Orbit Alarm support

Orbit Alarm is an alarm clock app for Android that can make you complete a challenge (solving maths, shaking your phone, tapping the screen, or scanning a barcode) before it will stop ringing. It is built for people who oversleep by tapping "dismiss" and rolling straight back to sleep.

Most alarm apps, including built-in clocks, let you silence an alarm with a single tap or swipe. In Orbit Alarm, switch on Oversleeping Countermeasures for an alarm and it will only stop once you complete its challenge, so it is much harder to dismiss on autopilot. Snoozes are capped at a number you choose.

Orbit Alarm is a native Android app requiring Android 7.0 (Nougat) or later. It is not available for iOS or iPhone.

Yes, Orbit Alarm is free to download and use, and it shows ads. If you'd rather not see them, a one-time Remove ads purchase in Settings turns them off. There's no subscription.

Open Settings and tap Remove ads. It's a one-time purchase through Google Play, not a subscription, and it comes back automatically if you reinstall with the same Google account. It also lets you set more snoozes, from none up to unlimited.

Four: solve maths problems, shake your phone a set number of times, tap the screen a set number of times, or scan a barcode you have registered in advance. Challenges are off for a new alarm until you switch on Oversleeping Countermeasures in the alarm editor, and each alarm can have a different one.

You register a barcode from any object (a toothpaste tube, a kitchen cupboard, a book) using your phone's camera. Once it is saved to an alarm, you have to physically get up and scan that exact object to dismiss it, which forces you out of bed before you get the chance to fall back asleep.

Yes. Our free printable label sheet at selenicsystems.com/software/orbit-alarm/printable-codes makes a unique QR code for each spot in your home, such as the bathroom or the kettle. Print it, stick the labels up, then register each one in Settings › Codes Storage.

Yes, with a limited number of snoozes per alarm that you set yourself (1 to 3 on the free version). You can optionally turn on Shrink Snooze Each Press, which halves each consecutive snooze, so hitting snooze repeatedly gets progressively less useful.

Yes. Emergency Dismiss exists for real emergencies, but it is deliberately difficult to use (a target that keeps moving, with more taps needed if you use it often), so it cannot be used as a casual shortcut around the alarm's challenge. Switching on No Override removes it for that alarm.

Yes, once Do Not Disturb access is granted in Settings › Manage Permissions, Orbit Alarm's alarm channel is designed to bypass it. With Force Max Alarm Volume (on by default), it also locks the alarm volume to maximum the instant it fires.

With Force Max Alarm Volume on, which it is by default, Orbit Alarm re-applies maximum alarm volume while it is ringing, so turning the volume down partway through does not silence it. Your normal volume comes back once the alarm is dismissed.

Yes. Orbit Alarm runs a ringing alarm as a genuine foreground service, so removing it from your recent-apps list does not stop the sound or cancel the challenge.

Yes. Alarms, tasks and timers all work fully offline. An internet connection is only used for the optional local weather forecast shown after you dismiss an alarm, and for ads on the free version.

Most often it is battery saving: open Settings › Manage Permissions and exclude Orbit Alarm from Battery Optimization, especially on Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Huawei and similar phones. Also check notifications are allowed, and that you have not pressed Force stop on the app, which cancels its alarms until you open it again. The full checklist is in our guide, My alarm didn't go off.

Not yet. Alarms, tasks, timers and saved codes are stored only on your phone, with no cloud backup, and uninstalling the app deletes them. A Remove ads purchase does come back automatically on a new phone with the same Google account.

Yes. It also includes Tasks (scheduled reminders through the day, with the same optional barcode-scan gate) and Timers, chained countdown sequences for things like cooking, workouts or focus sessions.

The Stasis Pod is Orbit Alarm's wind-down feature: a full-screen ambient visual and soundscape space for falling asleep, paired with an optional bedtime reminder that can have its own barcode lock.

Orbit Alarm includes 14 original sci-fi-themed alarm tones, a gradual volume ramp option that builds up rather than starting at full volume, and a randomiser that varies the tone each morning.

No. Orbit Alarm does not require an account or sign-in of any kind.

Yes. Orbit Alarm does not use an account or cloud sync; your alarms, saved barcodes and preferences stay on your device. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

In the app, open Settings › About › Submit Feature Request / Bug, or email us at orbitalarm@selenicsystems.com with a short description and your device model. Clear, specific reports help us the most.