Ember
Scan a code
Put a code away from bed. Scan it to finish.
See how it worksYour morning, on your terms.
The alarm app that keeps going.
Ember Alarm is an alarm app with wake-up challenges. Silence it, and it re-arms until you scan a code, solve a task, or walk your step target.
Closed beta is live now
The morning flow
From asleep to on your feet.
Set the alarm. Finish your checks. Start moving.
01
Set your morning
Choose the time, days, and checks for each alarm.
02
Get out of bed
Silence the alarm and Ember keeps the wake-up going.
03
Stay up
Finish your checks, keep your streak, and start the day.
Walk challenge
Walk away from snooze.
Set a step target and lock your phone. Ember stays quiet while you move, then comes back if you stop.
See how it works Built to persist
Silencing an alarm is not waking up.
Lock the screen. Hit volume. Swipe the app away. Ember keeps the wake-up going.
Progress
Make every morning count.
Build a streak, score each wake-up, and climb the weekly ranks with friends.
12day streak
48,210points
#1this week
Wake-up checks
Wake up your way.
Stack the checks that work for you. Every alarm can have its own routine.
Vocabulary
Practice your own word pairs until they stick.
Math
Solve quick sums or Marc's Matrices. Faster answers score higher.
See how it worksTile puzzle
Put every tile in place. Choose 3×3 or 4×4.
Blackjack
Beat the dealer. Risk part of your morning score each hand.
Walk it off
Reach your step target. Stop moving and Ember comes back.
See how it works Ember themes
Every win changes Ember.
Achievements unlock living embers and complete app themes. There are 36 to find.
Earned by
Waking upBuilding streaksScoring pointsWalkingSolving challenges
The essentials
Multiple alarms Skip days Emergency override Private by default Native on iOS & Android
Answers
Before you set the alarm.
What is Ember Alarm?
Ember Alarm is a wake-up app for iPhone and Android that keeps re-arming the alarm until you finish a wake-up check, so silencing and snoozing don't end it.
How is this different from a normal alarm?
A normal alarm stops when you silence it. Ember treats silencing as the start, not the end: the wake-up stays active until you finish your checks: scan a code, recall vocabulary, solve a puzzle, do math, or walk a set number of steps.
Can I still snooze?
No. Ember has no snooze button. That is the entire point. Silencing the alarm hands you a wake-up check instead, and finishing the check is the only thing that ends the wake-up.
I'm a heavy sleeper. Will this actually work?
Volume stops working once you have learned to dismiss an alarm half-asleep. Ember does not try to be louder. It requires an action you cannot complete without waking up: scanning a code you left across the room, finishing a tile puzzle, or walking a few hundred steps.
What happens if I silence the alarm and go back to sleep?
Ember notices. If you go idle during a wake-up check, an "Are you snoozing?" countdown starts, and when it runs out the alarm comes back. It keeps coming back until the check is done.
Will Ember ring if my phone is on silent or Do Not Disturb?
In the normal case, yes. Ember plays on the system alarm channel, which the silent switch and ordinary Do Not Disturb schedules do not mute. A Do Not Disturb or Focus profile set to block alarms outright will silence it. If you use one, check that alarms are allowed through.
Can it wake me if the phone is locked?
Yes. Ember schedules a real system alarm rather than a notification: Apple's AlarmKit on iPhone, an exact alarm on Android. It rings from the lock screen without the app being open.
Can I cheat the scan check with a photo of the code?
No. A photograph of the saved code does not pass the scan check. You have to be in front of the physical code, which is the reason you put it in another room.
What if a check is too hard when I'm half-asleep?
Every alarm carries its own stack of checks, so you choose the difficulty. A single barcode scan is enough for most people. Math, puzzles, vocabulary, blackjack, and walking are there if scanning stops working on you.
What if there's a real emergency?
Enable Emergency Override and set a passkey. Entering that exact phrase ends the wake-up immediately. It is deliberately something you cannot type by accident half-asleep.
Does Ember work for night shifts and rotating schedules?
Yes. Alarms are set by time and weekday, not by a fixed idea of morning. Ember does not care whether you wake at 04:00 or 16:00. Skip days let you drop individual dates without deleting the alarm or breaking your streak.
Will it wake the person next to me?
Probably once, the same as any alarm. After that the walk and scan checks take you out of the room, which tends to make Ember quieter overall than an alarm that rings nine more times.
Does Ember drain my battery?
Almost none while an alarm is only scheduled. The system handles the timing. It uses real power only while an alarm is actually ringing. On Android, exclude Ember from battery optimization so the system cannot delay or kill a scheduled alarm.
Does Ember track my sleep?
No. Ember is an alarm, not a sleep tracker. It does not listen at night, does not stage your sleep, and does not need your phone on the mattress.
Does Ember work offline?
Yes. Alarms and wake-up checks run entirely on your device with no network connection and no account. Only the optional extras need one: cloud backup, friend leaderboards, multi-device restore.
How do streaks and scores work?
Complete a scheduled wake-up and the day counts. Miss one and the streak ends. Days without an alarm are neutral. Difficulty and speed raise your score; extra rings lower it.
Do I need an account?
No. Ember's alarm and wake-up checks work on-device without one. An optional account adds cloud backup, friend leaderboards, and multi-device restore.
What data does Ember collect?
Nothing about you if you never create an account. Alarms, checks, streaks and scores stay on your device. Creating one stores what the cloud features need to work. The Privacy Policy lists it field by field.
Which devices are supported?
iPhone and Android. On iPhone, Ember uses Apple's AlarmKit, which requires iOS 26 or later for full system-alarm behavior. On Android it schedules exact alarms and needs to be excluded from battery optimization. Ember asks only for alarm access, plus whatever an optional check you turn on needs: camera for scanning, motion for walking.
Is Ember on the App Store yet, and what will it cost?
Not yet. Ember has been in closed beta since 30 July 2026. Request a code on this page and it is emailed to you immediately. The core alarm stays free after launch; Ember Pro will be a paid upgrade. Beta testers keep six months of Pro free and a permanent 70% discount on the lifetime plan.
Closed beta. Live now.
Build your better morning.
Request your code for iOS or Android. Your feedback shapes what ships.