twenties that was around the time I would start thinking about going to bed.

chuck said...

The world ends, not in fire, nor in ice, but in a silent alarm.

Static Ping said...

I've had that problem when the phone decides to run an update overnight and it gets stuck. I try to install the updates manually for that reason.

Former Illinois resident said...

New version of "dog ate my homework".

Original Mike said...

"I've had that problem when the phone decides to run an update overnight and it gets stuck. I try to install the updates manually for that reason."

Yeah, I won't let it Auto Update.

Greg the Class Traitor said...

This would be why I don't install Apple's "updates"

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I’ve turned off my alarm. It dawned on me reading an Althouse post that if I kept on sleeping past the time I thought I needed to wake up is probably because I need more sleep. Why would I contradict a healthy need.

Ridiculous!

Btw. Ridiculous is the name of some Norm material available only on Spotify. I’m going to have to download and listen to.

Mason G said...

If Apple *really* wants to update your phone, do you think they'd let users stop them?

Original Mike said...

"If Apple *really* wants to update your phone, do you think they'd let users stop them?"

Of course not. I expect them to require updates at some point.. And it's my understanding that microsoft has already crossed this line.

Greg the Class Traitor said...

Mason G said...
If Apple *really* wants to update your phone, do you think they'd let users stop them?

The reason why people pay the premium for the iPhone is the promise that:
1: You're in charge
2: They will security test apps before they sell them to you, so you can install apps with confidence

If Apple violates either of those and gets caught, they lose their market value