No, the app is not doing any activities in the background. You can even close the app and it will reappear on wakeup time. Of course the wakeup by light in the morning will consume some battery. We recommend to plug in the charging cable overnight so you can leave the house with a fully charged device.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Mobile Manager / PowerMaster / Settings (or Battery-saving options)
Disable Clean up in suspend. Disable Auto-deny apps from auto starting.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- System settings / Smart Assistent / DuraSpeed
Find Gentle Wakeup in the list and enable it.
- Application Basic Service / App Manager / App auto start
Find Gentle Wakeup in the list and enable it.
- Application System Manager / App Management / Auto Cleanup
Find Gentle Wakeup in the list and enable it
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Settings / Power / Battery optimization
Tap on Filter by and set to All Apps
Select Gentle Wakeup from the list set to
Here is a list of YouTube video tutorials how to configure specific phones models and devices. If your device is missing you can record the configuration steps (please set your device to English language) with a screen capture app and send the YouTube link to support@changemystyle.com. We will include the link in this list.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
EMUI 10 and above
- Settings / Battery / App Launch
Set slider next to Gentle Wakeup to OFF. In dialog enable Auto launch and Run in background.
EMUI 5 to 9
- Settings
Search for Ignore battery optimization. Tap on inverted triangle next to Allow, touch All apps, locate Gentle Wakeup and select Allow.
- Settings / Battery / Lock screen cleanup
Set Slider next to Gentle Wakeup to OFF and set app to Don’t close.
EMUI 5 and 6+
- Phone Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery manager / Power plan
Should be set to Performance.
- Phone Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery Manager / Protected apps
Set Gentle Wakeup as Protected
- Phone Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery
Activate Power-intensive prompt and Keep running after screen off
- Phone settings / Apps / Advanced (At the bottom) /
Ignore optimisations / Press Allowed / All apps
Find Gentle Wakeup and set to Allow
EMUI 8, 9 and 10 (Huawei P20, Huawei P20 Lite, Huawei Mate 10)
- Phone settings / Battery / App launch / Gentle Wakeup
Set to Manage manually and turn all options on.
Huawei P9 Plus
- Phone settings / Apps / Settings / Special access / Ignore battery optimisation
Select allow Gentle Wakeup App.
Huawei Honor 9 Lite, Huawei Mate 9 Pro
- Phone settings / Battery / Launch
Set to Manage manually and turn all options on.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Enable the padlock icon at an app in the right top corner in the overview of running apps. It’s only then actually running as a foreground process. If you swipe it away, its background process will be killed mercilessly.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Phone settings / Battery & power saving / Battery usage / Ignore optimizations
Turn on to ignore battery optimization for Gentle Wakeup.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery manager / Power plan
Set to Performance
- Device Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery Manager / Protected apps
Check for Gentle Wakeup as Protected
Device Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery
Set Power-intensive prompt and Keep running after screen off.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Phone settings / Apps / Battery / Gentle Wakeup
Background restrictions must not be applied
Battery must be not optimized
- Phone settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Change system settings
Set to Allow
- Phone settings / Apps / See all apps
Tap on the right top corner menu and select Show system
If you see the app Power saver then select it and tap on Force close. But this will solve the problem only until the next restart. So even better is to delete the app completely because it brutally suppresses any 3rd party apps.
Here is a list of YouTube video tutorials how to configure specific phones models and devices. If your device is missing you can record the configuration steps (please set your device to English language) with a screen capture app and send the YouTube link to support@changemystyle.com. We will include the link in this list.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- System Settings / Apps / Gear Icon / Special Access / Battery Optimization
Turn off optimization
- Phone settings / Battery / Battery optimization / switch to the All apps list (Top menu) / Sleep
Phone settings / Battery / Advanced Settings / Optimize Battery Use / Gentle Wakeup
Set to Don’t optimize
- Open Gentle Wakeup, touch the Recent Apps button or swipe up for Recent Apps to show the list of recent apps
Toggle the Lock icon in the upper right corner of Gentle Wakeup entry to switch it to a closed icon symbol
-
App auto-launch
- Phone settings / Apps / Auto-Launch
If it says “Auto launch on boot and auto launch in background disallowed” then enable it.
