Reminders that ring like an alarm

Yes, that is what Buzzley is built for. Set a reminder's Notification style to Alarm and it rings like an alarm clock instead of buzzing once: on Android through silent mode and Do Not Disturb, full screen when the phone is locked, and on iPhone through silent mode and Focus with iOS 26 or later.

Pick the style per reminder

Every reminder has a Notification style. The two that matter here:

• Simple: "Standard notification, dismissible". Right for "buy milk".
• Alarm: "Full-screen, persistent until dismissed". Right for the train, the tablets, the school pickup.

Choose it when you create the reminder, or open an existing reminder and change it. Templates can set it for you.

What an Alarm-style reminder does on Android

• It uses the alarm sound channel. The sound follows your alarm volume, not your notification volume, and it loops.
• It rings through silent mode and Do Not Disturb. Buzzley's alarm channel is allowed to bypass Do Not Disturb.
• It fills the screen when the phone is locked. With the screen locked, the reminder takes over like the clock app's alarm. While you're using the phone, it shows as a notification that you tap to open.
• It rings after a restart. If the phone restarted overnight for an update, Buzzley sets its alarms again and they ring even while the phone is still locked.
• It comes back if you miss it. If nobody opens the ring screen, for example because you were using the phone and only saw a notification, the sound stops after 10 minutes and the alarm rings again 5 minutes later, for up to an hour. Overdue recall in Settings changes that gap or turns it off.

On the ring screen you can snooze for 5, 10, 15 or 30 minutes, choose Custom..., or tap Done. From the notification, Snooze opens a picker with three presets (5, 15 and 30 minutes to start with) and a time picker. You can change the in-app presets in Settings > Snooze presets.

Make it louder, gentler or spoken

In Settings > Alarm on Android:

• Alarm sound: pick the sound.
• Rising volume: "Starts quiet and rises to your alarm volume".
• Read the reminder aloud: says the title once the alarm is at full volume, then every 20 seconds. Useful when the phone is in the next room.
• Shake to stop: a firm shake dismisses the alarm. It is off until you turn it on.

What it does on iPhone

On iOS 26 and later, Buzzley uses Apple's alarm system. The first time you choose Alarm, iPhone asks whether Buzzley may set alarms. Allow it, and Alarm-style reminders ring through silent mode and Focus like the Clock app's alarms.

On older iOS versions, an Alarm-style reminder arrives as a series of notifications 30 seconds apart for about five minutes. Silent mode and Focus can mute those, so on older iPhones keep silent mode off when it matters, or allow Buzzley in your Focus. Our iPhone help page shows where those settings are.

When it doesn't ring

Phone makers add battery savers that can stop any app from ringing, alarm apps included. Buzzley checks for the common problems itself. On Android, open Settings > Full-screen alarms > Alarm not ringing?. It checks:

• whether notifications are on,
• whether "Alarms & reminders" is allowed, so reminders ring on the minute,
• whether full-screen notifications are allowed (Android 14 and later),
• whether a battery limit applies.

Each problem has a Fix button that opens the right system page. Under Still not ringing? it shows the extra steps for your phone's brand. The web has the same steps, for example for Samsung phones.

How it compares

Galarm is the other cross-platform app built on alarms rather than notifications. The Buzzley vs Galarm comparison sets out where each one is the better pick.

Common questions

Does an Alarm-style reminder keep ringing until I do it?

It rings until you snooze it, dismiss it or tap Done, and on Android, if nobody opens the ring screen, it goes quiet after 10 minutes and rings again 5 minutes later by default, for up to an hour. Snoozing brings it back at the time you picked. Dismissing it ends that occurrence.

Can someone else be told if I ignore it?

Yes, within a sharing group. Add them under If missed, tell and choose how long to wait, from 15 minutes to 2 hours. See setting a reminder for someone else.

Does the web app ring?

No. The web app at buzzley.app adds, edits and completes reminders, and your phone does the ringing.

Which plan includes Alarm-style reminders?

All of them: Core already includes alarm-style and location reminders, from $2.99 a month. There is no free plan; the 7-day trial needs no card. See plans and prices.