By the Rise team · Updated 3 November 2026.
We make Rise, an Android alarm app, so we're not neutral. We've described other apps from their own Google Play listings; if anything's out of date, tell us via the contact page.
The right alarm app for a heavy sleeper depends on why you sleep through alarms. If you don't hear the alarm at all, look for loud sounds, rising volume and vibration on a wearable, and keep a backup alarm. If you hear it but switch it off or snooze half-asleep, look for friction: a task to turn it off, as in Alarmy, Sleep as Android or AMdroid, or a price on snoozing that you set the night before, as in Rise.
In short
One kind of heavy sleeper does not hear the alarm. The other hears it, then snoozes or switches it off while still half-asleep. Causes, and how to tell the two apart, are on why you sleep through your alarm, including sleeping through it or switching it off.
If the alarm rings and you never stir, the sound, the vibration and a second device matter more than the dismiss screen. Look for loud or custom sounds, a volume that rises, and vibration on the phone or a watch, and put a backup alarm on a different device. A task, or a price on snoozing, does not help when the sound never reaches you.
If you find the alarm already dismissed, or a run of snoozes you do not remember choosing, you heard it. The Cleveland Clinic says grogginess after waking usually lasts 15 to 60 minutes, and can last longer if you are badly sleep-deprived, and it lists poor decision-making among the symptoms, which is why a choice in those first minutes is unreliable. Not getting enough sleep is a common reason for that grogginess, which why you keep snoozing goes into.
Match the feature to the problem above. These are general checks, not a score.
People name these apps in Android forum threads about heavy sleepers, including this r/androidapps thread and this request for recommendations. In the linked thread, the poster can get out of bed, hit the alarm and go straight back to sleep, phone on a dresser, and replies name Alarmy, Sleep as Android and AMdroid. The notes below are each app's Google Play listing, checked 3 November 2026, in alphabetical order.
Alarmy's listing calls it a loud alarm clock app for heavy sleepers, with missions to turn it off: a barcode and photo alarm, maths and memory, typing quotes, and a shake or squat alarm. Wake Up Check restarts those missions if you ignore the alarm, and the listing also describes loud sounds and a sleep tracker. An optional Prevent turn off feature uses the Accessibility Service to stop the device being turned off while the alarm rings, and Play shows "Contains ads" and "In-app purchases". It suits people who need a physical or mental task. If you do not want missions, see an Alarmy alternative without the missions.
AMdroid's listing describes dismiss challenges: maths problems, Captcha, Wi-Fi, NFC, a barcode or QR code, and light. It adds a post-alarm confirmation, a gentle pre-alarm, recurring and one-time alarms, and an optional public-holiday skip. A Wear OS companion can snooze or dismiss from the watch, alongside sleep tracking and stats. The listing says the app is free and ad-supported, tells you to whitelist it in battery saver settings, and Play shows "Contains ads" and "In-app purchases". It suits people who want a lot of control on each alarm.
Sleep as Android's listing describes a smart alarm with sleep cycle tracking that wakes you gently at an optimal time, plus gentle alarm sounds, Spotify songs or playlists, and a sunrise alarm. It also lists "CAPTCHA tasks and Snooze limit": sheep counting, maths, or scanning a barcode, with toothpaste as the example. The Accessibility Service is used so you cannot force-stop the app, or turn the device off, before those tasks are done. It works with many wearables, including Pixel Watch, Galaxy, Wear OS and Garmin, and Play shows "Contains ads" and "In-app purchases". It suits people who also want sleep tracking or a watch involved, and the listing says it is not intended for medical use.
Google's Clock listing describes alarms, timers and a stopwatch, a bedtime schedule and sleep sounds, and pairing with a Wear OS device so alarms come to your wrist. It does not describe turn-off tasks. It is free to install, and it is a sensible backup beside whichever other app you use. For what clock snooze settings do and do not cover, see turning snooze off on Android.
Rise: Pay to Snooze Alarm sets a token price on snoozing the night before, with no puzzles, scans or challenges. Where that fits, and where it does not, is below.
