Alarm mission
Selfie
Hold the shutter until your face has been in frame for three seconds, and the alarm stops.
Free on the App Store. Every mission is free, on every plan.
How it works
- 1
Add Selfie to your alarm. There is no difficulty setting on this one.
- 2
When it rings, open the front camera and press and hold the shutter.
- 3
The ring fills only while a face is detected. Fill it and the alarm cuts out.
You set No dial to set. One three second hold with your face in shot.
Why it works
Three seconds is longer than it sounds when you are holding your own face steady in front of a camera at dawn. That is really the mechanic. The ring only fills while the front camera can see a face taking up at least fifteen percent of the frame, so you have to sit up enough to get your head in shot and stay there. Drop the phone, roll over, cover the lens, and the ring drains twice as fast as it filled.
When the ring completes, the phone takes a still and runs the face check again on that exact frame, so a lucky blur during the hold does not get you through. Pass, and the alarm cuts out mid ring with no result screen to sit through.
The unflattering part is worth saying plainly. This mission is not hard to fool. It knows a face is there. It does not know the face is yours, does not know you are awake, and would accept a photograph held up to the lens without complaint. What it does catch every time is the actual failure mode, the hand that comes out from under a duvet to slap at a phone with both eyes shut. That hand cannot pass this. Some people keep the shots and end up with an accidental diary of what they look like at 6am, which is charming for about three weeks.
FAQ
Selfie, answered.
Can I cheat the selfie alarm?
Yes, if you try. It checks that a face is in frame and large enough, not that the face is yours or that it belongs to a living person. Holding up a printed photo would work. It is also more effort than sitting up.
Does it check that my eyes are open?
No. There was a blink check once and it was removed, because it failed constantly on people squinting at a bright screen at 6am. Presence and size are the whole gate.
Where does the wake selfie go?
Into a local file on your phone that clears at the end of the day. It is not uploaded. If you want your buddy to see the state of your hair, there is a send button, and that is the only way it leaves.
What happens if it can't find my face?
It says so, throws the shot away and lets you try again, as many times as you need. The alarm carries on ringing the whole time.
See other missions
Pick as many as you like.
When the alarm rings, one of the missions you picked fires, chosen at random. Finish it and the alarm stops on the spot.
Tomorrow morning, don't do it alone.
Set your first alarm tonight. Solo alarms and all 15 missions are free.
