Apple scrambles to fix alarming iPhone problem as users of the popular phones say they have missed getting up on time due to 'fault'

Apple is scrambling to fix a problem with its iPhone alarms after users complained they have missed getting up on time.

One enraged iPhone user, Alyssa Sarracco, has missed classes at school after none of the 'five alarms' she set went off after taking a nap. 

Another unhappy Apple customer, Reid Manning, has not been woken up by her alarm for three or four days.

It is not clear how widespread the issue is or whether it is related to a specific iPhone model or version of iOS software, but the tech giant has acknowledged the bug and is working on a fix.

Some users have speculated that the Attention Aware feature, which lowers the volume is a user is staring at the screen, is incorrectly detecting attention, but Apple has not confirmed whether this is the case.

The issue was made public on the Today Show on Tuesday, following dozens of reports on social media. 

The segment shared TikTok videos of iPhone users who suffered the nightmare of not hearing their alarm.

Apple is aware that some iPhones are not playing the expected sound, according to the Today Show.

In the meantime, iPhone users have been told to look into whether they have the 'Attention aware' feature activated, as it could be the source of their problem.

This setting, which is available on the iPhone X and later iPhone models as well as the iPad Pro 11-inch and iPad Pro 12.9-inch, enables the device to check whether a user is paying attention.

If the user is looking at their device - something the phone can detect with the front-facing camera - then their phone will lower the volume on alerts.

The logic is that if you are already paying attention to your phone, you don't need a loud alarm to sound. 

But this means you may miss the alarm, if the volume is too low. 

iPhone users speculated that the Attention Aware feature is incorrectly detecting attention, but Apple has not confirmed whether this is the case. 

Some users who turned off the feature reported that it solved the problem for them.

To check whether 'Attention Aware' is activated in your iPhone, go to the Settings menu, and scroll down to 'Face ID &Passcode.' 

Tap that button, then scroll down until you see 'Attention Aware Features.'

If the feature is switched on (with the slider to the right), then turn it off by sliding the switch to the left.

But if that's not the problem, check the sound settings, under 'Sound & Haptics' to make sure your volume isn't set too low.

Also check the sound settings for each alarm you have set.

It is possible that some of your alarms are accidentally set with no ringtone.

For maximum reliability, there's nothing like an old-fashioned alarm clock.