- ? / App auto-launch / Gentle Wakeup
But if it says “When turned on, background changed launches by apps will be stopped” then disable the option for the app.
OnePlus 6 and above
- System Settings / Battery / Battery optimization / (three dots) / Advanced optimization
Disable Deep optimization and Sleep standby optimization
OnePlus 5 and lower
- Settings / Battery / Battery optimization / (three dots)
Disable Enhanced optimization or Advanced optimisation
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Device Settings / Battery / App Battery Management
Select Gentle Wakeup in the list and enable Allow all background activity - Pin your app to the recent apps screen
- Inside the security app’s “startup manager” and “floating app list”
(com.coloros.safecenter / com.coloros.safecenter.permission.Permission)
Enable your app in the app list - Turn off battery optimizations
- Give the service a persistent notification to remain in the foreground
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
Android 11 and higher
- Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery / Optimize Battery Usage
Switch the filter for the list from Apps not optimized to All. Scroll down to Gentle Wakeup or type the app name in the search field from the search icon. Disable the slider to put the app into the list of Apps not optimized.
- Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery / Optimize Battery Usage
Set to Unrestricted
- Settings / Device care / Battery / Background Usage Limits
Settings / Battery / Background Usage Limits
Settings / Battery and Device care / Tap on Battery / Background Usage Limits
Turn off Put unused apps to sleep. Tap on Sleeping apps and remove Gentle Wakeup if it is in the list.
- Settings / Device care / Battery / More Battery Settings
Disable Adaptive battery.
- Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Automation
Tap on Automation and disable “Auto optimize daily” and “Adaptive power saving”
- Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Advanced
Tap on Advanced and disable “Auto optimize” and “Optimize settings”
- Settings / Display / Edge Panels
Do not use Edge Lighting for Gentle Wakeup. If you want to use Edge Lighting then remove the app from the application list.
Android 10
- Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Settings
Settings / Device care / Battery / App power management
Turn off Put unused apps to sleep. Turn off Auto disable unused apps. Tap on Sleeping apps and remove Gentle Wakeup if it is in the list. Disable Adaptive battery.
- Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Advanced
Tap on Advanced and disable “Auto optimize” and “Optimize settings”
- Settings / Display / Edge Screen
Do not use Edge Lighting for Gentle Wakeup. If you want to use Edge Lighting then remove the app from the application list.
Android 9
- Phone settings / Applications / Select the three dot menu (top right corner) / Special Access / Optimize Battery usage
Find Gentle Wakeup in the list and make sure it is not selected
- Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Settings
Settings / Device care / Battery / App power management
Turn off Put unused apps to sleep. Turn off Auto disable unused apps. Tap on Sleeping apps and remove Gentle Wakeup if it is in the list. Disable Adaptive battery.
- Settings / Display / Edge Screen
Do not use Edge Lighting for Gentle Wakeup. If you want to use Edge Lighting then remove the app from the application list.
Android 8 and lower
- Settings app / Device maintenance / Battery
At the bottom tap on Unmonitored Apps and Add Gentle Wakeup to the list
- Settings / Display / Edge Screen
Do not use Edge Lighting for Gentle Wakeup. If you want to use Edge Lighting then remove the app from the application list.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
The alarm will not fire by default if Sony Stamina Mode is enabled.
