You have seen this alarm clock badge (or icon), see the image below, on an app in the dock on your iPad and you are wondering what that exactly means? It is probably troubling you because of these reasons (a) you did not place the app in the doc, so why is it there, why it is placed there? (b) why does it have this alarm clock icon? This article explains what the little alarm clock icon on an app means and how you can disable it.
See also: Crescent moon icon?
Let’s first describe in what ways this icon appears:
- an app appears with a little clock on it (see the image above)
- it appears at the top right of the apps in the dock on the right side on your iPad
- it may be an app that is not pinned to the dock
- Not exclusive to any specific app
The new iPad dock
The new updated iOS brought a much improved user experience to the iPad, including a new dock. The new iOS uses complex algorithms to learn your habits. iOS (and Siri) has learned that you often use this app at this time of the day. iOS has further learned your previous usage patterns. Based on this information, iOS is trying to make it easier for you to use this app by placing it in the dock on the right side so that you can easily open this app. Siri thinks you want to use this app. It is simply a reminder kind of thing. It does not have any other function.
See also: Unable to Install Update
iOS will suggest apps based on your app usage habits. For example, if you use the Facebook app everyday at 5 pm, the Facebook app with alarm clock symbol will appear at the far right of the dock. The clock indicates that that you have used the Facebook app before at this time, so iOS is suggesting that you may want to use it again.
You want to turn off this feature? You do not want to see this suggested app and you do not want to see the little clock badge? Here is how:
- on your iPad, tap Settings
- scroll down and find Siri & Search
- find the Siri Suggestions section
- and then toggle off “Suggestions in Search” and toggle off “Suggestions in Look Up”.
You can also disable suggested apps. Here is how:
- tap Settings
- tap General
- tap Multitasking & Dock
- and then toggle off “Show Suggested and Recent Apps.”
See also: Siri not working?
Mike says
August 22, 2018 at 4:19 pmNext suggestion??
me says
September 12, 2018 at 2:44 pmthe suggestion on how to turn off this annoying feature does not work.
PEW says
January 13, 2019 at 1:12 amI found it on another post… swipe right to FR to the widgets page, scroll down and press edit. Press the red minus icon on siri and suggestions and click remove, click done in the top right hand corner and this suggestion app should ow be gone from the dock
Paul says
January 23, 2019 at 10:39 pmI LOVE YOU MANNN!
That’s the ONLY solution I’ve found that works to get rid of this annoying “feature”..
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Tom says
January 28, 2019 at 8:08 pmThis is still not working for me. I have everything turned off, but I still get apps in dock and clock fave in upper right corner. I want it off, and nothing I’m doing from suggestions work.
Aguy says
April 19, 2019 at 6:34 pmPEW’s solution works
– go to widgets
– click edit at the bottom
– the top of this page will show your active widgets. click the red minus to get rid of siri app suggestions.
Mark says
February 1, 2019 at 10:02 am_This_ is the real solution! Finally! 😀
Susan says
February 5, 2019 at 8:38 pmThank you, Pew. What an awful feature.
Daniel says
February 9, 2019 at 7:46 amDude i cannot find out what it the FR. Explain pls.
num1cboysfn says
February 11, 2019 at 2:42 pmTHIS WORKED! What an annoying feature. Thanks Apple.
Llion Williams says
February 19, 2019 at 7:42 pmPerfect, works a treat
Richard Nichol says
February 22, 2019 at 11:31 amThank you! This was so annoying !
Kim says
March 8, 2019 at 2:32 pm^^ this should be this whole article
jal jim says
March 9, 2019 at 3:48 pmFinally! A suggestion that addresses the true issue. Thank you!
Terry says
March 11, 2019 at 3:50 pmThank you!!!!I have a classroom set I have to fix. I can have my students help with your method!
Jen says
March 12, 2019 at 3:02 amFinally! Thank you!!
(If you don’t know what FR means, just swipe left tilyou get to the widget page, which is the page to the left of your first icon page)
Anil says
March 12, 2019 at 11:37 amIt really worked. Well done.
Steve says
March 28, 2019 at 3:27 pmThank you!
rowena cook says
April 8, 2019 at 7:49 amThanks ,worked a treat
Julie says
April 13, 2019 at 7:06 amYesss
Thank you
You are a genius
Rodrigo says
May 3, 2019 at 3:09 pmTHANK YOU!!!!! I`ve been looking everywhere for this solution an your input is the only one that works!!! THANK YOU!
