Some of you may have noticed already but we have a new flair: Discussion.
Its purpose is to share anything apps related, not promotion. This flair only requires the Karmas to be met, but does not need to conform to ABC or Trust, Transparency and Megathread.
We hope you will have some interesting discussions
Life in 2026 doesn't repeat neatly. You shouldn't need to re-setup every time something changes.
What if you have multiple alarms that differ day by day? Why not group them, turn on/off together or change each one as needed?
What about a recurring wake up alarm but you know on one date you'd like to sleep in a bit and another, to skip it together?
What about waking up not knowing how much time you got till your alarm or dismissing an alarm early without setting up again later?
What about midnight meeting? The calendar notification is too quiet and cannot reach you if you turn Wifi off to sleep.
Join the 4000+ people who have taken back control of their alarms as it handles a lot of possible situations.
Group your alarms together so you can enable or disable them all at once or make changes without affecting the next time you use the group.
Dismisses alarms from lock screen without affecting the recurring series. If you wake up before the alarm is ring, no more turning off and remember to turn it back on later.
Recurring alarms behave like recurring events: skip this one or move another without affecting the series.
See a schedule, snap a picture and share to have every alarms created on iOS27 with Apple Intelligence or ask Siri AI to do so.
Not as loud as Alarmy, sleep schedule coming in v2.0.1. The app just aims to do one thing: helps you manage alarms efficiently.
The free tier is generous enough that thousands of users are on it. But if you are in the hundreds that need more flexibility, more control or just more peace of mind, premium is available for 2.49/month with 3d trial or 19.99/year. Adjusted for PPP.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888
This has been 3 months in the work since WWDC26.
For context, VariAlarm tries to be the most flexible, customizable yet reusable alarms on the market. It uses AlarmKit for reliability but allows you to plan further, with multiple alarms together or easier by Apple Intelligence already on your devices.
In iOS27, it made a few improvements over iOS26:
1. Adaptation of clock schema alarms and timers: This is the biggest one yet it is buried in a session most people don't notice.
https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2026/382/
It allows Siri AI to set an alarm from anywhere but notably: while looking at an announcement on screen. Imagine scrolling through your feed and see an event from your local zoo you'd like to attend, you can tell Siri AI to set an alarm 1 hour prior with VariAlarm and gets it done. Notifications are too quiet and easy to ignore so this is parallel to your ability to add a reminder at any future time, directly into an alarm.
It adopts timer too since Apple requires all 10 AppIntents in this group but you can create timer sets: timers that follow each others when the previous one ends or skipped. No manually subtracting 2 minutes when the first timer ends 2 minutes early.
2. Speech Framework: This did not get a mention at all. iOS27 has the CaptureInputSequenceProvider API which makes speech capture in real time a whole lot simpler. Combined with Apple Intelligence, Dynamic Profile and Private Cloud Compute, the app can sort your alarm request into 1 out of 4 buckets: a one time alarm, a recurring alarm (which also supports every N weeks), an alarm routine (sets of alarms a fixed time from each other, like a water reminder every hour) or an alarm template (sets of alarms at a fixed time every day it is applied).
3. Photo Schedule also got an upgrade with Dynamic Profile and Private Cloud Compute to create more alarms in images shared to VariAlarm like a seminar schedule, a weekly class timetable.
I'd like to get a final look on improvements to be made.
I spun Sequence off VariAlarm daily alarm templates. With VariAlarm, you set multiple alarms showing you what to do next. But there is nothing telling you what to do now. Researching into solutions, it seems to me that todo apps have a time blindness problem.
You plan too much you don't have time and energy to actually do it because of other commitments and distractions. Notification works but one coming when you're already busy can get dismissed and forgotten.
Instead of a full blown todo app like Todoist, I went the minimalist approach like Things 3 where there are just lists of items and subtasks. You can also bring over Reminders if you find entry easier.
But items can be grouped together into a focus block, add it where it fits on calendar, block distracting apps during that time block with Screen Time API, backed by VariAlarm alarms and show check list on Live Activity or Home Screen widgets so you can cross them off without opening the app.
