This Alarm Clock App Brings You Wake-Up Calls From Total Strangers Users can place and receive anonymous phone calls that last no longer than 60 seconds with the aim of spreading some morning cheer.
By Geoff Weiss
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
What if, rather than the jolting bleat of an alarm clock, you were awoken one morning by a friendly phone call from a total stranger?
In what sounds like either a serendipitous day-starter or a potentially terrifying connective tool, a new app called Wakie says it's looking to reinvent the alarm clock for our social era.
When users of the app set an alarm, they receive a phone call from another "Wakie" that lasts no longer than 60 seconds -- "no awkward goodbyes, no long conversations," says the San Francisco-based startup.
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Wakies can similarly choose to pay it forward by making calls to help rouse fellow "Sleepies," as the app refers to them.
All calls are anonymous -- meaning no phone numbers are visible, nor can they be exchanged.
The free app currently counts 1.5 million users across roughly 80 countries and boasts an unusually large following in Russia, reports the BBC. Launched last summer on Android and Windows Phone, an iPhone app is currently being reviewed by the App Review Team.
Related: Suck It Up and Wake Up Early
Wakie is the brainchild of Armenian entrepreneur Hrachik Adjamian, who noticed that phone calls from friends happened to serve as a particularly effective wake-up tool. "You can't just snooze a live person," he said.
And while all calls are anonymous, the app does try to match up users of opposite genders. At a potentially fuzzy or crabby waking moment, the development team noticed that people tended to be friendlier towards members of the opposite sex, Adjamian says.
While inviting anonymous interaction may sound like a bit of a social gamble, the app says its users comprise a "fun, friendly community."
Related: Press Snooze? You Lose.
Tell us: Would you use a service like Wakie to kick off your mornings on a quirky note? Or does the whole concept sound a bit too creepy? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
