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Chrono: Open-source alarm app wins praise over stock Android clocks, but it’s not on Play Store

Android Authority recommends Chrono, an open-source alarm app missing from Google Play, for its customizable themes and task-based alarms. It can be installed via F-Droid.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-06 19:55

Chrono's opening screen takes users directly to their alarms, with a bottom bar holding four tabs: Alarm, World Clock, Timer and Stopwatch. Unlike Google Clock and Samsung Clock, which the report says limit customization, Chrono lets users pick between a dark theme, a Google-inspired Material style and several other options. It also displays small day, night and evening icons next to each alarm and supports tagging to group related alarms.

The alarm function is where Chrono stands out. Each alarm can be attached to a task that must be finished before the alarm dismisses, such as completing a short sequence, matching objects in a game or retyping a phrase. Snooze can be set for anywhere from one to 30 minutes, and alarms can be locked so they cannot be accidentally turned off or deleted. Android Authority said this combination is enough to get "even the most stubborn sleeper out of bed."

The reviewer added that Chrono has worked for his teenage daughter, who usually sleeps through default alarms. "Heck, even ultra-heavy sleepers like my teen daughter have found that this clock app is enough to get her up and going," he wrote. The app has become one of the first he installs whenever switching to a new phone or tablet.

Because Chrono is not on the Google Play Store, users need to obtain it from F-Droid, a repository for open-source Android apps. One method is to open the Chrono page in a browser, scroll to the bottom and download the APK directly, then side-load it. Another is to install the F-Droid store and search there for Chrono. The report mentions that Android may present extra prompts during side-loading.

Updates also require different handling. In F-Droid, users can enable an "Automatically install updates" setting. Those who choose direct side-loading can use Obtainium, a free and open-source sideload manager available from GitHub and F-Droid, to track new versions of Chrono and notify the user immediately after release.