Use your Apple Watch to set silent alarms and give your partner a lie in

Many complications arise when you start sharing a bed with someone (multiple puns intended). One, and something I’m certainly no stranger to, is the issue of deciding on so-called “mutually-agreeable alarms.” Because sometimes, you want to set an early alarm when your significant other is instead hoping for a more relaxed start to the day. In recent months, however, I’ve been solving this problem using the Apple Watch’s support for silent alarms, which allow me to rise early while my partner sleeps on.

The Apple Watch so far features four dedicated clock apps separate from the main clock face: World Clock, Stopclock, Timer, and Alarms. You might already be using an audible alarm on your Apple Watch while the smart watch is on its side, charging, in nightstand mode. Yet a better solution for you (and your partner) could indeed be to set silent alarms.

Doing so is simple. Just configure a usual alarm and leave your Apple Watch on silent mode while you’re wearing it, overnight. Once enabled, silent alarms on the Apple Watch mean you’ll be woken with the gentle hum and buzz of haptic feedback, rather than a beep (this is definitely a far nicer, more gentle disturbance). But the move also means your significant other won’t hear the alarm and will be free to sleep on.

Set silent Alarms

Alarms in the creatively-named Alarms app can be added using a Force Touch gesture on the application’s UI; from here, choose the simple “Add Alarm” button and roll on the Digital Crown to set the alarm. You can then choose to have the alarm repeat, you can give it a label (using dictation), you can toggle a snooze feature, and you can enable, disable, or delete the alarm outright.

Yes, there’s a catch

Here comes the elephant in the room: battery life. And, sure, this is going to be a problem for anyone wearing their Apple Watch during the day and throughout the night. Tactical recharges are the way forward here, however: one while you shower, another while you’re getting changed, and perhaps another over lunch or even during dinner for a more distraction-free dining experience. These add up (and are made much easier if you’ve got an Apple Watch dock, which you can plonk your smart watch onto and off of). Topping your smart watch up in this way, though, could see you approach 24-hour Watch-wearing nirvana.

This is definitely a great solution for anyone looking to set an alarm which hasn’t previously been agreed with the person you share a bed with. I’ve used it countless times (without my partner even knowing) in order to sneak downstairs and get some work done in the early morning.

Mind you, do try your best not to sleep with your hands behind your head. Because, though gentle and unobtrusive on the surface, that Taptic Engine cold give you a nasty shock if it buzzes an inch or so from your ear.