Sue says
May 5, 2019 at 7:20 amThank you. It was driving me mad, but it’s gone!!!
hase says
March 4, 2019 at 9:53 amAlso a big “thanks” from me. Worked (after i rememberd to confirm the changes)!
Kevin says
September 15, 2018 at 9:30 amThank you. The give solution also means the app won’t. How can one turn off ONLY the alarm clock showing in the app icon please.
Mike Warby says
October 2, 2018 at 9:09 amGreat relief to find a fix for this intrusion from Siri, however, I have followed all the instructions shown and the problem still exists.
I have also done a reset in my iPad Air and problem not fixed.
I hope a fix can be found soon, as it is extremely annoying and definitely not needed.
Mike Warby says
October 12, 2018 at 2:57 pmI have been on to Apple about the Doc app issue with Siri and THEY can,t even solve it. Everything connected with Siri is turned off and it makes no difference. It seems to be stuck on the Photo’s App, with Alarm clock on it.
12.1 update has made no difference.
I am quite capable of choosing what I want, without Siri making decisions for me. So darned annoying !
Bob says
October 12, 2018 at 5:49 pmYour iPad or iPhone is likely rooted and gathering analytics. Someone is personally gathering your information. They have locked down what they want locked down. More than likely your device is uploading to an iCloud account daily even if you don’t have one setup. Read up on the new software apple released for developers in July or August. I cannot remember the name right now. Let me guess. Are you on medical? Tons of info is being collected by education institutions.
Michael says
November 17, 2018 at 1:39 pmYes and the thing I was all over was the old one. iCLoud backup data mining is up to you. If I was choosing, my preference is always best. Data analytics and tend development on each user is probably automatically analyzed.
Michael says
October 14, 2018 at 1:35 pmThanks so much for your update, Apple. Now I cannot get this annoying alarm clock/app to close, no matter what “helpful” instructions I am provided to follow.
baldrick says
October 16, 2018 at 9:17 amyep it’s annoying and it won’t go away. Apple need to stop trying to be too clever.
Rod says
October 19, 2018 at 11:21 pmReally really really REALLY iritating ! When the calendar appears unwanted in the dock with an alarm clock icon on it the actual calendar app icon is just a few millimeters away where it should be. Why on earth would i want it repeated ? Have tried all the suggestions to turn this behaviour OFF but nothing works. Has anyone found anything that does work ?
exapple says
November 16, 2018 at 11:12 pmPut the app indside the doc and back it disapere.
The3dg says
December 1, 2018 at 6:22 pmThis worked!
Me says
December 5, 2018 at 12:31 amYusss thank you
Steven Rakitin says
December 16, 2018 at 6:00 pmTry moving app icon into the dock manually, then moving it back out of the dock manually. This seemed to work!
Kdogg says
December 24, 2018 at 1:46 pmBravo. This worked. Another useless stupid annoying, privacy invading feature.
Deborah says
October 27, 2018 at 10:17 pmInstructions still don’t work and damn app icon with alarm clock is a fixed adjunct feature of my otherwise incredibly efficient and carefully chosen dock items. Argh. Update to latest iOS did not change anything.
Dot says
December 16, 2018 at 12:46 pmPut the app inside the dock and then take it out.
Nicole says
November 1, 2018 at 8:50 pmIf you’re trying to turn it off for a certain app try going to the app in settings and then clicking Siri and Search and toggle it off and do the second suggestion as well. That worked for me.
Nicole says
November 1, 2018 at 8:54 pmIf a particular app keeps popping up or you’re trying to turn it off for a certain app try going to the app in settings and then clicking Siri and Search and toggle it off and do the second suggestion as well. That worked for me.
SgtDad says
November 8, 2018 at 4:14 pmDid NOT work for me. It makes the Dock move & causes me to open the wrong app. Danged annoying and not at all helpful.
SgtDad says
November 8, 2018 at 4:35 pmThat did not work. In my case it is the Firefox app that won’t go away/
MacMan512 says
November 7, 2018 at 1:24 pmSwipe over to your widget screen and remove Siri App Suggestions. Siri is trying to learn your habits and thinks that is an app that you regularly use.
