# Rise & Shine — user reviews > 35 indexed App Store user reviews of Rise & Shine by Peter Matthews, rated 3.30/5 from 15 ratings. - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rise-and-shine/id404733910/reviews - App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/rise-and-shine/id404733910.md - Rating breakdown: 5★ 7 · 4★ 0 · 3★ 1 · 2★ 4 · 1★ 3 ## Newest reviews (11 of 35) ### 3/5 — Won’t work *2022-07-18, version 5.2* Hi The alarm will only sound when I have the screen open on the actually ap Once I lock my phone it won’t sound ! What am I doing wrong. ### 4/5 — Good - missing critical element *2022-05-25, version 5.2* Great app experience, however it doesn’t seem to be able to set up recurrence - repeat on certain days of the week. ### 3/5 — Don’t do it *2020-11-03, version 4.4* How does this work? Not user friendly - have tried multiple times to “fade up” and the light and alarm haven’t worked once. Save your $3.00! ### 2/5 — I wanted to love this, but... *2018-04-13* There are too many things that need fixing and I would think that the developer would want a better product. When you wake up during the midnight hour the clock do any read 12:30 (or whatever the minutes are). It just reads :30. The fade up when the alarm goes off doesn't actually fade up. It wakes you up very loudly. It's not all relaxing like it is supposed to be. I do find the light very effective though. ### 3/5 — Meh. *2016-01-08* I wanted to like this. I had a dawn simulator once and miss it, but it doesn't really do the trick. Also, landscape mode is upside down for most iPhone cases with a stand built in. I wrote the author, who promptly ignored me. Oh, well. I'll keep looking... ### 3/5 — Landscape only works one way *2015-01-25, version 3.3* My case stand only adjusts one direction and my clock is upside down in landscape, so it displays sideways. ### 3/5 — Good app with bugs *2014-11-21* I liked the previous version of this app. it worked well for me. the new version seems to offer more functionality but has some bugs. Any type of input that requires scrolling through selections gets stuck on the selection window. For example when I try to set the fade in time I can scroll through ‘disabled’ all the way to ’60 min’ but that is all. It doesn’t select my choice and return me to the previous menu. the only way to regain functionality is to kill the app and restart it. ### 3/5 — a little rough around the edges *2013-02-25* I just started using this about a week ago. I love it's function. It's great. However, it has some annoying quirks. It resets the brightness to high every time, even with the screen dimming disabled. You must keep the phone unlocked. So I set a backup alarm anyways. Personally, I also think the interface is not all that great. But, again, the main function is there. ### 3/5 — Too bright at night *2011-12-03, version 2.3* It is fine when you use standard settings but the backlight is too bright and uses too much battery. If you choose to have it off by locking the phone you get a horrible, abrupt alarm and not the sound you selected. ### 2/5 — Useful app! But no updates :( *2011-10-18, version 2.2* Very nice app! Suggestion: please add the option to add more alarms n also randomize the list of music chosen so that each time the alarm goes off a different song is played among the selected ones. It would be awesome! Sadly there's been no updates for 5 months now :( ### 2/5 — Don't buy *2011-05-19, version 2.1* I no longer use this because I can't trust it. Once it went off using a siren when that wasn't selected and its also gone off an hour before it was set to go off but on a very low tone but enough to wake me up. I can't rely on this alarm to get me up in time and will now keep me awake worrying id be late if I was using the alarm. ## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated) ### 1/5 — It’s an alarm clock failure. *2023-07-01, version 5.2* I woke up 6 hours after I was supposed to wake up. After I woke up, I tested it by setting it to go off 30 later. It failed again. ### 1/5 — Clock feature not visible *2021-01-03, version 5.1* Clock feature cannot be seen ### 1/5 — Refund *2017-01-16* How do i get a refund? ### 1/5 — Can't get it to work *2015-10-23, version 3.3* Have played with all of the settings for several days and have yet to wake up to any sound or light. Complete waste of time/money. ### 1/5 — Disappointed *2013-08-12* When using light feature all your other notifications through and wake you up. To go through and disable each one would be