# Brutus — Android Alarm Clock You Can't Ignore

> Brutus is a free, open-source (MIT) alarm clock for Android 8.0 and later. A ringing alarm only stops once you complete the challenges you chose for it: solve math problems, shake the phone, or scan a QR code you placed somewhere else in your home — in any combination, one after the other. Hardcore mode keeps the alarm at full volume while it rings; Ultra Hardcore mode re-rings 10 and 15 minutes later unless you walk 30 steps. It also has a world clock, stopwatch, timer and a home-screen widget, runs in English and German, requests no internet permission and has no ads or tracking. Distributed as a signed APK through GitHub Releases.

This is the Markdown version of https://brutus.celox.io/ for agents and text tools. A short summary with every link lives at https://brutus.celox.io/llms.txt.

## Download

- **Newest release:** https://brutus.celox.io/download (picks the file for your platform; always the current release)
- **Current version:** 2.2.0 · released 2026-08-15
- **Release data as JSON:** https://brutus.celox.io/latest.json
- **Requirements:** APK: Android 8.0+

Files in the current release:

- APK: https://brutus.celox.io/download/android (brutus-v2.2.0.apk, 4.2 MB)

## Features

- **Challenges, not a button** — Math (1–10 problems), shaking (10–100 shakes) and a QR scan. Enable one, two or all three per alarm — they run one after the other, and only then does *Stop alarm* appear.
- **Hardcore mode** — While the alarm rings, its volume stays at maximum and the volume keys do nothing. The moment it is dismissed, your phone behaves normally again.
- **No going back to bed** — Ultra Hardcore rings again 10 and 15 minutes after you dismiss it — unless you walk 30 steps with the phone. The follow-ups survive a reboot.
- **Sounds made on the phone** — Eleven alarm sounds are synthesized in real time — from klaxon, siren and fire alarm to a gentle chime — plus the system tone. Preview each one while you set the alarm.
- **Sunrise and widget** — An optional pre-alarm brightens the screen over the ten minutes before it rings. A home-screen widget shows the next alarm with a countdown.
- **Reliable and offline** — Exact alarms that ring in Doze and come back after a reboot, with banners when the system would block them. Brutus requests no internet permission — plus world clock, stopwatch and timer.

## Install

1. **Download the APK** — One file for every phone with Android 8.0 or later — there is nothing to pick.
2. **Allow the install** — Open the file. Android asks once whether your browser may install apps — allow it.
3. **Clear the banners** — If the alarm list shows a banner — exact alarms, battery optimization, full-screen alarm — tap it and flip the switch. Then test your wake-up chain with *Test wake modes now*.

## Verify

- `brutus-v2.2.0.apk` — SHA-256 `48cf9cfc85dffe864273ab4732468029d8a3dff2b4cb01e41b8007534cbab7a4`
- Signing certificate SHA-256: `69d67a10a826cf4050da4b271af9b5ed500c962bfab07a8f8fe863e3d7600382`
- Every release since 1.0.0 is signed with the same key. Compare with `apksigner verify --print-certs`.

## FAQ

**Is Brutus free?** Yes. It is free and open source under the MIT licence, with no ads, no account and no tracking.

**Why is it not on Google Play?** It is distributed directly as a signed APK on GitHub Releases. Each release is built from the public source by GitHub Actions, and the workflow refuses to publish an APK that is not signed with the Brutus certificate.

**Which phones does it run on?** Android 8.0 or later. The QR challenge also needs Google Play Services, which supplies the barcode model; math and shake work on every device.

**How do I update?** Download the newest APK from this page and install it over the existing app; your alarms and settings stay. Brutus has no internet access, so it does not check for updates itself.

**What does it do besides alarms?** A world clock, a stopwatch with laps, a timer with gentle finish sounds and a home-screen widget. The app is in English and German and follows the system language.

**How do I know the APK is genuine?** Compare its SHA-256 with the value above and check the signing certificate with apksigner verify --print-certs; the certificate is the same for every release since 1.0.0.

## Limits

- Android only; not on Google Play — distributed as an APK through GitHub Releases.
- The QR challenge needs Google Play Services, which delivers the barcode model; math and shake work without it.
- Available in English and German only.
- Android offers no way to truly lock the volume: Hardcore mode snaps it back to maximum and swallows the volume keys while the alarm rings.

## Links

- Source code: https://github.com/pepperonas/brutus
- Changelog: https://brutus.celox.io/changelog.md
- Licence (MIT): https://github.com/pepperonas/brutus/blob/main/LICENSE
- Support the project: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?business=martin.pfeffer@celox.io&currency_code=EUR&item_name=Brutus
- Author: Martin Pfeffer, https://celox.io — Imprint https://celox.io/impressum/ · Privacy https://celox.io/datenschutz/