For meetings on your calendar, there is agenda so you can take a look and check off things to discuss and Action Items where you record what needs follow up.
Free tier has basic functionalities, no VariAlarm backings, 1 focus plan (VariAlarm daily templates equivalent where you insert tasks between alarms) and Screen Time block cannot be temporarily disabled during a focus block.
1.99/month
14.99/year with 7-days trial
Limited time while the app is new: 14.99 lifetime.
Preorder now:
VariAlarm has been on the App Store for 7 months, continuously updated and improved from users' feedback.
Now, with iOS27 approaching and my outlook that this version will bring more people to it than iOS26, I'm looking for testers to test out iOS 27 implementations but anyone above iOS18 is welcome to test drive it.
The specific iOS27 features are:
_ Alarms indexes via Clock schema and App Entities. Now VariAlarm have shortcuts to let user inquire, skip or move an alarm on a specific date. Think you need to move that alarm next Tuesday? Possible to do so.
_ Speech improvement and Apple Intelligence. You can use the voice button in Schedule tab to talk to VariAlarm your request in English or German (my biggest 2 markets, more can be added should the need arise) and Apple Intelligence will route your request into 1 of 5 intents: creating a one time alarm, creating a recurring alarm (with every N weeks recurrence), creating a routine alarm folder, creating a daily alarm template and prepare for a calendar event to make sure you arrive on time.
_ App resizability on iPad OS 27. The app already supports landscape mode but it should support resizing as well. Send me feedback if it doesn't.
Note that Siri AI does not work as well as the provided shortcuts or phrases due to the NLU limitation, app's architecture and entities index takes priority over intent.
You have an alarm at 5AM everyday, but you need to turn it off or set it to 8AM just for tomorrow. Clocks cannot do that. You have to turn it off and remember to turn it back on. VariAlarm allows you to make that change without affecting the routines. Just like a calendar recurring event.
What about bi-weekly alarms or only ring between certain dates? Clocks doesn't support that. VariAlarm does.
You have several alarms that you set for your shift but its recurrence is abnormal. Sometimes, you need it in 5 days, sometimes 4. Life happens that push schedule around. VariAlarm lets you group them into templates and just reuse them whenever you need. With context. Need to cancel today's plan and replan tomorrow? Simple. Need an alarm every hour? Just use a folder.
You have events in Calendar but each one has a different lead time: 12 hours for someone's birthday, 15 minutes for a meeting, an hour for commute, 5 days ahead to prepare for the holiday. VariAlarm lets you set rules for any type of events. Call one Shortcut to run same time everyday and you just need to check the Lockscreen for next alarms as widgets are updated immediately.
More flexible, more customizable, more reusable than Clocks, Alarmy or any other alarm apps. Rules are rigid. Templates are not.
And with iOS27, I plan to take advantage of the new Clock schema, Siri AI and Apple Intelligence improvements to make it easier to use. Namely "talk to VariAlarm with Siri AI and in-app voice intelligence". And extra large widgets to show full month of alarms.
Free for "just an alarm app". What I'm charging is convenience and peace of mind.
$2.49/month
$19.99/year with 7-days trial
$29.99 to own it forever
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888
And I'm launching it on Product Hunt after 6 months and 3000 downloads. To celebrate the launch, I'm giving away free 1 month PRO status to 7000 users using the app after Product Hunt launches. First come first serve.
Check out the launch here so you're notified and claim your free month as soon as it goes up:
https://www.producthunt.com/products/varialarm-schedule-master
Just open the app after the launch is live and you can claim it.
I'd like to further explain the rules found here since many people keep asking why their posts are removed:
https://www.reddit.com/r/iosapps/comments/1u9aw0f/riosapps_moderation_update_phase_2_trust/
Snippets below.
