# Wake Up Light – Sunrise Alarm — user reviews

> 44 indexed App Store user reviews of Wake Up Light by Andreas Ganske, rated 3.57/5 from 91 ratings.

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wake-up-light-sunrise-alarm/id1467538196/reviews
- App overview in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/wake-up-light-sunrise-alarm/id1467538196.md
- Rating breakdown: 5★ 46 · 4★ 7 · 3★ 9 · 2★ 7 · 1★ 20

## Newest reviews (14 of 44)

### 3/5 — Sort of works

*2026-01-01, version 4.17.6*

I wanted to use this to light my entire room up (8 bulbs) but if you add more than three, the shortcut to set the alarm time fails and actually deletes the wake up light completely.

### 3/5 — A lot of features locked

*2024-11-01, version 4.16.0*

Unfortunately, there were so many features that are locked behind a subscription. If it was a one time purchase, I would definitely consider it more, but I do not want to pay monthly or yearly to turn on my lights automatically. 

I miss the days and acts like these were a five dollar purchase and that’s it

### 3/5 — Not what I was expecting

*2024-10-27, version 4.16.0*

This is not a stand alone alarm app. It only works if you have SmartHome data it can connect to

### 3/5 — Doesn’t work with my lights unfortunately

*2024-08-02, version 4.15.0*

While the app does appear to do what it advertises, my dimmer / leds require a minimum brightness level to turn on. If the lights start out at a lower level than the minimum, they’ll never turn on, no matter how high the dimmer gets. Currently this app always starts at a very low light level and so my lights never come on when using this app. If the app supported modifying the “minimum and maximum brightness levels” that would fix it, but as of this writing it doesn’t and so I can’t use it. I emailed the app dev a few weeks ago about this but no response. Looking forward to using the app again if they add this feature.

### 3/5 — Takes too long

*2023-07-26, version 4.11.1*

After recent updates, it takes 5+ minutes to update a setting.

### 3/5 — Led light Strips

*2022-07-26, version 4.5.4*

would this app work with smart led light strips?

### 2/5 — Doesn’t work with shortcuts

*2022-06-19, version 4.5.2*

I just purchased the trial. When I create a shortcut on iOS to activate the light 5 mins from now, nothing happens. I tried to contact them but their contact form on the website errors out

### 2/5 — Meh

*2022-01-26, version 4.4.1*

Gets the job done but not ideal and buggy at times

### 1/5 — Paying $15 annually is a ripoff.

*2021-12-14, version 4.3.0*

This type of app should not be a subscription based model. Most of the features are hitting behind the premium paywall. I understand paying a one time fee but I’m not paying $15 dollars every year to get my lights to automate.

### 2/5 — Lots to improve

*2021-12-10, version 4.3.0*

It often messes up the gradient and just turns the lights on at 100%. Also, the app is not intuitive anymore. Now, it always glitches and doesn’t remember my settings. It used to be better before they tested it more towards the premium version and neglected the free version.

### 2/5 — Subscription is disappointing

*2021-11-01, version 4.2.2*

Works pretty well, but a lot of features are locked behind a subscription. 

All I wanted was sunrise automation at sunrise, but that’s paid. With less granularity and a reliance on HomeKit automations, it’s no better/worse than Philips Hue Sunrise automation.

The author should really stop plugging this app on Reddit, while the non-subscription features are so skimpy.

### 2/5 — App crashes immediately

*2021-04-12, version 4.0.0*

The app opens requests to connect to Homekit then stops working. Shows the app is open but when you go to it, the app closes down and leaves you on the Home Screen. Uninstalled multiple times but now resolution. Running iOS 14.4.2

### 1/5 — Subscription Greed

*2021-03-30, version 4.0.0*

Way too expensive for the premium features. They should be a one-time purchase.

Tweetbot is $8 a year, this is $20? 🙄

### 2/5 — Not what I expected

*2021-02-01, version 3.2.3*

First of all, trying to contact developer results in an error on the form and saying try again later. Second, I guess I thought from the description the light over a programmed time would gradually reach the level you set. Well, it does that, but unlike the sun, it does it in very obvious incremental steps, each one waking me up as it shifts from 10%, to 20, to 30. Sooooo, not quite as advertised. And I bought the premium. Oh well.