crazy. The do not Disturb will not work either because background is on and NOTS get through. Turning your phone on vibrate negates the alarm. Not great until you fix it. ### 1/5 — Not worth the dollar *2013-02-25* Better apps are available for free. Poe selection of tones. Must disable pass lock. Screen brightness doesn't gradually increase. Strongly recommend against this one. ### 1/5 — Awful *2012-12-11, version 2.7* Doesn't do as advertised! ### 1/5 — Money wasted *2011-06-16* Very limited program. ### 1/5 — Not great *2011-05-12, version 2.1* Was ace but has changed since purchased so am going to bin it ### 2/5 — I don’t understand how it works. *2025-05-04* Too many settings and weird terminology. All I want is to have my phone increase in brightness at a certain time, over 5 minutes. No sounds. I can’t figure out how to do this. It always makes some sound, doesn’t have a “fade up” for the brightness (only a fade down). All I want is the phone to gradually get brighter at a certain time. That’s it. Can’t do it. Oh well, only $2. I will buy an actual Dawn simulator clock. ## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated) ### 5/5 — Great little dawn simulator *2016-11-19* Took me a little bit to figure out how to use thing but I really like it. I had been looking at $100 dawn simulator alarm clocks on Amazon so went to see if they had some apps to check out. Found this one and gave it a while. The only trick was finding out that after saving the alarm I set I had to hit the alarm "button" on the bottom right to put it in alarm mode. Like all the options in the $2 version so went ahead and got it. Thanks guys! ### 5/5 — Love this Alarm app!!! *2014-11-25* I like how flexible this app is. I can set it so that there's very very little light coming off at night. ( I really prefer sleeping in the DARK). I can for a gentle awakening with a fade in light. But I could I also just as easily have it roust me from a coma if I needed it. :-) Great app. ### 5/5 — Great *2013-01-17, version 2.7* Works well great price ### 5/5 — Works great *2013-01-08, version 2.7* This alarm clock app works as advertised. It allows me to set alarm, and then, gradually, at a predetermined time interval, prior to the alarm going off, it starts increasing the lights available in my room. This gradual wake up means I'm usually awake before the alarm goes off, and I wake up gently without waking up my wife. I also wake up without being quite so groggy in the morning with that abrupt feeling that I get so often when the alarm just goes off on its own (as was previously the case with my other alarm clock). ### 5/5 — Best alarm out there! *2012-10-18* Gradual light increase and gradual sound increase eliminates harsh alarm wake up. I set 15 mins for light and 10 for sound, and wake up much more easily. ### 5/5 — Perfect *2012-06-12, version 2.5* Exactly what I've been looking for in an alarm, and more. The only thing I'd add to this app is the ability to set multiple alarms. ### 5/5 — Love this alarm *2012-03-08, version 2.3* Update to earlier review: this is the only alarm I use now. However, although the backlight can be dimmed down once the alarm is set, at its dimmest setting it still lights up my bedroom enough to keep me awake so I have to turn the phone face down which means I can't use the increasing light function to wake me up, which is a shame. Also, when I select the icon from my menu, the app displays the settings but doesn't allow me to change anything, then it turns on the alarm. To change the time of the alarm I have to cancel it, change the time and then reset it. Not a big problem but I'd prefer to have the option to change alarm time first. Much better to wake up to my choice of gently ascending music than my other bedside clock with its harsh beeping. It's reliable and exactly what I need to get me up in a good mood on these dark mornings and I like that it tells me how many hours there are to go before the alarm goes off. ### 5/5 — =] *2012-01-04, version 2.3* Nice to wake up to! Definitely beats my obnoxious alarm that was waking me before. I also really like the gradual phase in of the light and sound to avoid the abrupt wake up feeling. Thank you! ### 5/5 — Excellent *2011-10-09, version 2.2* Excellent app perfect for the dark mornings ### 5/5 — Good Morning! *2010-11-28, version 0* Very easy to use and wakes you up with a smile on your face! Fade up light and sound, flash light, vibrate, or select all of the above! --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*