No scores, and no ratings. Every row except Rise is from a Play listing. Rise, apart from its Play label, is from the next section.
| App | Main way it stops you going back to sleep | Turn-off tasks? | Snooze controls | Play labels |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alarmy | Missions you complete to stop the alarm, then Wake Up Check if you ignore it. | Yes. Barcode and photo, maths and memory, typing quotes, shake or squat. | Not described. Wake Up Check restarts the missions if you ignore the alarm. | Contains ads. In-app purchases. |
| AMdroid | Dismiss challenges, a gentle pre-alarm, and a post-alarm confirmation. | Yes. Maths, Captcha, Wi-Fi, NFC, barcode or QR code, light. | Snooze or dismiss from a Wear OS watch. No snooze limit is described. | Contains ads. In-app purchases. |
| Sleep as Android | CAPTCHA tasks, a snooze limit, and sleep-cycle tracking. | Yes. Sheep counting, maths, or a barcode scan. Toothpaste is the listing's example. | A snooze limit, beside the CAPTCHA tasks. The number is not given. | Contains ads. In-app purchases. |
| Phone clock | The listing does not describe one. Useful as a backup alarm. | No turn-off tasks described. | Not described. Alarms can also go to a Wear OS watch. | Free to install. No Contains ads label, and no In-app purchases label. |
| Rise | A snooze price, in tokens, that you set the night before. | No puzzles, scans or challenges. | Price set per alarm, locked once the alarm rings. Dismissing is free. Pay to Snooze can be switched off. Free at zero balance. Snooze length adjustable, default 9 minutes. | In-app purchases (token packs). |
Details from each app's Google Play listing, checked 3 November 2026. Features and labels can change.
If you regularly sleep through loud alarms despite enough sleep, or you are tired all the time, talk to your GP. The NHS says tiredness all the time, with no clear reason, can be a sign of a problem, and to see a GP if it has gone on for a few weeks or affects daily life. This page is general information, not medical advice.
Rise is for people who hear the alarm and snooze it. It is not a louder alarm, and it will not help if you do not hear the alarm at all. If that is you, use the steps for when you don't hear it, and keep a backup alarm.
Rise: Pay to Snooze Alarm is an Android alarm and timer app. It rings as a full alarm. iOS is coming soon. There are no puzzles, scans or challenges to stop it.
You set a snooze price per alarm, in tokens, the night before. There is no minimum and no maximum. The price is locked once the alarm rings. Dismissing is always free. Pay to Snooze can be switched off for any alarm.
Tokens are bought in-app in packs, as an ordinary Google Play purchase: 10 for £0.89, 50 for £3.49, and 200 for £8.99. No card is ever charged automatically. Tokens don't expire. The money goes to Rise. At zero balance, snooze falls back to free.
Snooze length is adjustable, and the default is 9 minutes. It is a nudge you set yourself.
Does paying to snooze work? covers the nearby research, and where it stops. Other Android apps that put a price on snoozing are on the comparison of pay-to-snooze apps.
Get Rise on Google PlayIt depends on why you sleep through alarms. If you don't hear it, choose loud sounds, rising volume and watch vibration, plus a backup. If you switch it off half-asleep, choose a task alarm (Alarmy, AMdroid or Sleep as Android) or a price on snoozing (Rise). See which kind of heavy sleeper you are.
Your phone's built-in clock is free with the phone and can be your backup. Alarmy, AMdroid and Sleep as Android are free to install. Their Play listings show Contains ads and In-app purchases. Rise is free to install. Tokens are a separate in-app purchase, for Pay to Snooze.
Grogginess right after waking, called sleep inertia, usually lasts 15 to 60 minutes, and it can last longer if you are badly sleep-deprived, the Cleveland Clinic says. In that stretch you can hit snooze or switch the alarm off without remembering the decision. See why you sleep through your alarm.
Some try. Alarmy's optional Prevent turn off feature uses the Accessibility Service to block turning the device off while the alarm rings, its listing says. Sleep as Android uses the Accessibility Service so you cannot force-stop the app or turn the device off before CAPTCHA tasks are done. A phone across the room works with any app.
Not on its own. Rise puts a price on snoozing, so it helps people who hear the alarm and snooze. If you don't hear it, use louder sounds, vibration and a backup alarm. If that keeps happening despite enough sleep, talk to your GP.
This page is general information, not medical advice. If you regularly sleep through alarms despite enough sleep, or you are tired all the time, talk to your GP.
Checked 3 November 2026. App descriptions are from each Google Play listing on that date. If a listing has changed, the listing wins.