Phone settings / Battery / Three dots in the top right corner / Battery optimisation / Apps
Whitelist Gentle Wakeup
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
(Maybe not all changes are required. Try for yourself and report back please)
Settings / Smart Manager / Auto-start
Turn off Automatically manage
Settings /Smart Manager / Battery
Turn off Normal saving mode, Super saving mode,
Settings /Smart Manager / Battery / Battery detail /
Turn off Battery saver, turn off Battery manager
Settings / Smart Manager / Notifications / Gentle Wakeup
Allow everything here (3 spots)
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Settings / Apps / Special App Access / Autostart
or Settings / More settings / Applications / Autostart
or Manager / App manager / Autostart manager
Find your app in the list and allow the Autostart
- Settings / Battery / High background power consumption
Find your app in the list and enable the high battery consumption.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Phone Assistant / Manager / Battery / Eco. Mode
Turn off Eco Mode
- Phone Assistant / Manager / Battery / Optimized Mode
Disable optimized mode or make sure your app is not optimized
- Phone Assistant / Manager / Battery / Advanced settings
Tap on the gear icon, go to White-list apps background and enable your app in the white-list.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Device Settings / Apps / Manage apps / Gentle Wakeup (or Settings, Installed apps or App Management)
Enable Autostart
- Device Settings / Apps / Manage apps / Gentle Wakeup / Other Permissions (or Settings, Installed apps or App Management)
Set Show on Lock Screen to Always allow
Enable Start in background
Enable Display pop-up windows while running in the background
- Device Settings / Apps / Manage apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery Saver (or Settings, Installed apps or App Management)
Set to No restrictions
- Battery Management
Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery manager / Power plan
Set to Performance
- Device Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery Manager / Protected apps
Gentle Wakeup needs to be Protected
- Device Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery
Set Power-intensive prompt and Keep running after screen off
- Batter Management 2
Settings / Additional Settings / Battery & Performance / Manage apps’ battery usage
Switch Power Saving Modes to Off
- Choose the next options: Saving Power in The Background / Choose apps / select ‘Gentle Wakeup’ / Background Settings
Set to No restrictions
- App Battery Saver
Security / Battery / App Battery Saver / Gentle Wakeup / No restriction
then enable SaA to autostart in the security center
- Security app / permissions / auto-start
Enable Autostart for Gentle Wakeup.
- System Settings / Permissions / Advanced Permissions /
Select Gentle Wakeup and give it permission to access the lockscreen.
This only happens when you create a test alarm in the near future like 10 minutes.
The standard alarm has a 20 minute fore run time for the light effect. So if you schedule a test alarm in 10 minutes then the app notices that the starting time has already passed and it schedules the alarm for the next day.
If you want to create a test alarm use at least 25 minutes in the future.
The app does everything possible to prevent failed alarm but some things are beyond its capabilities. Android device have complex settings and many of them can interfere with alarm functions.
The standard alarm starts 20 minutes before your configured wake-up time for the light effect. It starts with a black screen which may be hard to distinguish from an display switched off. The sound will only start to rise after 20 minutes and may be hearable 2 minutes after wake-up time only. Keep this in mind when you are testing your alarms.
Also, a test alarm scheduled 10 minutes in the future will be scheduled for the next day because the 20 minutes pre-light phase has already passed. Use at least 25 minutes in the future for test alarms.
In the majority of cases your device manufacturer is suppressing apps (including alarm apps) in order to extend battery runtime. Check in your android settings if there is a battery optimization menu and disable optimization for the app.
Here you can find instructions for specific device manufacturers:
How to configure HTC phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Huawei phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure LG phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Meizu phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Nokia phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure OnePlus phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Samsung phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Sony phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Xiaomi / MIUI phones for Gentle Wakeup
The alarm might also be suppressed by your “do not disturb mode”. If you are using a „do not disturb“ mode in the time where the alarm should fire be sure to set it either to “Alarms only” or add an exception for the app in Android settings.
The alarm might be suppressed because notifications are not fully enabled for the app. Check in your Android settings in notification settings for the app if there are submenus for the notification which control display and sound suppression. Enable all of them.
You should never dismiss the app to cancel the alarm because then Android will cancel any scheduled alarms. This is standard Android behaviour. Always use the slider to deactivate the alarm.
If you have verified that all settings are correct and that you have the latest version of the app and the alarm still does not fire then send a message using “Send Feedback” in the app settings about it.
The standard alarm starts 20 minutes before your wakeup time to increase the light. The sound will start at wakeup time with zero volume so you should hear it about 2 minutes after wakeup time (which is 22 minutes after light start).
