How do I change individual text tone on Android?
Text tone refers to the sound your phone makes when you receive a new text message notification. By default, most Android phones use the same generic tone for all text messages. However, many users like to customize the notification tone for texts in order to personalize based on different contacts or texting apps. For example, you may want texts from your significant other to have a more pleasant chime than normal messages. Or you may want to set a unique tone for texts from work contacts so you can identify them quickly.
Luckily, most modern Android phones allow you to change the text tone on an app-wide or per-contact basis. Customizing your text tones allows you to add personality to your notifications and prioritize certain messages. With the steps in this guide, you’ll learn how to change the default text tone on your Android device as well as set custom tones for individual contacts or apps.
Check if Your Android Supports Changing Text Tone
Not all Android devices and OS versions support customizing text tones. Here are the Android versions that allow you to change text tones:
- Android 8.0 Oreo and above – Starting with Oreo, Google introduced notification channels that allow customizing notification sounds, including text tones, on an app-by-app basis [1].
- Samsung Galaxy S8 and newer – Samsung devices running Android 7.0 Nougat and below used to replace custom text tones with the default after major OS updates. This issue was fixed for Galaxy S8 and newer devices [2].
- Pixel Phones – Pixel devices running stock Android have always allowed text tone customization [3].
So if you have a relatively modern Android device running Android 8.0 or higher, you should be able to customize text tones.
Enable Custom Text Tones in Settings
To enable custom text tones on your Android device, you’ll first need to adjust a setting in your device’s Settings app. Here’s how:
1. Open the Settings app on your device.
2. Tap on “Sounds and vibration” (on some devices this may be called “Sound” or “Notifications”).
3. Look for an option called “Text tone” or “SMS ringtone” and tap on it.
4. Toggle the switch next to “Use custom” or “Override with custom” to the “On” position to enable custom text tones.
This will allow you to set custom text tones for your SMS messages. If you don’t see these options, your device may not support custom text tones.
For more details, see this guide: https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-create-android-notification-sounds-4783114
Set Default Text Tone
To change the default text tone for all your incoming messages on Android, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app on your phone.
- Tap on Sound & vibration or Notifications.
- Find and tap on Default notification sound or Default text tone.
- This will open up your ringtones and notification sounds. Tap on the one you want to set as the default.
- You can tap on a sound to preview it before selecting.
- Once selected, this sound will be used for all incoming text notifications.
On some Android devices like Samsung, you may need to go to Messages > More settings > Notifications > Sound to set the default text tone specifically for your messaging app.
According to Google’s Pixel phone support, you can also go to Settings > Notifications > App settings > Messages > Default settings > Incoming messages and change the sound there.
Change Text Tone for a Specific Contact
You can customize the text tone for individual contacts on your Android phone. Here are the steps:
1. Open your phone’s default messaging or dialer app. This is usually the Messages or Phone app.
2. Tap on the conversation with the contact you want to customize.
3. Tap on the contact’s name or profile picture at the top of the conversation.
4. Scroll down and tap “Custom notifications” or “Contact ringtone.”
5. Select the desired text tone you want to set for that contact.
6. Confirm the change. The contact should now have a unique text tone.
You can repeat these steps for other individual contacts. Most Android messaging apps allow setting custom text tones on a per-contact basis. This lets you easily identify incoming messages from important contacts.
Some Android skins like Samsung OneUI may require enabling Contact Ringtones in Settings first. Check your device manufacturer’s instructions if the messaging app doesn’t have a text tone option.
Use a Third-Party Messaging App
If the default messaging app on your Android does not support custom text tones for individual contacts, you can download a third-party messaging app that provides more customization options. Some popular and highly-rated options include:
Textra – Textra has over 10 million downloads and is one of the most popular third-party messaging apps on Android. It allows you to set custom text tones for individual contacts or groups. You can use built-in sounds or import your own.
Pulse SMS – Pulse SMS lets you customize notifications, ringtones, and vibration patterns for your contacts. It also has great theming options and supports sending SMS from multiple devices.
