Your iPhone Alarms Just Got a Major—and Controversial—Makeover.
November 5, 2025
Remember the good old days of "slide to unlock" on your iPhone? If you’ve been an iPhone user for years, you likely recall this iconic gesture. It was more than just a way to unlock your phone—it was a clever safeguard against accidental pocket unlocks or unintended touches. But with iOS 10, Apple ditched this feature in favor of pressing the Home button, and later, swiping up from the bottom of the screen. Since then, swiping right on the Lock Screen has taken you to the "Today View," home to your widgets. While change is often welcome, there’s something undeniably nostalgic about how things worked on older iPhones like the 3GS. Nostalgia, after all, is a powerful force.
But here’s where it gets controversial: Apple has quietly brought back the slide function—but not for unlocking. Instead, as part of iOS 26.1 (released this Monday), you’ll now need to slide to stop your alarms. Yes, you read that right. Gone are the days of tapping to silence your alarm; now, you’ll be greeted with a "Slide to stop" prompt instead. Imagine this: You wake up, groggily tap your screen to stop the blaring alarm, only to realize your taps do nothing. Confused, you squint at your phone and discover this new slider. If you’re anything like me, you’ll follow the instructions, slide to stop the alarm, and promptly forget about it—only to repeat the confusion the next morning. It’s a small change, but one that’s sure to spark debate.
And this is the part most people miss: While Apple doesn’t give you an option to revert this change within the Clock app settings (which is oddly confusing), there is a way to bring back the old tap-to-stop functionality. It’s buried in a hidden system-wide setting called "Prefer Single-Touch Actions." Enabling this setting replaces sliders across iOS with buttons, turning the "Slide to stop" alarm into a simple "Off" button. To find it, go to Settings > Accessibility > Touch, then toggle on "Prefer Single-Touch Actions."
Personally, I kind of like the slider—it’s a fun throwback to iOS’s earlier days. But if you’re not a fan, rest assured, you’re not stuck with it. Here’s the real question, though: Is Apple’s decision to bring back the slide gesture a nostalgic win, or an unnecessary complication? Let me know in the comments—I’m curious to hear your thoughts!