## Most critical reviews (10 lowest-rated)

### 1/5 — LITERALLY useless

*2025-08-24, version 4.17.5*

I don't know what "home kit" is, but this app won't work without it.

### 1/5 — won’t load

*2025-01-06, version 4.17.1*

the app continues to say it is creating my sunrise alarm, the preview worked fine however it is stuck on 0% and will not create it no matter how many times i try to

### 1/5 — Will not turn your phone into a wake up light

*2024-08-28, version 4.16.0*

Downloaded this thinking it was an app to turn your phone’s screen into a wake up alarm, but it’s an app for controlling your smart lightbulbs in your home. Not clear in the title or discription!

### 1/5 — Need to Pay for Subscription

*2024-07-03, version 4.15.0*

The greedy people of this world never cease to amaze me. A person spends hundreds of dollars to purchase a device for their home only to learn to run that device you have to pay a subscription to even turn it on. What is happening here. We no longer own the products we buy. Instead they are leased to us. I will never ever ever pay a subscription to run an item I pay my hard earned money for, These subscription SCAMS must stop! When we buy a device, let us run it freely as we are entitled to.

### 1/5 — Not for me.

*2024-01-21, version 4.12.3*

I’m going to be brutally honest here—this application isn’t worth 15 bucks a year. If I had the extra time and patience, I could do the same exact thing manually using scenes in the home app and save myself 15 bucks per year. I think the subscription model for this application is a stretch; a one-time purchase seems like a better approach, but whatever.

### 1/5 — Alarm does not create

*2023-04-11, version 4.8.0*

Tried to create alarm and it says error no home hub and the alarm is not created. Therefore the app does not work at all as it can’t do it’s function of creating a wake up light. I don’t have a home hub and my lights work fine without it

### 1/5 — Rudimentary, Limited, Unnecessary

*2023-02-09, version 4.6.0*

All this really does is create several scenes and automations to set light brightness or temperature which clutters the home app (in my case, this created about 10 different scenes and an automation to control each one of those scenes). This is something you could easily do yourself in not a lot of time. I’d personally rather set a “convert to shortcut” automation with multiple steps and waits to adjust the brightness; this way I only have 1 automation to manage and not several different scenes and automations, and the brightness gradient would be a lot more natural. 

The gradient that is defined by the app is not very clean; when I had this set up with a 10 min ramp up in brightness from 0% to 65%, there were a few small jumps of 2%-5%, and one huge jump in the middle of 20%. This was very alarming and defeats the purpose of the app. 

On top of all that, a subscription is required to do anything other than create one “ramp up” alarms. If you want to “ramp down” or create multiple alarms, you have to pay $1.49/mo or $14.99/yr. This isn’t terrible, but enough to be a deterrent for me based on the app’s actual functionality.

### 1/5 — Used to be Okay, now it’s barely functional

*2022-12-28, version 4.5.5*

I used to like this app - it wasn’t convenient, but at least it worked. However, it now takes 15-20 minutes to “create” a new wake up light, and it refuses to update existing lights. The only thing that “sortof” works is to delete all of the automations in HomeKit, which deletes the wake up in the app. Then build it again. Wildly NOT functionally at this point, particularly for the high $$$.

### 1/5 — You can’t even see it’s functionality in the free version.

*2022-10-10, version 4.5.5*

Hi Dev’s Team/Person.
Would you consider making the free version let us compete the alarm set up process and give us a useable light alarm? 
This version doesn’t leave us (the end user) with anything except a vague promise that this app is worth buying.
Thanks

### 1/5 — Not for phone

*2022-09-28, version 4.5.5*

Too bad it doesnt work with phone only. Setup with home.

## Most praised reviews (10 highest-rated)

### 5/5 — Works like a charm

*2025-02-06, version 4.17.3*

Using this with Nanoleaf light bulbs and HomePod Mini. I could not be more pleased. I don’t even mind the subscription fee for the ease of use it’s worth it. The integration with my HomePod was seamless. The setup is simple and intuitive.