Chomp SMS – With Chomp SMS, you can set a custom text tone for incoming messages from specific contacts. It also has a built-in contact backup feature.
These third-party messaging apps provide more granular control over text tone customization than the default messaging app on Android. Check out reviews and download a few to test out the interface and features before settling on one as your primary messaging application.
Troubleshooting Text Tone Issues
If you are having issues with text tones not working properly on your Android device, here are some troubleshooting steps to try:
First, check your device’s volume settings to make sure the media volume is turned up and not muted (reference: https://www.theedadvocate.org/10-ways-to-fix-notification-sound-not-working-on-android/). Restart your device in case there is a software glitch preventing sounds (reference: https://www.theedadvocate.org/10-ways-to-fix-notification-sound-not-working-on-android/).
Go to Settings > Apps and check the permissions and notifications settings for your messaging app. Make sure notifications are enabled and that a sound is set for incoming messages (reference: https://forums.androidcentral.com/threads/no-audible-sound-for-text-messages.1055618/).
Check if Do Not Disturb mode is enabled, which could be silencing your text tones. Try updating to the latest software version for your Android device and messaging app, as a bug fix may resolve sound issues.
As a last resort, back up your data and try a factory reset of your device to eliminate any system-level problems. Reach out to your device manufacturer or mobile carrier support for further troubleshooting if these basic steps do not restore your text tones.
Automate Text Tones with Macros
You can use macro apps like MacroDroid to automatically change your text tone based on the contact texting you. This allows you to set unique text tones for different contacts without having to manually change it each time.
To do this in MacroDroid:
- Create a new macro triggered by receiving an SMS.
- Add a constraint to check the sender number/contact.
- Add an action to change your notification tone and select the custom tone you want for that contact.
- Save the macro and enable it.
Now whenever you receive a text from that contact, MacroDroid will automatically change your text tone to the custom one you selected just for them. You can create multiple macros for different contacts.
Some users have reported issues with the “Change Ringtone” action not working properly in MacroDroid. If you run into this, try using the “Notification Tone” action instead which provides more options for custom tones.
Text Tone Limitations
Android does impose some restrictions when it comes to setting custom text tones:
- The maximum length for a custom text tone is 30 seconds. Any tone longer than that will be truncated after playing for 30 seconds (Source: Maximum sound duration on Android Notification).
- Most Android devices limit the number of custom text tones you can set. The exact limit varies by device model and Android version, but is commonly around 20-30 unique custom tones (Source: Limiting text notification sounds).
- Attempting to add custom tones beyond the limit may result in older tones being deleted or replaced.
So while Android does provide the ability to set custom text tones, you may run into restrictions on length and quantity depending on your device. Setting unique tones for every contact may not be feasible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions and answers about changing text tones on Android:
How do I change the default text tone on my Android phone?
Go to Settings > Sounds & vibration > Phone ringtone. Here you can select a default text tone that will be applied to all incoming messages. Make sure to tap “OK” to confirm the new default tone.
Can I set custom text tones for individual contacts?
Yes, you can set custom text tones for specific contacts on your Android. Open your Contacts app and select the contact. Tap “Edit contact” then “Default ringtone.” You can then choose a unique text tone just for them. This will override the default text tone.
Do all messaging apps support custom text tones?
Unfortunately, not all messaging apps allow you to customize text tones. Apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger have limited customization options. You’ll need to use the default messaging app on your Android to get full text tone customization.
Why am I not hearing any text tones when receiving messages?
If you’ve set a custom text tone but aren’t hearing it when getting new messages, your phone volume may be muted or set too low. Check your volume settings and make sure media volume is turned up high enough to hear the text tones.
Can I set unique text tones for different group chats?
On the default Android messaging app, you cannot set custom tones for specific group chats. The text tone will be the same as your default tone or custom tone for the individual contacts in that group.
How many custom text tones can I set?
There is no set limit for how many custom text tones you can have on your Android. You can set unique tones for every single contact if you wish. However, managing that many custom tones may become cumbersome.