Quick answer: Glow Alarm is a free iPhone app that works like a wake-up lamp. Before your alarm, your screen and flashlight brighten over two minutes and stay bright until the alarm sounds. The light and alarm are free; Pro adds Sunrise Colours, custom sounds and more.
How it works
- Set your alarm and choose when the light starts. Anywhere from 2 to 60 minutes before your alarm, 15 by default.
- Press Sleep and leave your iPhone on the bedside table, plugged in. Blackout while sleeping keeps the screen black overnight to save battery.
- Wake to light. When the light starts, your screen and flashlight brighten over two minutes, then stay bright until your alarm. The alarm rings like the iPhone's own Clock alarm, even through Focus modes and if your phone locks.
What's free, and what Pro adds
| Free | Glow Alarm Pro |
|---|---|
| Wake-up light using your screen and flashlight | Sunrise Colours: the light shifts from deep red to warm white, like a real sunrise |
| Pick the warmth of the light | Choose which lights to use (screen, flashlight or both) |
| Light starts 2–60 minutes before the alarm | Custom alarm sounds |
| Reliable alarm that breaks through Focus and Do Not Disturb | Sleep sounds and Sleep Recording |
| Snooze and Blackout while sleeping | Sleep screen customisation and app icons |
Pro is available monthly, yearly (with a free trial in many countries) or as a one-time Lifetime purchase.
Is a phone bright enough?
Honestly: it's not a lamp. A dedicated wake-up light fills more of the room. But if your phone sits close to your bed, the screen and flashlight together are bright enough to make waking feel gradual instead of sudden, especially in a dark bedroom in winter. If you're not sure whether waking with light suits you, an app is a cheap way to find out before buying hardware. There's a full comparison in sunrise lamp alternatives.
Who it's for
- Anyone who wakes up before sunrise from October to March. See how late the sun rises where you live.
- People who hate being jolted awake by a loud alarm in the dark.
- Travellers: hotel rooms, early flights, staying with friends.
- Anyone curious about wake-up lights who doesn't want to spend £100 to find out.
Setup tips
- Stand the phone up, facing you or a nearby wall, so the light spreads.
- Keep it charging: the Sleep screen stays on overnight.
- Leave Glow Alarm open on the Sleep screen. The alarm still rings if you don't, but the light needs the app open.
More answers in the FAQ.