Open Radar

 
There is currently no way to set an alarm or timer from a third-party app that will reliably alert the user. Local notifications are the current solution which have inherent issues that keep them from providing a quality solution for App Store customers. If the device is in vibrate mode or the volume is set too low the notification is simply not able to alarm the user, especially if they are using these alarms to wake up. Also, local notifications do not push audio over the 30-pin/Lightning Connector, so if a user is docked to hardware for charging at night no audio is played at all (even if volume settings are set correctly.)

I propose an enhancement to the current multitasking feature: a new background entitlement for alarming/timing that would either bring the registered app back to the foreground and unlock the screen / provide a custom lock screen in order to provide UI pertinent to the alarm (preferred), or allow us to tap into the existing private functionality provided by iOS for the built-in Clock app (lock screen notifications that serve an audio stream, push through mute conditions and provide snooze capability.) This would allow all apps providing alarming/timing functionality an official way to provide a great experience in the App Store.