Photo alarm: get out of bed by taking a picture

Updated November 7, 2026

Sums and shaking can be done from under the covers. A photo alarm can't. You choose a place away from your bed the night before, and in the morning you have to walk there and take the same photo again. Once you're standing at the sink, going back to bed is a lot less tempting.

How it works in Wake Alarm

When you set an alarm, choose the Photo task.
Go to your spot and take the first photo. This is the one your morning photo must match.
When the alarm rings, open the task, walk to the same spot and take it again.
Your iPhone compares the two photos itself. If they match, you're done and the rest of the morning's rings are cancelled.

The camera is the only way in. There's no button to pick a photo from your library, so an old picture won't do.

The Photo task in Wake Alarm with a camera frame and a shutter button

Pick a spot that will match at 6 a.m.

The comparison looks at the shapes and layout of the scene, so a good spot is one that looks the same every morning:

Good: the bathroom sink and taps, the kettle or coffee machine, the front door, a bookshelf, kitchen tiles.
Close enough to a light switch that you can turn it on. Dark photos match less well.
Far enough from bed that you have to stand up and walk. Another room is best.

Avoid spots that change:

Mirrors and windows, which show something different every time.
Places where things move: a pet bed, curtains, a pile of clothes, a desk you tidy.
Anything with people in it.

Tips for a dark morning

Take the first photo with the room lit the way it will be when you wake: main light on, or the same lamp.
In the morning, turn the light on before you shoot. If there's no switch, use the iPhone's torch.
Stand where you stood the first time and hold the phone at about the same height and angle. Fill the frame with the same thing.

If it won't match

Nobody gets stuck. Take it again if it misses. After 3 misses, or if the camera is denied or doesn't work, the app offers Math instead, so you always have a way to finish. Your iPhone's own Stop button on the alarm screen also always works. Stop silences one ring, and the alarm comes back every 2 minutes, up to 5 more times, until the task is done.

Your photos stay on your iPhone

Both photos are saved in the app's own storage and compared on the device. They aren't uploaded and aren't added to your photo library. Wake Alarm has no server and collects nothing.

Photo tasks come with Lifetime, a one-time purchase. Math and Shake are free for good, and every alarm works without paying.