The approval process took 9 months, but now Wakie -- the app that provides users with a wakeup call from a real person -- has made its debut on iOS.

TechCrunch reports Wakie first launched as a Russian website in 2011. It was rebuilt and released on Windows Phone and Android as a "social alarm clock" earlier this year.

The app is meant to replace the phone's alarm clock with a call from a person who is a member of the Wakie community.

"Most people hate alarm clocks, billions of people feel unhappy every day with these classic ringers and ding-dongers," Wakie co-founder and CEO Hrachik Adjamian told TechCrunch. "We make people happy with the voice of friendly strangers from all over the world who try to make you smile in the morning. A lot of people who use our service say that they started to love mornings. The better you start your day the better you feel yourself for the rest of the day."

In the Wakie world, people who want to be woken up are called "Sleepyheads." A Sleepyhead will set the day and time for the alarm to go off. When it is time to be woken up, the app anonymously connects you to a call from another Wakie user. You have about a minute to talk and wake up. If a real person is not available, the app will wake you with an automated message.

Adjamian says the Wakie app works because it stimulates the brain.

Many people hit snooze repeatedly traditional alarm clocks. Wakie's research shows that a one minute conversation with a stranger stimulates the brain and users are woken up "with a 99 percent guarantee." The idea is that, when someone calls and asks you a question, your brain must wake up to answer. Users have one minute of wakeup call time before the app abruptly disconnects.

But what happens if the person sleeping doesn't answer the wakeup call? The user's phone eventually goes to voicemail where the person can -- and often does -- leave the Sleepyhead a message.

Phone numbers are not visible between anonymous users. Wakie community members can socialize on the in-app forum and try to connect with the person to whome they have just spoken.

There is a paid premium version of Wakie in development that offers these features:

  • Extend the wakeup call talk time to five minutes
  • Allow users to choose the gender of the person to whome they are connected
  • View the person's profile after the call, depending on their privacy settings

The company is also working on robo-calls that wake users with the weather, industry news, interesting facts and more, according to Adjamian.

In the future, Wakie users will be able to buy a "celebrity alarm clock" of a favorite idol to receive different pre-recorded wake up calls every day. Adjamian said celebrities would promote their alarm clocks on social network pages and share in the revenue.

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