7 strange and unorthodox alarm clock Android apps that try to push you out of bed in their own weird way
Love waking up in the morning, jumping out of bed, and greeting the day with a smile? Yeah, neither do we. Getting up at the exact moment that your alarm rings off is often a challenging ordeal. Most often, one would hit the snooze button one too many times, as the phone nags them to get up once every 5 or 10 minutes.
Well, there are some creative apps out there that try to solve this. We guess it all started with the puzzle or math problem alarms, which wouldn't stop ringing until the user solves the riddle on the screen – presumably, once you've been forced to think logically in order to silence that noisy little rascal, you should have reached full consciousness and be able to rise from the evil bed that keeps you trapped in a stasis.
Snap Me Up will not shut up until it detects you taking a selfie. That's right, in order to silence this one, you will actually have to make the effort to center your face on the screen and take a snap of it. Thankfully, the images don't get instantly shared to a social network, so don't worry – your drooling mug will not get plastered on your Facebook wall – not unless you want it to, that is.
There are some who are able to catch a snooze even if their alarm is ringing with the most brutally annoying ringtone one can find. Puzzle alarm clocks don't work in this case, as our sleepy head just buries their head in the pillows and ignores the noise. AlarmRun threatens to post a message on your Facebook wall, announcing your failure to reach for the phone to the world, each time you don't stop it from ringing. The message is customizable – a bit of a letdown, if you ask us – but you can still make into something extremely harsh and embarrassing, if you feel like you need the extra incentive. Otherwise, you can have it say something like “I am still in bed, someone please wake me up” – could probably result in about two dozen of your friends ringing you up, which should be pretty effective.
Speaking of getting a wake-up call from actual people – Wakie is a sort of a social network for people that want to help each other get out of bed with a smile. So, if a soulless alarm clock isn't able to wake you up, a stranger ringing you up could possibly help, as long as you don't find the thought creepy. Do you?
Shake-it wants you to shake the ringing smartphone in order to silence it. Presumably, that's a more engaging task than just tapping a snooze button, so it just might help you. There's an emergency contact option, which means one of your friends will receive an SMS message from your phone, letting them know that you need a wake-up call.
AlarmMon wants you to play a small, simple arcade game in order to make it shut up. Points from the game transfer to a reward system, so if you happen to be an avid gamer, the small emotional jolt of gaming and unlocking stuff may just be your wake-up thing.
Morning Routine takes things a step beyond simply waking you up, as you can set up a multi-level alarm, setting off in various intervals and having different turn-off requirements for each step. The app can also automatically open your Facebook feed or favorite news, if you are one who starts their way in that specific way. As far as wake-up obstacles – Morning Routine can be set to only turn off if you scan a barcode. Want to make this harder on yourself? Remove any barcodes from your night stand!
Alarmy is probably the most extreme offering on this list, as it can really require you to get up from bed and walk to the other end of the house before it stops ringing. To set it up – take a picture of an object, or a place, that is a part of your morning routine. For example – take a snap of your bathroom sink. When Alarmy starts to ring in the morning, it will only stop if you take the phone to the bathroom and take the same picture of the same sink. Now that should get you moving... hopefully.
However, there are those who may be a bit of a harder case and just go back to the pillow as soon as they manage to silence the alarm. If you are one such rock-solid sleeper, some of the following, more radical alarm solutions, may be just for you. Check them out!
Snap Me Up
Snap Me Up will not shut up until it detects you taking a selfie. That's right, in order to silence this one, you will actually have to make the effort to center your face on the screen and take a snap of it. Thankfully, the images don't get instantly shared to a social network, so don't worry – your drooling mug will not get plastered on your Facebook wall – not unless you want it to, that is.
AlarmRun
There are some who are able to catch a snooze even if their alarm is ringing with the most brutally annoying ringtone one can find. Puzzle alarm clocks don't work in this case, as our sleepy head just buries their head in the pillows and ignores the noise. AlarmRun threatens to post a message on your Facebook wall, announcing your failure to reach for the phone to the world, each time you don't stop it from ringing. The message is customizable – a bit of a letdown, if you ask us – but you can still make into something extremely harsh and embarrassing, if you feel like you need the extra incentive. Otherwise, you can have it say something like “I am still in bed, someone please wake me up” – could probably result in about two dozen of your friends ringing you up, which should be pretty effective.
Wakie
Speaking of getting a wake-up call from actual people – Wakie is a sort of a social network for people that want to help each other get out of bed with a smile. So, if a soulless alarm clock isn't able to wake you up, a stranger ringing you up could possibly help, as long as you don't find the thought creepy. Do you?
Shake-it Alarm
Shake-it wants you to shake the ringing smartphone in order to silence it. Presumably, that's a more engaging task than just tapping a snooze button, so it just might help you. There's an emergency contact option, which means one of your friends will receive an SMS message from your phone, letting them know that you need a wake-up call.
AlarmMon
AlarmMon wants you to play a small, simple arcade game in order to make it shut up. Points from the game transfer to a reward system, so if you happen to be an avid gamer, the small emotional jolt of gaming and unlocking stuff may just be your wake-up thing.
Morning Routine
Morning Routine takes things a step beyond simply waking you up, as you can set up a multi-level alarm, setting off in various intervals and having different turn-off requirements for each step. The app can also automatically open your Facebook feed or favorite news, if you are one who starts their way in that specific way. As far as wake-up obstacles – Morning Routine can be set to only turn off if you scan a barcode. Want to make this harder on yourself? Remove any barcodes from your night stand!
Alarmy
Alarmy is probably the most extreme offering on this list, as it can really require you to get up from bed and walk to the other end of the house before it stops ringing. To set it up – take a picture of an object, or a place, that is a part of your morning routine. For example – take a snap of your bathroom sink. When Alarmy starts to ring in the morning, it will only stop if you take the phone to the bathroom and take the same picture of the same sink. Now that should get you moving... hopefully.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: