Answer:

For context, I am a manager whose life is planned out in Calendar and full of meetings at 1AM but I need to wake up without waking my wife and kids too.

So I built VariAlarm, firstly as an alarm that sets automatically per Calendar events with a softer alarm tone for midnight while preserving full volume for daily.

Then I came across a post on r/AppIdeas about how a shift worker wants to define their days once and just add it to different dates. Thus, the template and folder feature was born.

Many months were spent on QOL features, bug fixes, fighting Apple's framework constraints but VariAlarm is a work I'm proud of bringing into this world and will continue pushing the boundary in iOS 27.

Better:

Every alarm app is the same model: you set an alarm or how much you need to sleep, it wakes you up. Alarmy, Sleep Cycle, etc.

But what if your problem is not waking up but having to repeat daily?

Templates is similar to Samsung Note UI 8 but more flexible as each alarm is controlled separately while removed/applied all at once and can plan into days further ahead.

Skip is similar to Sleep As Android but it also allows you to Shift should the plan change but you still need that recurring alarm.

Automation is similar to what power users build for Shortcuts but with custom alarm name, fire and forget, custom volume and crescendo.

It has appeared on iphone-ticker.de, MacStories Weekly 506 and 9to5Mac.

Cost:

Free to use as "just an alarm". What I'm charging is convenience: unlimited templates, folders, automation, further planning.

$2.49/month with 7 days trial

$19.99/year with 7 days trial

$29.99 lifetime.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888

I’m updating my alarms app that have many features with a minimalist theme in order to reduce user’s cognitive load. But it has many features that are not self explanatory.

How can I strike a balance between full feature app and minimalist design?

As you know, one of the condition is your app must have 20 ratings. Some users question how we check for this.

First screenshot is my own app: 40 ratings. Second screenshot comes from Appraven: also 40 ratings.

If your app does not show up, I will check its history on App Store. Most of the time, the app would be too new to even gain 20 ratings. In that case, please be transparent about the human behind it or post in Megathread, with at least 10 subreddit karmas and ABC format.

Let me know your suggestions as I’m open to ways to reduce my work and be more accurate.

My app is ios18+ so I’m quite familar with different ios version layout.

In ios18, the whole thing would be a regular rectangle bar at the bottom. The + button would have the text action.

In ios26, this changed to separate button on the bottom right with no text.

Now in ios27, it looks like they merged ios18 continuous style with ios26 liquid glass.

Anyone else noticed this? It’s also in the App Store app.

Traditionally, alarm apps are lists of alarms that you need to toggle every night.

VariAlarm is a different breed. It tries to help you set up weeks/months with as few taps as possible.

1. Reusable templates/folders to set up groups of alarms quickly. Users use it for shift, programs, water reminders and various other tasks.
2. Calendar events automation that read events and schedules alarms behind lock screen.
3. Skip/Edit any time for any alarms, templates and folders.

Did the value come through?

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888

Users get their schedules setup automatically every night without opening the app once. Lockscreen widgets show next alarms. There is Live Activity for countdown until next alarm.

All logic bundled with AppIntents into a single provided shortcuts user call daily with minimal setup.

Shortcut supports Clocks alarms but:
- It blasts full volume right away jump scaring my wife at 1AM.
- Alarm has no title. I have to check my calendar for what it is ringing me for.

Working to bring this to ios18.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888

I frequently miss my 1AM meetings because calendar is too quiet.

I know about Shortcuts but: the alarms ring without title so I need to make conscious effort to check for what it is and standard alarms come at full volume immediately which wake my wife and daughters.

So I made an app, packed AppIntent that extracts event title and passes to alarm title. All in one provided Shortcuts you can call any time of day. No more missing meeting.

Lockscreen widgets to show what was scheduled and when.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888

I often see on this subreddit people asking for help with configuring their shortcuts to set alarms automatically based on their work schedule and it’s always the same mess of logic that should work but failed silently. So I thought I would share a solution.

My app, VariAlarm, automation feature helps making this into a user friendly rule based where the app looks for an event matching positive keywords, filtering out negative ones and let you set preceeding alarms. All you need to call every night is a single provided shortcut. The app has lockscreen and homescreen widgets so you can tell when the next alarms are. It can set multiple alarms before a matching event in case you need to prepare.

One of its biggest strength is pulling the event name to name the alarm. Since alarm in my app is fire and forget, they don’t linger around. I use this to set alarms for my meetings automatically and have an idea what it is ringing for.

My German users use this to set 1 hour alarm for his commute and 15 mins for his work from home days. My Italian users use this to never have to set an alarm again and just plan in his Calendar.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888

You access this by Schedule tab - action button - Calendar

I keep getting compliments for my templates system and actually added 2 improvements based on user's feedback:

1. Tap on calendar to apply to days: a Japanese user needs to work every 5 days but not weekends nor Japan holiday which is very usual nor days where his colleagues can cover. This was the only system that works for him.
2. Forever recurring: a Productivity expert emailed me that he runs program every Tuesday/Thursday and he just wishes the app would do it automatically forever. Now he just open the app and it auto-schedule his days. No distraction from his work.

So I leaned into templates and these 2 new improvements to make new sets of screenshots all about how flexible and customizable the app is. What do you think?

Did the updated screenshot capture those 2 types of users? I also changed the app from Utilities category to Productivity category.

https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888

My iOS alarm app most unique feature is the template system so I'm thinking of leaning heavily into it for App Store discovery. My keywords are heavily skewed towards managing schedules, not the typical alarm keywords where I don't want to fight with Alarmy, etc.

The template system allows users to set up their month of alarms any way they want: add one time to a day, select multiple on calendar, repeating for weeks or forever with flexible skip/modify.

The app: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888