Rest Timer Not Going Off When Your iPhone Is Locked?
Short answer
When your iPhone is locked, a timer app usually can't make a sound on its own. It schedules a notification, and iOS plays it. So if your rest timer goes quiet once the screen is off, check five things: notifications are allowed for the app (with sounds on), your iPhone isn't in silent mode, a Focus isn't holding the alert back, Ringer and Alerts volume is up, and, for a buzz on your wrist, your Apple Watch is on and unlocked. Most of the time it's the first or second one.
Why a locked iPhone changes things
While a timer app is on screen, it can play its own sound. Once you lock the phone, iOS soon pauses the app to save battery. A well-built rest timer plans for that: the moment your rest starts, it schedules notifications for when the rest is nearly over and when it ends, and iOS delivers them on time even though the app isn't running.
That means the alert you hear (or feel) at the end of a rest is usually a notification, and every setting that controls notifications on your iPhone also controls your rest timer.
Fix 1: allow notifications, with sounds
Open Settings, then Notifications, and tap your timer app. Check that:
- Allow Notifications is on.
- Lock Screen is checked under Alerts, so the alert can appear while the phone is locked.
- Sounds is on, if you want to hear the alert and not just see it.
If you tapped "Don't Allow" when the app first asked, this is the fix. iOS only asks once; after that, the switch lives in Settings. Apple's documentation for developers notes that people can change an app's notification settings at any time, so it's worth checking even if you remember saying yes.
Fix 2: check silent mode
If your iPhone is in silent mode (the Ring/Silent switch, or the Action Button on newer models), most notification sounds won't play. Apple's documentation lists only one kind of alert that bypasses the mute switch: critical alerts, which are meant for urgent cases and not used by timer apps.
You have two options:
- Turn silent mode off while you train.
- Rely on vibration instead: a buzz from the phone in your pocket, or on your wrist with an Apple Watch.
Fix 3: let the timer through your Focus
A Focus like Do Not Disturb or Fitness can silence notifications from apps you haven't allowed. Two settings help:
- Time Sensitive notifications. Apps can mark an alert as time sensitive. Apple describes these as alerts that can break through system controls such as Notification Summary and Focus, and notes that you can turn that ability off. Check the Time Sensitive Notifications switch on your timer app's page under Settings, Notifications, and in your Focus settings.
- Allowed apps. If your timer doesn't mark its alerts as time sensitive, add the app to the allowed list for the Focus you use at the gym.
If you use Scheduled Summary, the same applies: an alert that isn't time sensitive can be held for the summary instead of arriving when your rest ends.
Fix 4: turn up Ringer and Alerts volume
The volume buttons usually change your music volume, not your alerts. Notification sounds follow Ringer and Alerts in Settings, Sounds & Haptics. If that slider is low, the end of your rest can be easy to miss in a loud gym, even with everything else set right.
Fix 5: Apple Watch stays quiet
If you count on a buzz on your wrist, know how iPhone decides where an alert goes. Apple's developer documentation spells out the rules: if the iPhone is unlocked and the screen is on, notifications go to the phone; otherwise, if the watch is on your wrist and unlocked, they go to the watch.
So if you're looking at your phone when the rest ends, your wrist won't buzz. That's expected. Lock the phone, keep the watch on and unlocked, and check that the watch isn't in Do Not Disturb or silent mode. For more on this setup, see rest timer on Apple Watch without a watch app.
Quick checklist
| Symptom | Most likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No alert at all when locked | Notifications off for the app | Settings, Notifications, the app |
| Banner shows but no sound | Silent mode or low alert volume | Ring/Silent off, raise Ringer and Alerts |
| Works some days, not others | A Focus or Scheduled Summary | Allow Time Sensitive, or allow the app |
| Phone alerts, watch doesn't | Phone unlocked, or watch off wrist | Lock the phone, keep the watch unlocked |
If you also want to see the countdown while the phone is locked, not just hear the end of it, see how to put a rest timer on your iPhone Lock Screen.
How Between handles a locked phone
Between is a rest timer for lifting built for the phone-in-your-pocket case. Tap Log set and your rest timer begins, with two alerts planned: one at 10 seconds left ("Get ready for set 7") and one when you're up. When it can, Between plays the chime itself with the phone locked; when iOS has paused it, the same alerts arrive as notifications. Those notifications are marked time sensitive, so they can come through a Focus you've set up for the gym.
You choose how they reach you in Settings: a chime that plays over your music, haptics only, or silent. With your phone locked and an Apple Watch on your wrist, the alerts arrive as a buzz on your watch. If notifications are off, Between's Settings shows a Turn on notifications link that takes you straight to the right screen. And if you want the chime without losing your playlist, here's why some timers pause your music.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my timer work with the app open but not when my phone is locked?
With the app open, it plays its own sound. Once the phone locks, the alert becomes a notification, so it depends on notification permission, sounds, silent mode, and your Focus settings.
Does a rest timer work if I close the app?
It depends on the app. Timers that schedule their alerts as notifications when the rest starts will still alert you. Check that notifications are allowed for the app in Settings.
Why don't I hear my rest timer in silent mode?
In silent mode, iPhone doesn't play most notification sounds. Turn silent mode off while you train, or switch to vibration and use an Apple Watch for a buzz on your wrist.
Will a Focus block my rest timer?
It can. Allow Time Sensitive notifications for the app and in your Focus, or add the timer app to the Focus's allowed apps.
Why does my Apple Watch not buzz at the end of my rest?
iPhone sends notifications to the watch only when the phone is locked or its screen is off, and the watch is on your wrist and unlocked. If you're using your phone when the rest ends, the alert shows there instead.