### 5/5 — Beautifully done but...

*2024-08-01, version 4.15.0*

The developer clearly knows what they're doing and saw a need for an app that YES, is needed! The app is easy to troubleshoot and works seamlessly with a beautiful interface.
 
My only complaint, or suggestion rather (which I wouldn't care if I didn't think this app was awesome), is to offer a first week trial then charge for premium. 

Andreas, you're going to increase your conversation considerably when you make this more accessible and allow people to fall in love with it. You're already priced very right. Consider adding a trial period, and two payment options, the one upfront for the year that you already have and another billed monthly at $1.99 or even $2.99 - you'll increase your retention, your number of sign ups, and your overall profit margin.

Again, really beautiful job, you deserve more sign ups, friend!

### 5/5 — Worth Subscribing for Premium Features

*2022-01-20, version 4.4.0*

I’ll start by saying I abhor subscription-based pricing. However, I feel this price is perfectly reasonable even if slightly annoying. I have long loved my Philips wake-up light and that cost over $100 USD so the small cost of this app makes it totally worthwhile and cost-effective too. It would take three years of subscribing to this app to add up to the cost of even the lower tier Philips alarm. I also like that the money goes to an independent developer. 

There’s nothing like waking “with the sun.” With smart home tech gaining in popularity, it’s actually kind of shocking the features of this app are not integrated into HomeKit already. I currently have my IKEA under cabinet lighting and a faux window I created using Nanoleaf LED strips set to slowly brighten up in the morning. It’s so nice to use lighting to build a natural rhythm into day to day life, and I’m very grateful for this app.

### 5/5 — Couldn’t be simpler

*2021-01-02, version 3.2.1*

Awesome app - no need to create lengthy and complex shortcuts, just set a few parameters and it just works. This should be built in to HomeKit by default - all credit to developer for making something really useful.

### 5/5 — Genius!

*2020-12-26, version 3.2.1*

Don’t be fooled by the other reviews here. These are from people who clearly did not understand what this app is for. 
For those who want an app that controls your homekit enabled light (any type!), you will be happy with this product. Only slightly annoying thing is that you need to go into homekit and manually de-favorite each of the 6 or 7 scenes created by the app.

### 5/5 — Very handy simple app

*2020-09-26, version 2.17.1*

Great app. Fills a notable gap of HomeKit and works very simply. A couple ideas if you’re looking: quickly deactivating/activating alarms by sliding, integration with Siri so you can say “hey Siri, set wake up light for 6am”.

### 5/5 — Simplify HomeKit automations!

*2020-01-19, version 1.4*

HomeKit automations are super powerful, but complex series of automations like this can be tiresome and error prone to setup by hand. Wake Light does this right, and it’s awesome!

Pro Tip #1:  A series of scenes will be created - if you don’t want to see them in the Home app, you can long tap on them, and deselect “Include in Favorites”.  (Third party developers don’t have control over this, so don’t blame this app!)

Pro Tip #2:  Use the Shortcuts app to set your light to turn off when you stop your alarm. The automation created with Wake Light are smart enough to not turn back on again!  Very well done!

### 4/5 — Struggled to set it up

*2021-10-26, version 4.2.2*

I really want to use this app but I cannot figure out how to make it work. It says I have no available lights even though I have a smart bulb in my Home app plus Apple TV as a home hub.

Edit: I just had to restart the app after adding the bulb to my home. This app could benefit from better onboarding instructions.

### 4/5 — Needs to make it good before making money

*2021-10-10, version 4.2.2*

I really like this app which is the first/only one creating simulated sunrise with smart light bulbs. I should give it 5 stars but decided to less 1 because so many useful features are made premium, e.g. the number of scenes. With more people turning to smart light bulbs, I believe the need of simulated sunrise will increase. The author should make this App more friendly at this moment to attract higher ratings. Once the market is raising, it will be too late and competitors can easily overtake this one if the rating kept low.

### 4/5 — Works, slight annoyances remain

*2020-07-25, version 1.8.2*

Does what it says. My one pet peeve is that it works by making homekit scenes which are automatically added to favorites, clogging up my entire favorites tab when trying to control my lights from control center.

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*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 2026-08-12.*