Glimmer

So this is just a random post about an app I got that I am kinda digging.

I got it for my phone off of Google Play. It's an alarm app called Glimmer.

Yes, I'm well aware that my phone already comes with an alarm. Got that. Why is this one so special? Because I love the way it wakes me up. It softly wakes me up.

It turns on the screen 30 minutes before the alarm goes off with the darkest screen and slowly increases the brightness. It starts to wake you up 30 minutes before the alarm goes off, first by gradually brightening the screen, and then also by increasing the soft sounds of birds singing. If none of this works for you and you haven't woken up by 1 minute after alarm time, it plays a strong sound to be sure you don’t miss it. At this time it also goes from "night" mode (not allowing the notifications for emails, texts, etc...) to "day" mode.

The app is free in Google Play - and I loved having the free version. If you choose to upgrade to the paid version (for like a couple of bucks - literally helping the developer by some coffee) you are able to customize all the settings - like how long it takes to wake you up in the morning - which sounds it uses to wake you vs. alarm you. There are a few more background options for the picture that comes alive as your wake up time approaches. All of them are so great and fun. Some are techie, some are nature. When I was able to customize it I went from the 30 minute wake up time to 15 minute - that worked just fine for me.

I find that I am without fail up before my alarm goes off now. At least 5 minutes. I wake up much more gradually - like more gracefully and naturally instead of pissed off at my alarm clock.

So get you some and wake up a little more gracefully.