Alarms are typically set to specific times, but it’s possible to create alerts based on the dynamic sunrise and sunset times in your area. This can be done with a Google Assistant routine on Android.
If you’re interested in doing this on an iPhone, it’s possible through a Shortcuts automation. On Android, however, we’ll be utilizing a Google Assistant routine and the sunrise/sunset action. Keep in mind that this is not a typical “alarm,” but more like an alert.
RELATED: How to Trigger Routines at Sunrise/Sunset on Google Assistant
First, we’ll launch Google Assistant by either saying “Hey Google” or by swiping in from the bottom-left or -right corner.
Next, tap your profile icon in the top-right corner to open the Assistant settings.
Scroll through the list of settings and select “Routines.”
Tap the “New” button at the top of the screen.
First, we’ll need to decide how to trigger the routine. This is where sunrise and sunset will come in. Tap “Add Starter.”
Now, we can select “Sunrise/Sunset.”
Choose whether you want the routine to start at “Sunrise” or “Sunset.”
In order for Google to know when sunrise and sunset occur, you’ll need to choose your location first.
You’ll be able to choose from your saved locations or enter a new one. Tap “Done” when you’ve made the selection.
Next, you can decide how to use the sunrise/sunset time. Select “When the Sun Sets” or “When the Sun Rises.”
If you don’t want the alarm to be exactly at sunrise or sunset, you can choose an offset here. Select “Done” when you’ve made a selection.
The next thing to do is to decide which days the routine will run on. Tap the days to select them.
This process creates an alert on your Android device, but you can also choose to play the alert over any Google smart speakers.
Lastly (and this is the important part if you want the alert on your Android device), toggle on “Get notified on your phone when this routine starts.” Tap “Done” to finish.
At the time of writing, Google requires a voice command to be associated with every routine. We won’t be using this to start the routine, but it’s still needed. This is also what the name of the routine will be. Tap “Add Voice Starter.”
Enter a command phrase and tap “Done.”
In order for the routine to run, it needs something to do. Tap “Add Action” to get started.
Select “Communicate and Announce.”
Next, check the box for “Say Something” and tap the arrow icon.
Enter anything you’d like here. If you added a smart speaker, this is the phrase that Google Assistant will announce. Tap “Done” when you’re ready.
Select the “Done” button again on the next screen.
Now, you can select “Save” to finalize the routine.
If you didn’t select a speaker during setup, Google will ask to make sure that you don’t want to use one. Tap “No Speaker” if you’re sure.
Note: A notification will ask you to add a speaker when this routine runs. You can ignore it, as it’s not necessary for our situation.
That’s it! The routine will now run at your desired time, and you will get a notification when it does. While this might not be quite the same as an “alarm,” it does still alert you.