Everyone has their favorite apps, but app loyalty can be a disadvantage. I grew accustomed to the same rotation of apps on my phone; why try to find replacements when the ones I use work just fine?
However, I’ve recently put a lot more effort into trying to replace apps I’ve used for years, and the results have been almost universally positive.
However, my efforts have been mostly focused on peripheral apps; apps that aren’t core to the smartphone experience. For example, I replaced Google Keep with Bundled Notes, and I’m never going back.
My recent efforts have focused on replacing the “core” apps of my phone, and I found unexpected success in replacing that most fundamental of smartphone apps, the clock.
Why I picked my clock app as a target
A useless feature set me on a search for a replacement
Ever since I got my first Android phone, I found that the preinstalled clock app was more than enough for my needs, or so I thought. I could set alarms, timers, and stopwatches, and most importantly, check the time.
Google has added more features over the years, but it was my experimenting with Bedtime mode that drove me to look for a replacement.
In theory, Bedtime mode helps you establish a regular sleep pattern, which can improve your health and well-being.
No matter how much I analyzed my sleep patterns, cough and snore information, and sleep sounds, or tried to automate a bedtime switch that would enable night mode, my chaotic sleep patterns and evening activities turned the experience from one of self-improvement to frustration.
Nevertheless, I was keen to make my life easier because I was tired of editing alarms daily.
I opened the Play Store and searched for an alarm clock app. My search led me to AMdroid, the most popular alarm clock app on the Play Store, which has completely replaced my default clock app for the first time in over a decade.
AMdroid’s profiles fit my lifestyle perfectly
Perfect if every week is a little different
One day a week, I work the morning shift for a retail job. It’s the only day of the week when I have to get up at a specific time.
Therefore, it’s crucial that my alarm wakes me up, but I’m a heavy sleeper, and I’ve missed my alarm more than once.
Using AMdroid, I can set a post-alarm confirmation. This feature sends a notification to my phone ten minutes after my alarm goes off. If I don’t tap it within five minutes, the alarm goes off again.
I can therefore go out late the night before, confident in the knowledge I won’t accidentally oversleep.
I’ve also set it so that the alarm only goes off when I’m at home. If the app detects I’m somewhere else (such as on holiday), it won’t go off. It will also show me the weather conditions, so I have an idea of what my commute will look like.
The rest of the week, when I’m writing for Android Police, my schedule is completely different.
I need to wake up early enough to get my work done, but I’m frequently working away from home. I don’t want to set a place limitation. I also don’t need to know the weather.
However, since I don’t need to be at my destination at a specific time, it means it’s much harder to get out of bed.
Therefore, I’ve set a challenge on this alarm that requires me to turn on the lights to dismiss the alarm. Unless I turn my bedroom lights on, the alarm won’t stop.
AMdroid provides a level of customization that perfectly suits my lifestyle. But it’s not just the profiles that make it brilliant. The app also has fantastic widgets.
AMdroid’s widgets and extra features are all useful
You can create the perfect alarm setup
Occasionally, I’ll get a message in my work chat that informs me of a change in our start time.
Rather than opening the app and adjusting alarms, I can use a widget that lets me adjust the time of my next alarm in 10-minute increments.
It’s a temporary change, so it’ll revert to the default time when the alarm is triggered again. This widget also shows when my next alarm will trigger.
The other widgets are straightforward shortcuts to features like the stopwatch, but they flesh out this already well-rounded app.
AMdroid provides the full set of clock features you would want on top of its alarm features.
Its night clock is a great alternative to Android’s default always-on display, and its sleep tracking features are a simple way for people with more consistent sleep schedules to get optimal rest.
Default apps aren’t always the best
AMdroid is one of the most popular clock apps on the Play Store, but if I hadn’t put in the effort to replace my default app, I never would have discovered it.
Take a close look at the apps you use every day without thinking. It’s worth looking for alternatives.
