Something not working?

The alarm didn't ring

StartSmart rings through Apple's AlarmKit, which needs its own permission — separate from notifications. Work down this list:

• Check the alarm permission. iOS Settings → StartSmart → make sure alarm access is allowed. If it was ever denied, iOS will not ask again; it has to be turned back on here.
• Check the alarm is enabled in the Alarms tab, and that its repeat days include the day you expected.
• Check volume and Focus. A Focus mode or silenced ringer can suppress the alert.
• Check the phone had charge and was not powered off at the alarm time.

If all of that is right and it still didn't ring, email us with the time it was set for and your iOS version.

The alarm rang, but with a plain tone

That is the deliberate fallback. StartSmart writes and renders your wake-up audio ahead of time, and if that audio isn't ready — no network overnight, or the alarm was created moments before it fired — the alarm rings a standard tone rather than staying silent. A plain tone is a worse morning; no sound at all is a missed flight.

Opening the app the evening before, on a connection, gives it the chance to prepare the next morning's audio.

Voice dismissal isn't hearing me

Speech recognition needs microphone and speech-recognition permission: iOS Settings → StartSmart. It runs entirely on your device — nothing is recorded or uploaded — so it also needs the language you're speaking to be one iOS supports on-device. You can always dismiss with the button instead.

Subscriptions, billing and refunds

• Restore a purchase — open StartSmart's Settings and use Restore Purchases. This is the fix after reinstalling or moving to a new phone.
• Cancel — iOS Settings → your name → Subscriptions → StartSmart. Deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.
• Refunds are handled by Apple, not by us: reportaproblem.apple.com.
• Charged after cancelling? Check the Subscriptions screen above for the renewal date — cancelling takes effect at the end of the paid period, and must happen at least 24 hours before it ends.

Your data

Everything StartSmart stores is on your device. There is no account and no server-side copy.

• Export — Settings → Your data → Export my data writes a JSON copy of your alarms, missions and streak history.
• Delete — Settings → Your data → Clear alarms & history. Deleting the app removes the rest.
• Stop ad tracking — iOS Settings → Privacy & Security → Tracking.

The full detail is in the privacy policy.

Requirements

StartSmart is an iPhone app and requires iOS 26 or later. AlarmKit — the framework that lets an alarm ring reliably from the lock screen — arrived in iOS 26, so earlier versions cannot run it. There is no iPad or Android version. An active subscription is required; there is no free tier.