Newel Labs Play

Mission Alarm An alarm you have to solve to switch off

Free, in your browser. Pick a time and a mission: math, typing or memory. Keep this tab open and your device awake.

Set your alarm

Now --:--

Alarm or timer

Rings tomorrow at 7:00

Mission: Medium math × 3 · 1 snooze · Beeper Change

When it rings

  1. 0 sStarts quietly, then climbs
  2. 40 sFull volume
  3. 45 sFaster pattern
  4. 2 minA second alarm joins in

While you answer, it drops to half volume so you can think, for up to 30 seconds per mission. A wrong answer brings it straight back up.

How it works

  1. Pick a time or a timer. An alarm time rings the next time the clock reaches it, today or tomorrow. A timer counts down from now.
  2. Choose your mission. Solve math problems (easy, medium or hard), type a phrase exactly, or repeat a pattern of lit tiles. Pick 1, 3 or 5 rounds.
  3. Tap Set alarm and leave the tab open. You'll hear a short beep, so you know sound works, and Mission Alarm asks your browser to keep the screen on. The bedside clock dims the page for the night.
  4. When it rings, it escalates. It starts quietly and gets steadily louder until it reaches full volume at 40 seconds. Then the pattern speeds up, and after 2 minutes a second alarm sound joins in.
  5. Solve to stop it. Once you start answering, the alarm drops to half volume so you can think, for up to 30 seconds per mission; after that it stays up until you solve it. A wrong answer brings it straight back up. Snoozes are limited to none, 1 or 3, and Mission Alarm will have something to say about each one.

Try it first: Try it now rings in 3 seconds with your mission, so you can hear how loud it is and practise. Then send a challenge link to the heaviest sleeper you know.

Honest limits

  • A browser tab can't wake a sleeping phone. If your phone locks, the screen goes off or you switch to another app, most phones pause the page and the alarm won't ring. Keep this tab open and your device awake, plugged in, with the volume up.
  • Keeping the screen on. While an alarm is set, Mission Alarm uses the Screen Wake Lock API, which current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari support. The page shows whether it worked. Battery saver modes can block it; if they do, set your screen to stay on while the alarm is set.
  • Closing or reloading the tab cancels the alarm. The page asks before you leave while an alarm is set. If it closes anyway, Mission Alarm tells you next time you open it that the alarm didn't ring.
  • On a computer, a tab in the background still rings on time (we tested this in Chrome), because the sound is scheduled ahead with the Web Audio clock. A computer that goes to sleep, or a closed laptop lid, stops it, and so can a browser's energy or memory saver that freezes background tabs. To be safe, keep the computer plugged in and the tab in front.
  • It can't change your volume. Turn it up before you sleep and test it with Try it now.
  • Don't rely on it for anything critical. For flights, medication or anything you can't afford to miss, use your phone's built-in alarm. Mission Alarm is a fun extra push, or a backup.
  • It's on the honour system. Closing the tab also stops the sound. The mission is there to get your brain going, not to lock you in. Try it now (also from a challenge link) shows a Give up button after a minute or 3 wrong answers; a real alarm doesn't.

Questions

Does it work on iPhone and Android?

It should: it only uses standard browser features. The page has to stay open in front with the screen on, so turn the volume up and keep the phone on its charger. On iPhone, Mission Alarm asks Safari to play it like media, which may pause music from other apps; on some iOS versions the Silent switch can still mute web pages, so test it with Try it now first.

Can I use it as my only alarm clock?

We wouldn't. A phone's built-in alarm can wake a locked phone, and a web page can't. Use Mission Alarm next to it, as the alarm that makes you think, or for timers and naps at a desk.

Why can't I paste the phrase?

Because copying it would be too easy. Typing it exactly is the mission: capitals and punctuation count, though curly and straight quotes count as the same, so phone keyboards are fine. Extra spaces between words are forgiven.

What do screen-reader friendly missions change?

Math problems and phrases are read out as text, focus moves straight to the answer box, and the alarm drops to a low volume while you answer so you can hear your screen reader. The memory mission becomes a list of numbers to remember and type back instead of flashing tiles. You can also switch to numbers in the middle of a memory mission.

How does a challenge link work?

Share a challenge sends your mission settings in the link: the mission, difficulty, rounds, snoozes, sound, time and your own phrase if you set one. Whoever opens it gets the same alarm. After you switch an alarm off, Share your time adds how long it was ringing, so they have a time to beat. Their time only counts against yours with the same mission, difficulty, rounds and snoozes.

Is anything recorded or sent anywhere?

No. Everything runs in your browser. Your settings and your best times stay in this browser's storage, and there are no cookies or analytics. See the privacy policy.

Are these recorded alarm sounds?

No. Every sound is synthesized in your browser with the Web Audio API. There are no audio files.

Can I add it to my home screen?

Yes. Use Add to Home Screen (Safari's Share menu) or Install app (Chrome's menu), and it opens like an app, even offline once it has loaded. The same rule applies: keep it open and the screen on while an alarm is set. On iPhone, also set Auto-Lock to Never (Settings, Display & Brightness) while an alarm is set, because some iOS versions let the screen lock anyway.