Help
Ready for your first night.
Your first night
Set your alarm time, weekdays and sunrise duration. Allow alarm permission. Place your iPhone securely, connect it to power, leave DawnDuo open and choose “Good night”.
Screen and wall light
The display gradually brightens before your alarm. The rear flash adds wall light in the final third if enabled and available on your device. Point the flash towards a wall. The light and rising sound need the app in the foreground and the display unlocked.
Your morning sounds
Morning birds, rain at the window, forest stream, morning coffee or kitchen radio: listen to all five in sound settings and choose the maximum volume. Audio files are included in the app. Kitchen radio is a composed sound, not a radio station.
The alarm at wake-up time
With alarm permission, the iOS system alarm works in Silent mode, during Focus and when the app is closed. In natural wake mode, the classic safety alarm is on by default. Turn it off to let the system alarm play your chosen morning sound instead. iOS controls alarm volume separately.
Snooze and folding
“Snooze 9 min” postpones the alarm for nine minutes and darkens the light. On iPhone Duo, folding shut while the alarm rings also snoozes when the open app detects the change. “End” stops the current alarm. Repeating alarms stay enabled for their next scheduled days.
Dark at night
After “Good night”, the screen is black by default. Touch it to show the clock and controls for ten seconds. Night display settings can keep the small red clock visible. Leave the app open for the sunrise.
If something goes wrong
If alarm permission is missing, follow the message in DawnDuo to iOS Settings and allow alarms. Check the time and weekdays. If there is no light, check that the app is open and the display unlocked. Wall light may be reduced when the device gets warm.
Devices and previews
DawnDuo supports iPhone and iPad from iOS or iPadOS 26.1. Duo Daylight also uses the flash on supported devices. The iPhone Duo layout adapts to the fold. The twelve-second light preview on the app’s main screen is for TestFlight and development; sound auditions in settings are part of the app.
About the research
The linked 2010 study examined artificial dawn in 16 people. It found subjective waking benefits but no significant performance or cortisol effects. DawnDuo was not studied; the app is not a medical device and does not guarantee waking up.
Contact
Write to hello@julianzett.com. Include your device, iOS version and what happened. Please avoid sending confidential information that is not needed for your question.
Journal of Sleep Research · 2010
Updated: 25 September 2026