[Updated: Sep 11] Google Clock alarm sound issue still affecting Pixel phones, possible workaround inside

New updates are being added at the bottom of this story…….

Original story (published on January 15, 2020) follows:

Time and again I’ve pointed out that Google Pixel software can at times surprise with the kind of bugs it picks up along the way. The latest, for instance, is preventing the Google Clock app from sounding alarms on various Pixel models.

Matter of fact, it’s not the first time that PiunikaWeb is reporting on alarm issues related to a Google Pixel phone. Late last year, we covered a similar story related to the various Pixel models.

At the time, it was thought that the alarm issue was limited to a few devices. But going by the latest developments, it seems the issue is quite widespread than thought.

I’ve faced this issue twice in the last week. First time it happened the alarm volume was all the way off and I saw a “missed alarm” message. Today, the alarm just never sounded. No notification or anything.
Source

Same for me. I got the “missed alarm” today morning. Alarm volume was oddly low but not 100% muted, maybe at like 10% (though i would prefer it higher), still I think I would have heard it if it went off. I think there is some widespread issue here.
Source

This is happening despite these devices having received a newer software update with January 2020 security patches. Usually, one would expect such issues to be addressed, but it seems nothing changed.

But what could be causing the problem? Apparently, one Redditor thinks its something to do with the settings of the Google Clock app. And indeed, a quick look at the apps review section in the Play Store says it all.

I have used this alarm for years with no problem. I currently use it on a pixel 3xl. I just recently accepted the Android system upgrade. Alarm is now quite often not sounding at all. I thought I was just sleeping through it, but I’ve tested it during the day and it is not reliably working. I’m moving to a different alarm app for now. Please fix!!!
Source

Randomly decided to just not play whatever alarms you set up. This is a serious issue. I have overslept so many times simply because this app just refused to play the alarm I set. For the love of god fix this, this isn’t some “little bug” or something, people are late for school and work. For an app developed by a company as large and powerful as Google, an error so huge yet simple is embarrassing and completely unacceptable.
Source

I really loved the concept of this app. The issue is that the alarm is super unreliable. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t, and I have no idea why. I have tried going through all the app settings, and my phone settings. I’ve had to go back to my old alarm app because I can’t trust this one to work everyday. It’s like it just decides to not go off some days and to work other days.
Source

From the look of things, the issue is stemming from the Google Clock app. Interestingly, though, the app was last updated in November 2019, but the alarm issues started showing up after the December security update.

So far, a couple of workarounds have been suggested. The first one involves tweaking the settings of the Clock app as instructed below:

Someone else thinks the issue is with the recent updates to the Google Clock app and to this he proposes the fix below.

– Go to Play Store page for Clock.
– “Uninstall” the app – I believe this just removes all updates.
– Reboot phone*
– Re-enable the app/Install updates.
Source

Alternatively, you can simply grab another app from the Play Store and problem solved. The point is, whichever workaround fixes the Pixel alarm issue, go for it.

But we still expect Google to address the bug via a software update. This is something close to what happened with the Galaxy S10, where Samsung fixed the issue via a software update to the Clock app.

It appears that many Pixel device owners are still facing issues with the volume of the Alarm via the default Clock application. Reports of the issue have been popping up on Reddit over the past couple of months and there seems to be no explanation from Google.

My alarm sound so low even at highest volume. I don’t have this kind of issue when I using pixel 2xl (Source)

Missed my morning workout because this phone’s alarm will not sound if the phone is charging. (Source)

Previously my alarm wouldn’t go off every now and then so I’ve gotten in the habit of setting 2 alarms. However, for the past few days NONE of my alarms have gone off. My dad has a Google phone too and his alarms also aren’t going off (I have the non-5G 4a and he has a 3). (Source)

Google might be a software giant but it seems the company is having a hard time offering users a bug-free experience with the Clock application. Fresh reports, as well as some older ones, indicate that the alarm does not ring while the phone is in DND mode. Check out more on this here.

A section of users note that their alarms are not working with Spotify playlists. As such, some users have speculated that the Spotify integration might be the cause of the problem. At the time of writing, there is still no fix. More on that here.

A comment made via the official Google Pixel account on Reddit reveals that Google has identified a fix for the problem and will be rolling it out soon.

We’re sorry you’ve been experiencing this issue, and thank you for reporting it. We’ve identified a fix and will roll it out soon. In the meantime, you can change the alarm sound setting to a selection within Device sound. (Source)

This issue continues to afflict users and in the meantime, as they continue to wait for a fix, we thought we’d share some relevant
alternatives.

– Simple Clock
– Alarmy

What is your go-to alternative? Tell us in the comments section below.

Google rolled out an update for its Clock app for Android on the Play Store. However, there’s no mention of a fix for the alarm issue that’s been bothering users for days. Let us know if the latest update fixed the problem for you.

It looks like Spotify and Google have updated the Clock and Spotify that features the full fix for users who were using Spotify as audio source for their alarms.

Users are advised to update the Clock and Spotify app to the latest version.

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