I’ve tried many clock apps on Android, but none have this one excellent Samsung Clock feature

While I have my favorite apps, including what I consider the best video editing app and best to-do list app, I never thought I’d be very particular about which clock app I used. For as long as I can remember, I used whatever clock came with my phone.

But over the past few years, I’ve become accustomed to Samsung Clock’s features. Since it’s only available on Samsung phones, I’ve tried to switch to another clock app that isn’t bound to a particular OEM. Despite trying plenty, I haven’t been able to find one that suits my needs in the same way.

So what is it about Samsung’s clock app that has me in a chokehold? It comes down to the customizability of its snooze feature. Because of my chronic fatigue, I often need to adjust when I wake up based on how I’m feeling that day. This means that I place a lot of importance on an adjustable, repeatable snooze feature.

Most apps require you to choose a preset snooze time, with many maxing out at 30 minutes. But Samsung’s app lets me set the snooze timer up to 60 minutes. Furthermore, when the alarm sounds, I can adjust the snooze time with simple plus and minus icons — which comes in handy when I just need an extra 10 minutes to come to grips with being awake.

My first alarm essentially acts as a nudge to break me out of deep sleep. I then snooze it with the aim of waking up in an hour. On a day where I’m recovering from a migraine or a particularly draining few days, I may snooze my alarm again. But on days where I have an appointment or need to travel, I may only give myself an additional 15 minutes to rouse myself.

My dependence on this extremely customizable snooze has gotten to the point that even though I haven’t used a Samsung phone as my daily driver since 2023, I always sleep with a Samsung device near me in bed.

I realized my strong preference for Samsung’s clock app when I switched from an S22 Ultra to an Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ in 2023. My S22 Ultra display was severely cracked from a fall onto concrete, so I was relieved to finally switch over to a new device. But I struggled to adjust to the different clock app that came with Oppo’s phone. That’s when I first tried to find an OEM-agnostic clock app to take Samsung’s place, but Google’s app maxed out at a 30-minute snooze.

As a result, my S22 Ultra retained its position on my bedside table even though I had moved on from using the device. I eventually got a S23 Ultra as a secondary device during a sale, mainly to use to take photos when I was traveling or needed to take photos for work. But besides being my go-to camera smartphone, it also became my primary alarm clock. Even as I moved onto another camera smartphone, the S23 Ultra retained its place as my alarm clock — the only time I let it rest from this job was when I had a S25 Ultra in for review.

Now, there isn’t a shortage of clock apps available. I’ve spent hours trawling the Google Play Store for an app to replace Samsung’s. In fact, I like that the Google Clock app would allow me to incorporate it into a Google Assistant Routine. But it lacks that sweet spot of snooze customizability.

When I switched my daily driver to the Honor 400 Pro, I hoped that I could finally end my search for a new clock app. But again I was greeted my a limited snooze duration. I renewed my efforts to find a clock app that wouldn’t keep me bound to a specific brand, but the search was not a success.

Most of the apps I tried limited their snooze to 30 minutes maximum and as much as I would love to be a person who only needs a 30-minute break to wake up, my reality is that I need longer. Don’t get me started on the number of rise-and-grind clock apps that don’t include a snooze feature at all. My problem isn’t that I’m a heavy sleeper or lazy, but that I experience non-restorative, fitful sleep that makes it a literal pain to get out of bed before I’m ready.

I extended my search to include apps that I had initially dismissed due to their inclusion of ads. I was either greeted by that same 30-minute limit, or the apps requested permissions that I was not comfortable giving. For example, two of the freemium clock apps I tried wouldn’t work unless I granted the permission to display over other apps, despite none of my other clock apps requiring this permission.

I found other clock apps that seemed promising at first, only to check their data collection policies and decide they weren’t worth the privacy trade-off. After all, why would I be comfortable with a simple clock app sharing my personal info with third parties when it’s a general rule for me to give these kinds of apps a skip unless absolutely necessary?

After my most recent search for alternative clock apps yielded no viable results, I’ve accepted that my current setup of two phones in bed is set to continue. It’s not the worst problem to have, but it is annoying when I’m traveling and have to take multiple devices with me just for one to act as an alarm.

I’ve considered switching to my S23 Ultra as my daily driver, but it doesn’t support my current dual physical SIM setup. There are also benefits to using a physical SIM, while switching to an eSIM in my country comes with its own barriers that deter me from the change.

Some people may also suggest just pulling myself together and getting on board with 30-minute snooze limits, but I’ve developed my habit due to specific needs. There are many times I’ve forced myself up before I’m ready to get out of bed, and this has often triggered a migraine, prolonged an ongoing migraine attack, or made my chronic fatigue worse during the day. I don’t see my sleep habits changing anytime soon even if I wanted them to.

I’m hoping that a few other alternative clock apps with more customization (that also respect my privacy) will emerge that will enable me to pack away my Samsung phone. I’d even pay for a reasonably priced clock app that offers the functionality I need. But in the meantime, my awkward setup will live on.