In 2007, Apple launched the iPhone, a monumental device that has become synonymous with the advancement of mobile technology. At that time, it also included a terrible alarm characteristic: the 9-minute nap. The latest iPhones are bezelless, can shoot 4K videos in slow motion and we can unlock these devices by watching them, to name some of the many advances that have been made in the past 18 years. These iPhones are far from the original model that Apple was launched in 2007, and yet the 9 -minute repetition of the alarm persisted – up to iOS 26.
The technology giant has announced the next iPhone update at its global 2025 developer conference, and the software upgrade will bring many new features to your iPhone when Apple is publishing this year later, as new tools in messages and a new game application. But the company could also loosen its grip on the duration of rehearsal of your alarm in your clock application in the software. In the beta version of the iOS 26 developer, you can define your default repetition duration on anywhere between one and 15 minutes. After playing in the developer’s beta version, this is one of my favorite adjustments. I should note that the IOS 26 developer is a first version of the software which is specifically intended for software developers. This means that part of it could change in the coming months, including this new rehearsal feature.
But first, why is Snooze lasts 9 minutes? According to Cnet’s sister website MashableThe rehearsal button was introduced to alarm clock in the mid -1950s, and the rehearsal duration was – it’s true – 9 minutes. It was supposed to be easier on the equipment to define the duration of repetition on a single figure as opposed to a double figure. Thus, the miserable 9 -minute nap was born.
The 9 -minute snooze also has scientific support. Science says that 9 minutes could be an ideal rehearsal time before falling back into a deep sleep.
This is a first version of iOS 26 intended for developers. The rehearsal duration menu could be different in the final version of iOS 26.
“In terms of sleep, 9 minutes, it’s just enough time for a brief rest,” said Holly Schiff, an approved clinical psychologist, said Reader digest. “Once you have exceeded the 10 -minute brand, your body can start falling into a deep sleep, which will make the awakening difficult and more unpleasant.”
However, it’s 2025: my iPhone can broadcast Netflix videos, playing Xbox Game Pass and games Android The devices can adjust the rehearsal for 10 minutes, so we know that we can leave these 9 minutes in the past. As for the health sciences, he would probably say that I should do a lot, like eating more vegetables and less cheese. My doctor did not mention my consumption of cheese during my annual exam, so will a minute of more rehearsal be really as prejudicial? I don’t think.
But at the end of the day, my real reason to love this change is not as nuanced: this tweak makes my brain happy because in my mind, 9 is an uncomfortable number for me.
To start, Nine is an odd number, and everyone knows that even the numbers are superior to the odd numbers. The only exception to this rule is all strange of five, which are honorary numbers, as everyone also knows. Nine divisible by five? No. Hit one.
Then, although nine are an odd number, it is not even a primary number. In fact, this is the only odd number to a figure that is not as a primary number, so it’s even stranger. It’s shot two.
And why do you choose nine when 10 is there? There is a reason why people say: “On a scale of 1 to 10” and not, “on a scale of 1 to 9.” You see how weird that seems weird?
So now, every time I do an alarm in the beta version of the iOS 26 developer, I change the rehearsal duration of my alarm to 10 minutes. This is a uniform number, and in my head, it is a good smooth number that makes my brain happy. And isn’t that what is rehearsal?
Think like this: if you had to manually define a rehearsal timer, how long do you define it? I bet almost everyone would choose an increase of five. Absolutely no one would choose 9 minutes, except perhaps that some clock enthusiasts and all that Apple’s crazy scientist has made the default value for all these years.
10 minutes is it a time of rehearsal scientifically better than 9 minutes? Probably not. Will that leave me in the same trap to just go asleep to be suddenly woken up once again? Most likely. Am I relieved at the idea of sleeping for a number of minutes which is more comfortable for my brain? Absolutely.
It is also nice to have the possibility of adjusting it for a shorter period, like five minutes, so if you want a few more minutes to wake up, you are not likely to fall asleep.
As this is a beta developer, I recommend that you download it only on something other than your main device. Because this is not the final version of iOS 26, the update can be buggy and the battery life can be short, so it is preferable to keep these problems on a secondary device.
Note that the beta version is not the final version of iOS 26, so there could be more features to land on your iPhone when iOS 26 is published. Apple wrote on its site This iOS 26 will be released to the general public this fall, but there is no word on an exact date. Until then, iOS 18 users are stuck with the horrible 9-minute nap.
To find out more about Apple, here is what you need to know about iOS 26 and all that the company has announced at WWDC 2025.