For testing purposes we recommend to disable all rising times and forerun times sound in the alarm settings so you can hear the effects immediately.
You can test if the sound works in general by going into the sound settings of your alarm and tapping on “Final sound volume”. You should hear a preview of the sound on full volume. Also check in the settings that “Control system volume” is enabled otherwise the sound will not be hearable if you put the system volume to zero.
The alarm might be suppressed by your do not disturb mode. If you are using a „do not disturb“ mode in the time where the alarm should fire be sure to set it either to “Alarms only” or add an exception for the app in Android settings.
Waking up by light is the most natural method of waking up. Many people have unlearned this method so it might take some days before it will work. Even if you do not wake up by it your body may still prepare for wakeup. Your eyes can detect morning light even when they are closed. Especially in the winter time and when it is really dark in your room in the morning. Always use a sound wakeup as a backup a few minutes later but let the body prepare for wakeup only by light.
The app turns your Android into a professional wake-up light. This requires many system permissions. For example it needs to control the system brightness and volume, access vibration and flashlight, run at startup and appear on top of other apps.
- Camera permission for flashlight: When the wake-up time has been reached the flashlight is activated permanently to increase the light effect. The flashlight configuration needs camera permission in Android. The camera itself is not used and therefore it will never be asked for this permission inside of the app. You can also disable flashlight.
- Location: The app can show the weather forecast for your current location. You can also set your location manually in the app settings by searching for your city name and then the app will not ask for location permission. If you do not use the weather forecast then the app will not ask for this permission.
- Storage: If you want to play your own sounds for wake-up then you need to give access to your storage. Otherwise this permission will not be asked.
No, the app is not doing any activities in the background. You can even close the app and it will reappear on wakeup time. Of course the wakeup by light in the morning will consume some battery. We recommend to plug in the charging cable overnight so you can leave the house with a fully charged device.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Mobile Manager / PowerMaster / Settings (or Battery-saving options)
Disable Clean up in suspend. Disable Auto-deny apps from auto starting.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- System settings / Smart Assistent / DuraSpeed
Find Gentle Wakeup in the list and enable it. - Application Basic Service / App Manager / App auto start
Find Gentle Wakeup in the list and enable it. - Application System Manager / App Management / Auto Cleanup
Find Gentle Wakeup in the list and enable it
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Settings / Power / Battery optimization
Tap on Filter by and set to All Apps
Select Gentle Wakeup from the list set to
Here is a list of YouTube video tutorials how to configure specific phones models and devices. If your device is missing you can record the configuration steps (please set your device to English language) with a screen capture app and send the YouTube link to support@changemystyle.com. We will include the link in this list.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
EMUI 10 and above
- Settings / Battery / App Launch
Set slider next to Gentle Wakeup to OFF. In dialog enable Auto launch and Run in background.
EMUI 5 to 9
- Settings
Search for Ignore battery optimization. Tap on inverted triangle next to Allow, touch All apps, locate Gentle Wakeup and select Allow. - Settings / Battery / Lock screen cleanup
Set Slider next to Gentle Wakeup to OFF and set app to Don’t close.
EMUI 5 and 6+
- Phone Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery manager / Power plan
Should be set to Performance. - Phone Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery Manager / Protected apps
Set Gentle Wakeup as Protected - Phone Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery
Activate Power-intensive prompt and Keep running after screen off - Phone settings / Apps / Advanced (At the bottom) /
Ignore optimisations / Press Allowed / All apps
Find Gentle Wakeup and set to Allow
EMUI 8, 9 and 10 (Huawei P20, Huawei P20 Lite, Huawei Mate 10)
- Phone settings / Battery / App launch / Gentle Wakeup
Set to Manage manually and turn all options on.
Huawei P9 Plus
- Phone settings / Apps / Settings / Special access / Ignore battery optimisation
Select allow Gentle Wakeup App.
