Stop Using a Regular Alarm on Your Phone — Try This Nostalgic Alternative Instead

As hard as it is to believe, autumn is nearly here. It can be sad to see the summer go, but fall is a wonderful time of year and deserves to be celebrated. You can go apple picking, put a simmer pot on the stove, bake a pumpkin pie, or add an autumnal wreath to your front door. 

There’s another even simpler way to bring some festive, calming fall vibes to your daily routine, and it doesn’t require going on a trip or carving up a pumpkin. All you need to do is change the alarm sound on your phone.

When I was a teenager, I would change my ringtone and phone alarm all the time to play my favorite songs, but as an adult I’ve generally stuck with the default options iPhone provides. But when I saw this Instagram post by content creator Hollyce Hammond, it reminded me of all the possibilities I’ve been overlooking. In it, she talks about giving her iPhone’s alarm tone a “seasonal upgrade” by changing it from its standard default sound to The Great Pumpkin Waltz by Vince Guaraldi from the soundtrack to It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. “It starts soft and dreamy and slowly gets louder, which makes waking up feel approximately 87% more magical,” she adds.

Hammond, who is a mom, says this helps her start her very early mornings in good spirits. Commenters seem charmed by this suggestion: “I’ve been using this for a while and I don’t wake up scared anymore,” one person quipped. “I like it OK, I like the score to Practical Magic better,” says another, which is a good reminder you can technically set your alarm to play whatever autumnal tune makes you happy. Keep it year-round if you like!

If, like me, you weren’t aware you could even change your iPhone alarm to a song, here’s how to do it. Simply open the clock app, add an alarm, and click the “sound” section. There, you’ll be able to change the sound to different ringtones or songs you already own. Or you can buy a new sound from the  “Tone Store,” which is just the iTunes Store. 

Purchase your pumpkin song for $1.29, and you can listen to it any time you want and set it as either an alarm or ringtone. One Instagram commenter said the song wasn’t appearing as an alarm option after they purchased it, so if this happens to you, Hammond suggests “mak[ing] sure it’s downloaded in [your] Apple Music library too.”