Fitbit Silent Alarm: How to Set It, Smart Wake and Snooze

A Fitbit silent alarm wakes you with vibration on your wrist instead of sound, and on most Fitbit devices it's the only kind of alarm there is. That makes a Fitbit a handy quiet alarm if you already wear one to bed. This guide covers how to set a silent alarm on the device or in the app, how Smart Wake works, how to dismiss and snooze, battery and charging, and when a Fitbit alarm may not be enough to wake you.

The short answer: open the Alarms app on your Fitbit, tap + New Alarm, set the time, choose whether to use Smart Wake and pick the days. Older models without an on-device Alarms app are set in the Google Health app instead. Fitbit says its alarms vibrate and flash, repeat several times or until dismissed, and come back after 9 minutes if you don't dismiss them. The main limits are battery, a fairly gentle vibration and remembering to wear it to bed.

How to set a silent alarm on your Fitbit

Google's Fitbit help page says alarms on Fitbit devices "vibrate to gently awake or alert you at a set time". You can set them on the device for Charge 3, Charge 4, Charge 5, Charge 6, Inspire 3, Luxe, the Sense series and the Versa series. For other Fitbit devices, you set alarms in the Google Health app (source).

Steps vary a little by model and software version, but on most current devices:

1. Open the Alarms app on your Fitbit. On Sense 2, press the side button and scroll to All apps, then Alarms.
2. Tap + New Alarm. Swipe up to find it if you already have several alarms.
3. Set the time. Swipe up and down to choose it, then tap AM or PM.
4. Choose whether to turn on Smart Wake (see below).
5. Choose the days you want the alarm to go off.
6. Save the alarm, then swipe right to see your alarms.

To set it in the app instead: open the Google Health app, tap Connections at the top left, choose your device, go to Alarms and tap Add New Alarm. Pick the time, choose whether to use Smart Wake, set the days and save.

If your watch has a voice assistant, Google notes that alarms set in the Alarms app on Sense, Sense 2, Versa 2, Versa 3 and Versa 4 are separate from alarms you set by voice.

What Smart Wake does

Smart Wake tries to find the best time to wake you, starting 30 minutes before the alarm time you set. Google says it avoids waking you during deep sleep so you're more likely to wake up feeling refreshed. If it can't find a good time, the alarm goes off at the time you set. Smart Wake alarms have a different icon from your other alarms.

Two practical points:

• Your alarm may go off up to half an hour early. If you need every minute of sleep, or you're syncing with someone else's alarm, leave Smart Wake off.
• It isn't magic. It still depends on how much sleep you got. For the science behind sleep stages, see sleep cycles explained and do sleep trackers work.

Dismissing and snoozing

Google says your device vibrates and flashes when a silent alarm goes off, repeating several times or until dismissed. If you don't dismiss it, it repeats in 9 minutes. How you dismiss or snooze depends on the model:

Device	To dismiss	To snooze for 9 minutes
Charge 6, Inspire 3	Swipe up from the bottom and tap Dismiss	Swipe down from the top or press the button(s)
Versa 4, Sense 2	Tap Dismiss	Press the button or tap Snooze
Google Fitbit Air	Firmly double tap the device	It snoozes for 9 minutes if not dismissed
Inspire 2, Ace 3	Press both buttons	Not dismissing it snoozes it
Most other models	Press the button	Not dismissing it snoozes it

Because the alarm stops after a few repeats and comes back 9 minutes later, it behaves a lot like snooze even if you never press anything. If you tend to drift back off, see how to stop hitting snooze.

Battery and charging

A Fitbit alarm only works if the battery lasts the night. Google's estimates range from up to 5 days on some models to up to 10 days on Inspire 2 and Inspire 3, with Charge 3 to Charge 6 at up to 7 days and the Sense and Versa 2 to 4 at 6 or more days. Features such as the always-on display and GPS use more power. With always-on display turned on, Charge 5, Charge 6, Inspire 3, Sense 2, Versa 2 and Versa 4 last up to 3 days (source).

Google also says alarms on Sense, Versa, Versa Lite Edition, Versa 2 and Versa 3 won't go off if the device has less than 8 per cent battery. A full charge can take up to 2 hours, so pick a regular charging time during the day, like your morning shower.

When a Fitbit alarm may not be enough

A Fitbit silent alarm suits many people, especially light sleepers who already wear one. It can fall short when:

• You sleep very deeply. The vibration is designed to be gentle. See vibrating alarm not waking me up.
• You take it off to charge and forget to put it back on.
• You find a tracker uncomfortable in bed and end up taking it off during the night.
• You need more than one wake-up. You can set several alarms, but leave enough time between them.

For quiet wake-ups in a shared room, see wake up without waking your partner. If you also use a phone, our Android vibrate-only alarm guide covers the phone side.

Where the Sovune Nudge fits

We make the Sovune Nudge, a vibrating alarm wristband, so we're not neutral. It's built only to wake you, which suits people who want a dedicated silent alarm rather than a tracker.

• Builds gradually. It starts as a gentle tap and builds through three intensity levels.
• Runs for a full minute per alarm. It steps up as it goes, and you can switch it off sooner.
• Up to 14 days of nightly use per charge, rechargeable via USB.
• Set on the band itself, with three separate alarms and no app, phone or pairing.

It comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Quick answers

Do Fitbit alarms make a sound? Google's help page describes them as vibrating alarms. The device vibrates and flashes when a silent alarm goes off.

Why can't I find the Alarms app on my Fitbit? Some older models don't have one. Set the alarm in the Google Health app instead.

Should I use Smart Wake? If you're happy to wake up to 30 minutes early, try it. If you need a fixed wake-up time, leave it off.

Why didn't my Fitbit alarm go off? Check the battery first. On some models, alarms won't go off below 8 per cent charge.

For every type of silent alarm compared, see our complete guide to vibrating alarms in Australia.

See the Sovune Nudge →