Huawei Honor 9 Lite, Huawei Mate 9 Pro
- Phone settings / Battery / Launch
Set to Manage manually and turn all options on.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Enable the padlock icon at an app in the right top corner in the overview of running apps. It’s only then actually running as a foreground process. If you swipe it away, its background process will be killed mercilessly.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Phone settings / Battery & power saving / Battery usage / Ignore optimizations
Turn on to ignore battery optimization for Gentle Wakeup.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery manager / Power plan
Set to Performance - Device Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery Manager / Protected apps
Check for Gentle Wakeup as Protected
Device Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery
Set Power-intensive prompt and Keep running after screen off.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Phone settings / Apps / Battery / Gentle Wakeup
Background restrictions must not be applied
Battery must be not optimized - Phone settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Change system settings
Set to Allow - Phone settings / Apps / See all apps
Tap on the right top corner menu and select Show system
If you see the app Power saver then select it and tap on Force close. But this will solve the problem only until the next restart. So even better is to delete the app completely because it brutally suppresses any 3rd party apps.
Here is a list of YouTube video tutorials how to configure specific phones models and devices. If your device is missing you can record the configuration steps (please set your device to English language) with a screen capture app and send the YouTube link to support@changemystyle.com. We will include the link in this list.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- System Settings / Apps / Gear Icon / Special Access / Battery Optimization
Turn off optimization - Phone settings / Battery / Battery optimization / switch to the All apps list (Top menu) / Sleep
Phone settings / Battery / Advanced Settings / Optimize Battery Use / Gentle Wakeup
Set to Don’t optimize - Open Gentle Wakeup, touch the Recent Apps button or swipe up for Recent Apps to show the list of recent apps
Toggle the Lock icon in the upper right corner of Gentle Wakeup entry to switch it to a closed icon symbol -
App auto-launch
- Phone settings / Apps / Auto-Launch
If it says “Auto launch on boot and auto launch in background disallowed” then enable it. - ? / App auto-launch / Gentle Wakeup
But if it says “When turned on, background changed launches by apps will be stopped” then disable the option for the app.
- Phone settings / Apps / Auto-Launch
OnePlus 6 and above
- System Settings / Battery / Battery optimization / (three dots) / Advanced optimization
Disable Deep optimization and Sleep standby optimization
OnePlus 5 and lower
- Settings / Battery / Battery optimization / (three dots)
Disable Enhanced optimization or Advanced optimisation
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Device Settings / Battery / App Battery Management
Select Gentle Wakeup in the list and enable Allow all background activity - Pin your app to the recent apps screen
- Inside the security app’s “startup manager” and “floating app list”
(com.coloros.safecenter / com.coloros.safecenter.permission.Permission)
Enable your app in the app list - Turn off battery optimizations
- Give the service a persistent notification to remain in the foreground
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
Android 11 and higher
- Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery / Optimize Battery Usage
Switch the filter for the list from Apps not optimized to All. Scroll down to Gentle Wakeup or type the app name in the search field from the search icon. Disable the slider to put the app into the list of Apps not optimized. - Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery / Optimize Battery Usage
Set to Unrestricted - Settings / Device care / Battery / Background Usage Limits
Settings / Battery / Background Usage Limits
Settings / Battery and Device care / Tap on Battery / Background Usage Limits
Turn off Put unused apps to sleep. Tap on Sleeping apps and remove Gentle Wakeup if it is in the list. - Settings / Device care / Battery / More Battery Settings
Disable Adaptive battery. - Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Automation
Tap on Automation and disable “Auto optimize daily” and “Adaptive power saving” - Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Advanced
Tap on Advanced and disable “Auto optimize” and “Optimize settings” - Settings / Display / Edge Panels
Do not use Edge Lighting for Gentle Wakeup. If you want to use Edge Lighting then remove the app from the application list.
Android 10
- Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Settings
Settings / Device care / Battery / App power management
Turn off Put unused apps to sleep. Turn off Auto disable unused apps. Tap on Sleeping apps and remove Gentle Wakeup if it is in the list. Disable Adaptive battery. - Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Advanced
Tap on Advanced and disable “Auto optimize” and “Optimize settings” - Settings / Display / Edge Screen
Do not use Edge Lighting for Gentle Wakeup. If you want to use Edge Lighting then remove the app from the application list.
