Feature rich timekeeping toolkit with alarms, timers, and world clock, but alarming reliability issues reported
Feature rich timekeeping toolkit with alarms, timers, and world clock, but alarming reliability issues reported
Vote (1 votes)
Program license Free
Developer Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Version 12.2.16.1
Works under Android
Also known as Samsung Clock
Vote
(1 votes)
Developer
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Works under
Android
Program license
Free
Version
12.2.16.1
Also known as
Samsung Clock
Pros
- Combines alarm, world clock, stopwatch, and timer in one system app
- Alarms support specific dates, repeat schedules, and skip one day behavior
- Snooze can mimic setting multiple consecutive alarms
- World clock shows time and weather by city with a globe view
- Timer offers presets and can run several timers at the same time
- Optional use of local audio files and, on Android 14 and higher, images and videos for more personalized alarms
Cons
- Reports of alarms not ringing at all despite being enabled
- In some cases there is no missed alarm notification or symbol after a silent alarm
- Alarm failures have led to serious consequences, such as missed work and appointments
- Sleep mode integration can fail, with alarms linked to it not going off in certain situations
Samsung Clock is the default timekeeping app on many Samsung Android phones, combining alarm, world clock, stopwatch, and timer tools in one place. It suits Samsung users who want everyday time management features integrated into the system without relying on extra apps.
Core functions for managing your time
The app groups several practical tools under one interface. The Alarm lets you set alerts for specific dates and create repeating alarms. You can also temporarily skip a day for a repeat alarm and have it turn itself back on later, which helps when your schedule changes for a single day.
The World Clock shows the time in different cities and includes local weather. A globe view helps you quickly locate a city on the map, which is useful when you track several time zones.
For timing activities, the Stopwatch records elapsed time and supports section times, so you can mark laps or segments. These recorded values can be copied, which is handy if you want to store or share your results. The Timer lets you save your most used timer durations as presets and can run several timers at once, so you are not limited to a single countdown.
Alarm features and customization
Samsung Clock offers a few touches that make alarms more flexible. The Snooze option is designed to behave much like setting several alarms in a row, giving you repeated reminders without having to configure each one individually.
With optional permissions, you can personalize how alarms and timers sound and look. Access to music and audio files lets the app use sounds stored on your phone or tablet for alerts, rather than only built in tones. On devices with Android 14 and higher, access to photos and videos allows you to pick images or videos as alarm backgrounds, which can make important alarms stand out visually.
Notification permission supports ongoing timer notifications and alerts about upcoming and missed alarms, so in theory you can glance at your notification shade to see what is scheduled or what you have already missed.
World clock, stopwatch, and timer flexibility
Beyond waking you up, Samsung Clock works as a general timing toolkit. The world clock view keeps multiple cities and their current conditions in one screen, which is helpful if you coordinate across regions or simply want to know whether someone elsewhere is likely to be awake.
The stopwatch is oriented toward tracking multiple intervals rather than just a single total time. Since you can copy the recorded segments, it can be used for any activity where you need to keep a clean record of several splits.
Preset timers are valuable when you repeat the same durations often. Combined with the ability to run multiple timers simultaneously, this gives the app some extra flexibility compared with a very basic countdown.
Serious concerns about alarm reliability
Despite the rich feature list, the alarm function has drawn strong criticism for reliability. There are reports of alarms that simply do not ring, even though they were clearly enabled in the app. In those situations the phone remained quiet, and there was no notification that an alarm had been missed.
One account describes using Sleep mode, with an alarm tied to it and switched on, yet the alert never sounded. Because there was no symbol or missed alarm notification afterward, the user concluded that the alarm failed to trigger at all. Another experience describes alarms that appear to disable themselves during the night, leading to oversleeping and missed commitments.
These failures are not minor inconveniences. In one case, the user attributes losing a new job on the second day to an alarm that did not go off. Another describes repeatedly waking up late and missing obligations. Taken together, they point to significant trust issues with the core alarm feature.
This is especially troubling given that the developer highlights notifications for upcoming and missed alarms as an optional capability. When an alarm neither makes a sound nor leaves any trace in notifications, it undermines confidence in the app for time critical tasks like waking up for work.
Who will appreciate Samsung Clock
Samsung Clock still offers a convenient set of tools for checking world time, tracking intervals, and running several timers, all in a single system app. Users who mainly need these functions and treat the alarm as a secondary backup might find it adequate, especially with the customization options for sounds and backgrounds on recent Android versions.
However, if you rely heavily on one alarm app to wake you for work, school, or other important events, the reported failures raise real concerns. In that context, using only Samsung Clock for your most critical alarms carries a risk that some users have already found too high.
Pros
- Combines alarm, world clock, stopwatch, and timer in one system app
- Alarms support specific dates, repeat schedules, and skip one day behavior
- Snooze can mimic setting multiple consecutive alarms
- World clock shows time and weather by city with a globe view
- Timer offers presets and can run several timers at the same time
- Optional use of local audio files and, on Android 14 and higher, images and videos for more personalized alarms
Cons
- Reports of alarms not ringing at all despite being enabled
- In some cases there is no missed alarm notification or symbol after a silent alarm
- Alarm failures have led to serious consequences, such as missed work and appointments
- Sleep mode integration can fail, with alarms linked to it not going off in certain situations