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ArrivAlarm

Support

Last updated July 2026

What it does

ArrivAlarm tells you when you're almost there. Set a destination, choose how much warning you want, and put your phone away. Whether you're deep in an album, an audiobook, a podcast, a paperback, a spreadsheet, or a nap, ArrivAlarm watches the map so you don't have to.

When you cross the distance you set, your iPhone sounds a real system alarm — one that gets through silent mode, a Focus, and a locked screen. If your phone is locked, your Apple Watch buzzes on your wrist too.

Getting started

  1. Set a destination: search for a place, pick one from Saved or Recent, or press and hold the map to drop a pin.
  2. Set your alert distance with the slider — 0.1 to 5 miles, or 0.2 to 8 kilometers. The circle on the map shows exactly where the alarm will fire.
  3. Decide how you want to be alerted. The speaker toggle switches between an audible alarm and silent, vibrate-only — worth setting before you arm if you're somewhere quiet.
  4. Arm it, then go back to whatever you were doing. You can lock your phone and leave the app entirely.

Permissions

Location: Always

ArrivAlarm needs location set to Always, not "While Using the App." This is the whole point of the app: it has to notice you've arrived while it's closed and your screen is off. With "While Using" the alarm will not fire once you leave the app.

If you tapped the wrong option, open Settings › ArrivAlarm › Location and choose Always. The app will also offer to take you straight there.

Notifications and alarms

Allow notifications when asked. ArrivAlarm uses the system alarm service so the alert isn't suppressed by silent mode or a Focus — the same reason a regular alarm clock still rings.

Sound and vibrate-only

Tap the speaker toggle to switch between an audible alarm and silent, vibrate-only mode. Silent mode is useful on a quiet train or in a shared space — the alert still appears on your screen, and your Apple Watch still buzzes if your phone is locked.

Apple Watch

The watch buzzes when your iPhone is locked. That is the case it exists for — the alert reaches you even when your phone is in a bag or a coat pocket. If your phone is unlocked when you arrive, you already have it in hand and the alarm is right there on the screen, so the watch stays quiet on purpose.

There's no Watch app to install: the alarm reaches your watch through iOS, as any alarm does. Everything is set on the iPhone.

Live Activity

Once armed, ArrivAlarm shows a Live Activity on your Lock Screen and Dynamic Island so you can check your status at a glance without opening the app. It updates as you get close and stays put after arrival until you open the app.

Saved and recent destinations

Places you search appear under Recent. Swipe a result to save it. In the Saved list, press and hold to reorder, and swipe to remove.

Miles or kilometers

ArrivAlarm follows your iPhone's region settings — miles in the US and UK, kilometers elsewhere. Change it in Settings › General › Language & Region, then reopen the app.

Troubleshooting

The alarm didn't fire

The usual cause is location permission set to "While Using the App" instead of Always. Check Settings › ArrivAlarm › Location. Also confirm the alarm was actually armed before you set off, and that Low Power Mode wasn't restricting background activity for a long stretch.

My watch didn't buzz

Was your iPhone unlocked when you arrived? The watch only buzzes when the phone is locked — that is by design, not a fault. Otherwise, check that the watch is paired with your iPhone and on your wrist.

My watch buzzes but makes no sound

The speaker toggle in ArrivAlarm controls your iPhone's alarm. Whether your Apple Watch also makes a sound is governed by the watch itself — check Settings › Sounds & Haptics on the watch and turn off Silent Mode. With Silent Mode on, the watch will buzz but stay quiet no matter what ArrivAlarm is set to.

Vibrate-only doesn't vibrate

In vibrate-only mode the alarm relies on your iPhone's own vibration. On your iPhone, check Settings › Sounds & Haptics › Haptics: if it's set to "Don't Play in Silent Mode" or "Never Play", the alarm can't vibrate while the ring/silent switch is on silent. Also check that Settings › Accessibility › Touch › Vibration is on. If you'd rather keep haptics off in silent mode, switch ArrivAlarm to the audible alarm, which rings even with your phone on silent.

The alarm fired too early or too late

Arrival detection depends on GPS accuracy, which varies in tunnels, dense cities, and rural areas. If you're consistently getting the alert later than you'd like, set a larger alert distance to give yourself more room.

The Live Activity is stuck

Open ArrivAlarm — it clears any leftover Live Activity when it comes to the foreground.

Requirements

ArrivAlarm requires an iPhone running iOS 26 or later. Alerts on your wrist need a paired Apple Watch; there's nothing to install on it.

Privacy

Your location never leaves your device. See the privacy policy for details.

Contact

Questions, bugs, or feature requests: [email protected]