Android 9
- Phone settings / Applications / Select the three dot menu (top right corner) / Special Access / Optimize Battery usage
Find Gentle Wakeup in the list and make sure it is not selected
- Settings / Device care / Battery / 3 dots at the top right / Settings
Settings / Device care / Battery / App power management
Turn off Put unused apps to sleep. Turn off Auto disable unused apps. Tap on Sleeping apps and remove Gentle Wakeup if it is in the list. Disable Adaptive battery. - Settings / Display / Edge Screen
Do not use Edge Lighting for Gentle Wakeup. If you want to use Edge Lighting then remove the app from the application list.
Android 8 and lower
- Settings app / Device maintenance / Battery
At the bottom tap on Unmonitored Apps and Add Gentle Wakeup to the list - Settings / Display / Edge Screen
Do not use Edge Lighting for Gentle Wakeup. If you want to use Edge Lighting then remove the app from the application list.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
The alarm will not fire by default if Sony Stamina Mode is enabled.
Phone settings / Battery / Three dots in the top right corner / Battery optimisation / Apps
Whitelist Gentle Wakeup
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
(Maybe not all changes are required. Try for yourself and report back please)
Settings / Smart Manager / Auto-start
Turn off Automatically manage
Settings /Smart Manager / Battery
Turn off Normal saving mode, Super saving mode,
Settings /Smart Manager / Battery / Battery detail /
Turn off Battery saver, turn off Battery manager
Settings / Smart Manager / Notifications / Gentle Wakeup
Allow everything here (3 spots)
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Settings / Apps / Special App Access / Autostart
or Settings / More settings / Applications / Autostart
or Manager / App manager / Autostart manager
Find your app in the list and allow the Autostart - Settings / Battery / High background power consumption
Find your app in the list and enable the high battery consumption.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Phone Assistant / Manager / Battery / Eco. Mode
Turn off Eco Mode - Phone Assistant / Manager / Battery / Optimized Mode
Disable optimized mode or make sure your app is not optimized - Phone Assistant / Manager / Battery / Advanced settings
Tap on the gear icon, go to White-list apps background and enable your app in the white-list.
Some phone manufacturers suppress alarms scheduled by apps. They want to extend the battery time of the devices so they kill processes running in the background and suppress apps which activate themselves.
Even though Gentle Wakeup does not consume any battery when in background and the alarm is clearly defined as a clock alarm some manufacturers still ignore these settings and just blindly suppress any app by default.
Without white-listing the app there is a risk that the alarm does not fire if the app has not been used for a few hours or some days.
Please check if any of the following settings can be set on your phone and adjust them to the recommended value. If a setting is missing or needs to be corrected please use “Send Feedback” in the app. You can also use a standard Android alarm 5 minutes later in the first week until you are sure that it is working properly.
- Device Settings / Apps / Manage apps / Gentle Wakeup (or Settings, Installed apps or App Management)
Enable Autostart - Device Settings / Apps / Manage apps / Gentle Wakeup / Other Permissions (or Settings, Installed apps or App Management)
Set Show on Lock Screen to Always allow
Enable Start in background
Enable Display pop-up windows while running in the background - Device Settings / Apps / Manage apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery Saver (or Settings, Installed apps or App Management)
Set to No restrictions - Battery Management
Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery manager / Power plan
Set to Performance - Device Settings / Advanced Settings / Battery Manager / Protected apps
Gentle Wakeup needs to be Protected - Device Settings / Apps / Gentle Wakeup / Battery
Set Power-intensive prompt and Keep running after screen off - Batter Management 2
Settings / Additional Settings / Battery & Performance / Manage apps’ battery usage
Switch Power Saving Modes to Off - Choose the next options: Saving Power in The Background / Choose apps / select ‘Gentle Wakeup’ / Background Settings
Set to No restrictions - App Battery Saver
Security / Battery / App Battery Saver / Gentle Wakeup / No restriction
then enable SaA to autostart in the security center - Security app / permissions / auto-start
Enable Autostart for Gentle Wakeup. - System Settings / Permissions / Advanced Permissions /
Select Gentle Wakeup and give it permission to access the lockscreen.
