Awaken Blog

Is There an Alarm App That Forces You to Get Out of Bed?

Yes. A mission alarm keeps ringing until you finish a task, and the tasks that work best need you to stand up, such as scanning a barcode in your bathroom, taking a photo of your sink, or doing squats. Awaken is one app built for this: it has more than ten challenges and a Wake-Up Check five minutes later in case you crawl back into bed. The built-in iPhone alarm cannot do this, because one tap on Stop ends it.

Updated Nov 2026 · Awaken

Key takeaways

A regular alarm only asks you to tap Stop, which you can do half asleep.
Mission alarms stop only after a task. Pick one that needs you to stand up and walk.
A barcode or photo in another room is the strongest setup, because you cannot do it from bed.
A follow-up check a few minutes later catches the people who complete the task and lie back down.
Set it up the night before and test it once so you trust it.

Why a normal alarm doesn't get you out of bed

When an alarm goes off, most people are coming out of sleep with a foggy brain. This state is called sleep inertia, and during it the part of your brain that plans and makes good decisions is still slow. What still works fine is habit. If your habit is to reach for the phone, tap Stop or Snooze and roll over, you can do that without really being awake. Many people have no memory of turning the alarm off at all.

The iPhone Clock app makes this easy. Stop is a big button and Snooze is even bigger. Nothing about it asks you to be awake. The answer is not a louder sound on its own. It is making the "off" action something you can't do while still lying down. That is the whole idea behind mission alarms, and it is why they work for people who have tried everything else. If you suspect you are turning alarms off in your sleep, our guide on how to stop turning off your alarm in your sleep goes deeper into that.

How mission alarms work

A mission alarm rings like a normal alarm, but the Stop button is replaced by a challenge. Until you finish it, the sound keeps going. Challenges fall into two groups:

Brain tasks, like math problems, a memory game or a typing challenge. These wake your mind up, but you can still do them from bed.
Body tasks, like scanning a barcode, taking a photo of a specific spot, squats, jumping jacks, shaking the phone or dancing. These get you on your feet.

If your goal is literally getting out of bed, body tasks are the ones that matter. A barcode or photo mission is the strongest of all, because the target is in another room. Once you are standing in the bathroom with the light on, going back to bed is a real decision instead of a reflex.

How to set up an alarm that forces you out of bed

Install a mission alarm app. Awaken (Loud Alarm Clock: Awaken) is one option. It has math, shake, screen taps, barcode scan, dance, memory game, photo mission, typing, trace path, squats and jumping jacks.
Choose a challenge you have to walk to. Pick a barcode on something that lives in the bathroom or kitchen, like a toothpaste tube or a coffee bag. Or set a photo mission of your sink or front door.
Register the target the night before. Scan the barcode or take the reference photo once while you are awake, so the morning version just works.
Turn on the follow-up check. In Awaken this is the Wake-Up Check: five minutes after you finish the challenge, it asks you to confirm you are still awake. If you don't, the alarm comes back.
Turn the volume up and charge the phone away from the bed. Keep the ringer loud and put the phone across the room so even reaching it means standing up.
Delete or switch off your old Clock alarms. A backup alarm with an easy Stop button gives your sleepy brain a way out.
Test it once. Set an alarm for two minutes from now and do the full routine. Knowing it works makes you trust it, and you won't be tempted to set five backup alarms.

What if I still go back to bed?

Some people finish the challenge and then walk straight back under the covers. That is exactly what a second check is for. A few minutes after you are up, the app asks again, and if you are asleep it rings again. It is also worth making the first minutes after the challenge easy to keep going: leave the curtains open, put a glass of water by the sink and have a reason to stay up, like coffee you enjoy or a shower.

If you are getting out of bed but feel awful every day, the problem may be too little sleep rather than the alarm. A mission alarm will get you up, but a steady bedtime is what makes getting up feel normal. Our guide on how to get out of bed in the morning covers the habits side.

Best apps for this

Awaken: a loud alarm for heavy sleepers with more than ten challenges, including barcode scan, photo mission, squats and jumping jacks, plus a Wake-Up Check five minutes later. It has a 7-day free trial.
Alarmy: a well-known mission alarm with photo, barcode, math and step missions. A solid alternative if you want to compare.
iPhone Clock app: free and reliable, but it has no challenges. You can turn off snooze and put the phone across the room, which helps a little, but one tap still ends it.
A physical alarm clock across the room: cheap and simple. It gets you standing, but there's nothing stopping you from turning it off and lying back down.

FAQ

Is there an alarm that won't turn off until you get out of bed?

Yes. Mission alarm apps like Awaken and Alarmy only stop after you finish a task. A barcode scan or photo of something in another room means you have to get up and walk there.

Which alarm challenge is best for getting out of bed?

Barcode scan or photo mission, with the target in another room. Squats and jumping jacks also work because you have to stand up to do them.

Can the iPhone alarm make you do a task before it stops?

No. The built-in Clock app only has Stop and Snooze. You need a third-party alarm app for challenges.

What if I complete the challenge and go back to sleep?

Use a follow-up check. Awaken's Wake-Up Check asks you to confirm you are awake five minutes later and rings again if you don't.

Will a mission alarm work if my phone is on silent?

Most alarm apps need notifications allowed and the volume up. Check the app's setup guide, test it once, and keep the phone charged overnight.