I let Android Routines take over my morning, and I'm never going back to my phone's alarm app

As a heavy sleeper, I've always been at the mercy of alarm clocks. My young, slumbering mind required the loud beeps and incessant radio chatter to jolt me from my bed, lest I miss out on the joys of first period.

Fortunately, technology evolved, and so did my sleeping habits. With smartphones, I was able to quietly lull myself out of a deep sleep to the tune of my favorite songs instead, setting myself up for a calm and stress-free day.

In 2026, though, smartphone alarm apps are old news, with Android Routines providing a full-on wake-up experience that will gently usher you into the waking world to start your day.

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By  Stanley Martin

My morning (Android) routine

Waking up is a multistep process

For starters, my ultimate goal for Android Routines is to wake up "with the sun" rather than being awoken by sounds, even if they are my favorite song.

Unfortunately, during the summer in Chicago, the sun rises at 5:15 am, which I am not interested in.

Instead, for the first step in my Android Routine, I've set the Philips Hue light strip in my bedroom to turn on at 7 am, when I actually want to wake up.

Even better, it doesn't just turn on. It's set to activate via the Wake light effect, which slowly simulates a sunrise over the course of a half hour. Talk about a luxurious way to greet the day!

If you can believe it, though, this doesn't always wake me up. Fortunately, there's a routine for that, too.

By adding Delay start to the routine, I can hope that the sunrise effect wakes me up while having a foolproof backup: music and more lights.

After thirty minutes are up, the rest of the lights in my bedroom turn on, and the Nest Audio in my bedroom declares, "Wakey wakey eggs and bakey!" before playing No Rain by Blind Melon.

By then, I'm almost certainly awake, but the morning routine does not end there.

After the first two minutes of No Rain by Blind Melon, my Nest Audio goes into day prep mode.

I've set up the smart speaker to first tell me a joke (I am a stand-up comedian in Chicago, after all), and then I have it provide me with a run-down of the weather and the calendar events for the day.

After all that, I must admit, I have officially woken up on the right side of the bed.

How to set up an Android Routine

The automation builder is easier than it sounds

If you're tired of waking up to nothing more than a chime, a beep, or a song, Android Routines could be an absolute game-changer for your morning routine. You just have to know how to use it.

For one, it's not an app you need to download. Android Routines is built into the Google Assistant (likely soon changing to Gemini) functionality, so all you have to do is go to Settings, click Apps, and scroll down until you get to Assistant.

You'll find the Routines option near the bottom, because there are so many different Assistant settings that it's organized alphabetically.

Now, it's time to set up your routine. You can choose to create a new one, or you can edit some of the default options, which include Bedtime, Commuting home, and Good morning.

If you create a new routine, you'll first decide if it's a personal routine or a shared household routine, which will allow others in your household to edit it.

Then, you'll pick your Starter. This can be either a vocal command, like "Good morning," or it can be a specific time. It can also be sunrise or sunset, but that changes every day, so be careful.

After that, you'll be able to choose what actions are activated by those starters.

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You can get info, communicate, adjust Home devices, or play and control media. You can also input your own custom commands, but there are no guarantees those will work every time.

What else can Android Routines do?

A bit of experimentation can go a long way

The functionality of Android Routines relies largely on what kind of smart devices you have in your home.

With the right setup, you can get creative, coordinating multiple smart speakers, lights, locks, cameras, and other smart devices to turn your entire home into an automated smart house.

You can't do that, however, if you don't do a bit of experimenting.

There are a lot of options when it comes to Android Routines, and if you want it to work the right way, it's going to take some trial and error.

It's definitely worth it, though, if only to ensure that you start your day, end your day, and commute home from your day on the right foot.