This only happens when you create a test alarm in the near future like 10 minutes.
The standard alarm has a 20 minute fore run time for the light effect. So if you schedule a test alarm in 10 minutes then the app notices that the starting time has already passed and it schedules the alarm for the next day.
If you want to create a test alarm use at least 25 minutes in the future.
The app does everything possible to prevent failed alarm but some things are beyond its capabilities. Android device have complex settings and many of them can interfere with alarm functions.
The standard alarm starts 20 minutes before your configured wake-up time for the light effect. It starts with a black screen which may be hard to distinguish from an display switched off. The sound will only start to rise after 20 minutes and may be hearable 2 minutes after wake-up time only. Keep this in mind when you are testing your alarms.
Also, a test alarm scheduled 10 minutes in the future will be scheduled for the next day because the 20 minutes pre-light phase has already passed. Use at least 25 minutes in the future for test alarms.
In the majority of cases your device manufacturer is suppressing apps (including alarm apps) in order to extend battery runtime. Check in your android settings if there is a battery optimization menu and disable optimization for the app.
Here you can find instructions for specific device manufacturers:
How to configure HTC phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Huawei phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure LG phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Meizu phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Nokia phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure OnePlus phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Samsung phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Sony phones for Gentle Wakeup
How to configure Xiaomi / MIUI phones for Gentle Wakeup
The alarm might also be suppressed by your “do not disturb mode”. If you are using a „do not disturb“ mode in the time where the alarm should fire be sure to set it either to “Alarms only” or add an exception for the app in Android settings.
The alarm might be suppressed because notifications are not fully enabled for the app. Check in your Android settings in notification settings for the app if there are submenus for the notification which control display and sound suppression. Enable all of them.
You should never dismiss the app to cancel the alarm because then Android will cancel any scheduled alarms. This is standard Android behaviour. Always use the slider to deactivate the alarm.
If you have verified that all settings are correct and that you have the latest version of the app and the alarm still does not fire then send a message using “Send Feedback” in the app settings about it.
The standard alarm starts 20 minutes before your wakeup time to increase the light. The sound will start at wakeup time with zero volume so you should hear it about 2 minutes after wakeup time (which is 22 minutes after light start).
For testing purposes we recommend to disable all rising times and forerun times sound in the alarm settings so you can hear the effects immediately.
You can test if the sound works in general by going into the sound settings of your alarm and tapping on “Final sound volume”. You should hear a preview of the sound on full volume. Also check in the settings that “Control system volume” is enabled otherwise the sound will not be hearable if you put the system volume to zero.
The alarm might be suppressed by your do not disturb mode. If you are using a „do not disturb“ mode in the time where the alarm should fire be sure to set it either to “Alarms only” or add an exception for the app in Android settings.
Waking up by light is the most natural method of waking up. Many people have unlearned this method so it might take some days before it will work. Even if you do not wake up by it your body may still prepare for wakeup. Your eyes can detect morning light even when they are closed. Especially in the winter time and when it is really dark in your room in the morning. Always use a sound wakeup as a backup a few minutes later but let the body prepare for wakeup only by light.
The app turns your Android into a professional wake-up light. This requires many system permissions. For example it needs to control the system brightness and volume, access vibration and flashlight, run at startup and appear on top of other apps.
- Camera permission for flashlight: When the wake-up time has been reached the flashlight is activated permanently to increase the light effect. The flashlight configuration needs camera permission in Android. The camera itself is not used and therefore it will never be asked for this permission inside of the app. You can also disable flashlight.
- Location: The app can show the weather forecast for your current location. You can also set your location manually in the app settings by searching for your city name and then the app will not ask for location permission. If you do not use the weather forecast then the app will not ask for this permission.
- Storage: If you want to play your own sounds for wake-up then you need to give access to your storage. Otherwise this permission will not be asked.