I can't scan my barcode

If it just won’t scan

• Tap ACTIVATE CAMERA SCANNER first. The camera doesn’t start until you do.
• Turn a light on. Barcodes are hard to read in the dark.
• Hold the phone a little further back and keep it steady. Flat, un-crumpled labels scan best.
• If you see “Scan Verification Failed!”, the scan worked but it’s the wrong code. Check you’re scanning the one this alarm uses.
• The first time you scan, Android asks for camera permission. If you denied it, allow it in Android Settings → Apps → Orbit Alarm → Permissions → Camera.

If you’ve lost the item or the camera is broken

Use Emergency Dismiss (Stop Alarm), the small faint button near the bottom of the alarm screen. It opens a tap game: hit a target that keeps moving, and missing costs you taps. It’s deliberately hard to do half-asleep, but it always works.

If you use it again on a later day, it asks for more taps. If you go a long time without using it, the count resets.

If the alarm has NO OVERRIDE switched on

NO OVERRIDE removes Emergency Dismiss, so the scan is the only way to stop the alarm in the app.

If you truly can’t scan, open Android Settings → Apps → Orbit Alarm → Force stop. That stops the alarm. Then open Orbit Alarm straight away. Force stopping cancels all of its scheduled alarms until the app is opened again.

Stop it happening again

• Keep a spare. Print two copies of the same code. The app only checks the code itself, so either copy works. Keep the spare somewhere safe.
• Use something that won’t run out. A toothpaste tube is great until it’s empty. A printed label on a wall or mirror lasts.
• Think twice about NO OVERRIDE. Only use it if you’re confident you’ll always be able to scan.
• Replace the code any time: register a new one in Codes Storage, then choose it in the alarm editor.

Related guides

• How to set up a barcode alarm