Diane says
November 10, 2018 at 8:20 pmI have this problem too. What do you mean, swipe over widget screen?
Claire Wykep says
December 26, 2018 at 7:11 pmI did just what the thing said and it didn’t take the mini arlam clock off! NOW HOW DO I FIX IT!!!!!!!
Stopwatch says
November 16, 2018 at 12:42 pmCompletely useless feature that cannot currently be removed, have tried all the suggestions but none work. Many of the features Apple force us to have should be optional, many of the new features have not interfered with me but this one is annoying, please Apple remove it.
Tom says
November 18, 2018 at 3:27 pmIf an app with the alarm clock icon continues to reappear, you must also turn off Siri Suggestions in the search screen (swiping left to right from home screen). This is also called the “widget screen”.
At the bottom of the list of notifications is an “edit” button. Use this to remove “Siri suggestions” and any other useless alerts (which may be draining your battery)
Sharmaji says
November 19, 2018 at 4:02 amIt’s a Siri learning thing. The alarm/timer means iOS/Siri thinks this is an app you use regularly at a particular time of day. So, it sticks the icon of that app on the Dock around the time of day you use it. All in the idea this makes it easier to access. I had it doing that for the local newspaper and couldn’t figure out how to get rid of. It certainly wasn’t ”easier” to get at when the normal app icon for the newspaper was literally right above the Dock.
Took a fair amount of searching around the web to find the correct answer.
How to stop it. First, be on the iOS desktop. Swipe right to the widgets. Scroll the screen up if necesarry to see the Edit button and tap that. Tap the red minus button next to Siri so it stops trying to be so “helpful”. The timer induced icons should disappear.
Barry says
November 25, 2018 at 12:18 pmThis worked for me:
First, be on the iOS desktop. Swipe right to the widgets. Scroll the screen up if necesarry to see the Edit button and tap that. Tap the red minus button next to Siri so it stops trying to be so “helpful”.
Remember to tap “Done” at the top right of screen.
The timer induced icons should disappear.
CHRISTOPHER M WILSON says
November 27, 2018 at 3:10 amThis is the ONLY correct solution
Geoff says
December 1, 2018 at 8:02 pmThis works, thank you! What a dumb feature.
Chris says
December 15, 2018 at 3:16 pmYes! Thank you Sharmaji!! Your suggestion is the only one that worked! Whew!
Rich says
December 18, 2018 at 10:40 amThis has worked for me.
Carlos says
December 30, 2018 at 9:06 amThanks !! This is the only fix that worked 🙂
Red says
December 31, 2018 at 6:43 pmNot a good fix. Still have that worthless clock and app.
John A says
December 16, 2018 at 12:51 amHey Broski’s, i figured how, just drag a random app into the dock until you can’t add anymore to it and its gone. No room for sirirand friends to suggest anything.
SueF says
December 24, 2018 at 8:26 amThank you all, going to the “widget screen” did the trick, agree with everyone exceedingly annoying!
Kathryn Shepard says
January 5, 2019 at 3:42 amI may have found the remedy. Go to Siri and Search. On the right scroll down till you see the app that keeps appearing with the alarm clock. Click on it. It will take you to Siri and Suggestions and below that Show App. Turn both of those off. I am hoping by turning off Show App it will disable that annoying feature.
Bloodstain says
February 1, 2019 at 10:34 pmRather a long string so I’ve gone straight to the end. I had the annoying clock symbol at top right of iPad screen which wouldn’t go away. I had no ‘alarms’ shown on the Clock app. Siri said “no alarms set”.
I then went into the ‘Bedtime’ section of the Clock app and found that at sometime, I had played with it and the slider showed my wake up time for Sunday’s at 7.00am. I closed the slider and now all good! I didn’t think that the Bedtime bit was alarm…..
Jon67 says
March 23, 2019 at 9:35 amIf this feature isn’t removed on apples next update I’m gone to the new Samsung. FFS I am able to decide what I need to use without a dickhead designing a prick of a feature nobody wants. Useless irrational feature.
Jen says
April 6, 2019 at 12:34 pmThanks from me too!! I will always remember the widget might be doing something too!
Adam Baum says
April 30, 2019 at 2:11 amJesus Christ how would it have been to say keep swiping left? That’s what FR means. Seriously.