To qualify for the main feed, you need to satisfy 10 local karma requirements firstly. But this is what it means to be on the 2 tiers above Megathread:
Any one of these signals qualifies you for the main feed (as long as you also meet the 10+ community karma minimum):
If you have any of these, you've already earned a measure of trust. Post to the main feed.
You have established yourself and the mods recognize that. We trust you to do the right thing for the goods of the subreddit. But do not abuse it.
Not in the App Store yet and not an established developer? You can still qualify for the main feed by being open about who you are and giving users real reasons to trust you.
Posts on this path must include BOTH:
This is the middle ground: you may not have a major reputation yet, but you're willing to stand behind your app in public. What we look for is the developer history or in the case of company, the willingness to take financial responsibility for it.
Not a throwaway account, not an app social account, not something people can spring up within an afternoon (gmail address, website without domain, etc.)
Thank you for your understanding to make the sub a better place for everyone. We would all benefit from the filtered visibility for quality apps.
So I've developed a companion app to VariAlarm as I realized for the structured program usage of VariAlarm, it only tells you what comes next but no visibility into what needs to be done now. Then, I realize, most todo apps also have the time blindness problem.
I developed Sequence to combat that. You plan the task or import it from Reminders (for now, other sources will be supported as demands grow). Then you select a slot on calendar to work on it, block distracting apps during that time block with task list always visible on Widgets and Live Activity.
I would like to have a second, or third, or fourth opinion if my screenshot conveys what the app aims to do. It is not released yet. The second image is my AppIcon. Does it convey fitting tasks around existing schedules?
In any other alarm apps, you set up alarms at night and it wakes you up in the morning. That has always been the case since iOS 7. But VariAlarm wants to challenge that model of operation.
Free with IAP: 2.49/month, 19.99/year and 29.99 lifetime
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888
In any other alarm apps, you set up alarms at night and it wakes you up in the morning. That has always been the case since iOS 7. But VariAlarm wants to challenge that model of operation.
Free with IAP: 2.49/month, 19.99/year and 29.99 lifetime
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/varialarm-schedule-master/id6757322888
Now I can view how busy my alarm schedule is for upcoming weeks.
Being able to tell it I need to prepare for my flight to Tokyo, it searches for the itinerary, sees the time, plans to make sure I arrive on time and set an alarm to remind.
But it only does the first part in ios27 so I implemented the later parts.
From left: default dark theme, minimalist dark theme, German dark theme, American dark theme.
The reason I added themes is to pronounce the app as a clean productivity tool while also honoring Germany and US as two biggest markets. Users in those country get their theme free.
Since Germany and US are my biggest 2 countries, I made themes that unlock for free for users in those countries.
Left most is the default look, then Germany and US.
I tried to use the colors of the flags. What do you think? There are light modes as well.
Hi everyone.
I've been a mod since June 1st at the invitation of u/Yusuf-Dev but also because I applied for it.
A bit about myself: I'm almost 40, lives in Vietnam, an engineer during the day and a solo dev at night working on a single app for 6 months now. You might have seen it a few days ago.
Why I applied to be a mod: I had pockets of time throughout the day and I saw how rampant the subreddits were going given how short staffed the mod team was.
What I want to change: Make the subreddit a fairer place where app gems are given the space they deserve and free of low effort spam. Most of the automatic improvements like rules enforcement, rating counts bot are still u/Yusuf-Dev. I just work on what's left for manual review.
That's it. AMA and hope you'll enjoy it here.
The old Siri was dumb but contractual. If you speak certain words, it activates the right Shortcuts. Every single time.
The new Siri AI try to be clever but keeps matching your phrase to different things, especially as you expose objects in your apps as schemas. That is necessary for some functions to work from Siri AI but it is trying to do unnecessary things it is not equipped for.
Do you find it unreliably triggering your Shortcuts phrases now? Should Apple place more emphasis when the phrases are spoken?
Hi everyone. It’s been some time since we started Phase 2: Trust, Transparency and Megathread.
We’d like to hear your feedback on how it is going, what is working well as well as what is not. Do you feel it is too strict, too loose or just right?
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.
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.
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?