March has been a brutal month for Pixel owners. First, Watch 3 users struggled with sync and notification issues after the Wear OS 5.1. Now, Pixel phones are failing at one simple job every phone should get right. That is, waking people up with annoying sounds. Reports have been piling up about the Google Clock alarms not going off as scheduled, particularly on the latest Pixel 9 series.
Some users say their alarms ring late, while others see that the alarms were marked as turned off entirely. You have it worse if you see a notification that the alarm was “unable to fire”. It’s pretty concerning when your clock is using expressions you’d associate with a flamethrower. Here’s what’s gone wrong and what you can do about it.
Bugs may have invaded the Google Clock app
It’s not hard to guess why Pixel phone alarms are going haywire. You don’t need to look far from bugs. Google’s flagship phones have built a reputation for launching with frustrating software issues, and this latest fiasco is another entry in the long list of quirks.
Guesses are already being thrown in the wind about the cause of the issue. It’s either the latest Google Clock update (7.13 (716533827))is to blame or Gemini is acting up again and shutting off all alarms when asked to disable only one. It could be both factors.
We’ve seen everything from fingerprint sensor problems to inconsistent haptics and overheating issues, so an app bug barely raises an eyebrow. If anything, it’s a reminder that owning a Pixel means dealing with surprise software hiccups on a regular basis. Also, and unfortunately so, it means waiting for Google’s unpredictable fixes.
Related: Pixel Watch 3 Users Battle Bugs After Wear OS 5.1 Rollout
Once again, you’ll be fixing Google’s mistakes before they do
Reddit was the headquarter of complaints about missed alarms. Google hasn’t issued an official fix, but users are dealing with the situation differently. You may benefit from the solutions. Some are using alternative alarm clock apps as backup since they no longer trust the Google Clock app. Alarmy and I Can’t Wake Up are top choices.
Others are adjusting to a new time zone in the hopes of refreshing the phone’s synchronization with network servers. This fix works if you’ve traveled because your device might not properly update to the local time zone.
Both options should restore the Google app to normalcy. You could also try clearing the Google Clock app cache, and restarting the phone after any configurations for the changes to take full effect.
Removing and reinstalling the app forces a fresh install, which might also clear out whatever went wrong. You could even contact Google Support for assistance is another step to take, even though you’re most likely going to receive the same troubleshooting instructions.
