How to Deal With Apple’s Incompatible Warning System
There are several ways to set up an alert on your iOS device or Mac. You can ask Siri, use the Clock app, set up a reminder, or turn on an alarm. Unfortunately, they all contain a few caveats that can confuse you as to why your phone is buzzing at 3 a.m. – or you end up running out the door due to a missed reminder that you thought your HomePod would share. with you. Engineer Dr. Drang looked at how it all worked and found it rather confusing.
Dr. Drang compared the three types of alerts in iOS – timers, alarms, reminders – to find out which features are inherent in which type of alerts. He also compared how each type works on every iOS and macOS device, including the Apple Watch. Its comparison table shows which device each alert supports, with caveats associated with each type. Here’s what you need to know to make the best use of each and not miss an important warning:
There is only one timer in the Clock app
You may have several ways to set an alarm on your iPhone, but that doesn’t mean they are useless. For example, the timer function in the Clock app can only set one alert, which is inconvenient when you are timing two or more events (such as laundry and dinner).
You can work around this by creating multiple alerts using the Alarm function in the Clock app, but this is useless for handling synchronized events not included in the set schedule because absolute time is used (for example 4:15 pm if you start at 3 hours). : 55pm) instead of relative time (after 20 minutes). If all you need is a timer so you don’t waste your day doing housework, you can use the Clock app, but there are alternatives if you’re tired of editing alarms.
Use the reminders app to sync your alerts
Aside from having to do some basic math to set up multiple alarms in the Clock app, this timer you just activated won’t sync to notify you on your other devices, such as your Apple Watch or iPad. Your best bet for working alerts is reminders, but they have their own caveats (more on them in a minute).
Luckily, reminders are automatically synced to your devices using iCloud. You’ll get them on your iPad, iPhone, and Apple Watch, ideal if you’ve left your phone in another room to charge (or go for a walk without your phone). This is an imperfect form of timer control, but at least it makes it convenient and easier for you to keep track of your laundry and dinner.
The downside of using reminders is that if you ask Siri about the timing of the reminder (since you are using it as a timer), it is likely that the wrong date and time will be provided, according to Drang’s research. Likewise, if you want to use your new HomePod to track the time, you can use it to create a reminder, but you will not receive a notification from your HomePod when this happens. Instead, this alert is directed to your iOS and macOS devices. Close, but not a cigar.
Just install a timer app
In short, every built-in reminder option on your Apple devices leaves a lot to be desired. If you need a dedicated way to track time, keep track of your wash, or measure your meditation time, your best bet is to get a dedicated alarm clock app like Timer + that can manage and set multiple timers at the same time. Timer + uses relative time, so you can use this 20-minute timer anytime instead of fiddling with a new alarm in the Clock app every time you need to time your pasta.
A dedicated timer app or Pomodoro app also makes it easy to track how much time you spend on work if you’re curious about your productivity. Use an app like Clockit to log your time so you can review it later and see how much time you spent writing or studying over the course of a few days. When you turn on notifications, it’s much easier to manage and edit multiple timers, set up recurring events, and get traditional alerts on your device. And it won’t make you yell at your voice assistant because you missed your train.