iOS: If you have a hard time waking up, join the club. It’s so tempting to hit snooze in the morning and return to the comfort of your pillow. Barcode Alarm Clock is an alarm clock app that forces you to start your day by making you scan your toothpaste’s barcode to turn it off.


It’s an annoying concept, which is why it works so well. If you want to put an end to the obnoxious sound of your phone going off in the morning, you have to drag yourself to the bathroom, find your toothpaste, and use your phone to scan it. The app essentially forces you into the bathroom, and once you’re in there, it’s easier to get the day going.

It doesn’t have to be your toothpaste tube, though. You can scan anything. When you install the app, you’re prompted to set an alarm with a unique barcode. You simply use your phone’s camera to assign that barcode. You can scan your toothpaste, shampoo bottle, something in your kitchen, it doesn’t matter. When the alarm goes off, you just have to make sure to scan that same item in order for the alarm to stop.


The app is only available for iPhone, but Morning Routine is a similar app for Android users.

If you’re bad about waking up when you’re supposed to, it’s certainly worth checking out. Give it a try at the link below.

Barcode Alarm Clock | Apple Store