How do I lower the notification volume on my Android?

Android devices allow you to easily customize notification volume to suit your needs and preferences. Whether you want to mute pesky notification sounds completely or simply lower the volume so they’re less disruptive, Android provides a few straightforward ways to alter notification volume.

This guide will walk through multiple methods for changing notification volume on Android devices. We’ll cover how to locate and adjust the main notification/media volume setting, as well as options for muting notifications, changing sounds, and disabling app notifications as needed. Following these simple steps will allow you to take control of notification noise and custom tailor your Android experience.

Locate Sound Settings

To adjust the notification volume on your Android device, you’ll first need to locate the Sound settings. There are a couple ways to access Sound settings:

Swipe down from the top of your screen to open the Quick Settings panel, then tap the gear icon to open the full Settings app (source: Change volume, sound, & vibrate settings – Android Help).

Alternatively, open the Settings app directly by swiping up from the bottom of your home screen and tapping the Settings icon (looks like a gear). The Settings app contains all of your device’s configurable options.

Once you have the full Settings screen open, it’s time to navigate to the Sound settings next.

Open Sound Settings

To access your Android device’s sound settings, you first need to open the Settings app. According to Google Support, “Open your phone’s Settings app” is the first step to changing sound and vibrate settings on Android (source). The Settings app is typically located on your home screen, app drawer, or launcher. Simply tap the app icon to launch it.

Once the Settings menu is open, you need to navigate to the Sound section. This is usually pretty easy to find, as there is typically a Sound category or tab right in the main Settings menu. According to PCWorld, you should “Tap Settings, Sound & Notification” to access sound controls (source). Tap the Sound option to open the sound settings menu.

Locate Media Volume

To locate the media volume slider on an Android device, first open the Settings app. Then scroll down and tap on Sound. This will open the sound settings menu where you can see different volume controls.

Here, look for the slider titled Media volume. This controls the volume for music, videos, games and other media playback on your device. The media volume is separate from the ring volume (for calls and notifications) and alarm volume. By default, the media volume is usually set to near maximum.

To lower the notification volume specifically, we need to adjust the media volume slider. This is because notification sounds are considered “media” and controlled by this volume setting. According to an Android Help article from Google [1], the media volume in sound settings governs “music, videos, games, other media.”

Adjust Media Volume

To lower or increase the volume for notifications and media, you need to adjust the media volume slider. You can find this in the Sound Settings menu.

Tap and hold on the media volume slider, then drag it left or right to lower or raise the volume as desired. Dragging to the left will lower the volume, while dragging to the right will increase it.

You’ll see the volume percentage displayed below the slider as you adjust it. Drag the slider all the way left to mute the volume completely.

This adjustment impacts the notification sounds as well as music, videos, games, and other media played on your Android device. Finding the right volume level allows you to minimize disruption while still staying aware of important notifications.

Mute Notifications

You can mute notifications temporarily or indefinitely on your Android device. To mute notifications:

Open the Settings app and select Sounds & vibration or Sounds & notification. Locate the option for Media volume (on Samsung devices, this may be listed as Notification volume). Drag the slider all the way to the left to mute notifications completely.

According to Google support, dragging the volume slider fully left will “mute all notifications.” This is an easy way to quickly mute all notification sounds temporarily if needed.

Change Notification Sounds

You can set different notification sounds for different notification types on your Android device. Here are the steps:

Open the Settings app and tap on Sound & vibration. Scroll down and tap on Advanced. Here you will see different notification types like Alarm, Timer, Notification reminder etc. Tap on the notification type to change the sound.

This will open up the sound selection for that notification type. Tap on the sound you want to set. You can select from the default sounds or tap Add ringtone to use any audio file stored on your device.

Make sure to tap OK to save the changes once you have selected the desired notification sound for each type.

This way you can set unique notification sounds to identify alerts from different apps without even looking at your phone. For example, set a soft tone for low priority apps and a louder ring for urgent notifications.

Disable App Notifications

You can disable notifications for specific apps if you find some apps are too noisy or sending too many notifications. To disable notifications for an individual app:

  1. Open the Settings app and go to Apps & notifications.
  2. Tap Notifications.
  3. Find the app you want to disable notifications for in the list.
  4. Tap the app.
  5. Turn the toggle switch off next to “Show notifications” to disable notifications for that app.[1]

With this method, you can selectively disable notifications from apps that are disruptive or unnecessary, while keeping notifications enabled for other important apps. Turning off notifications for individual apps gives you granular control.

Do Not Disturb

Do Not Disturb is an Android feature that allows you to silence notifications during specific times so you aren’t disturbed. You can enable Do Not Disturb to mute sounds and stop vibrations from incoming calls, messages, and notifications. According to Google Support, Do Not Disturb can be enabled to block visual interruptions as well.

To enable Do Not Disturb on your Android device:

  1. Open Settings.
  2. Tap Sound & vibration or Notifications.
  3. Tap Do Not Disturb.
  4. Toggle on Use Do Not Disturb.

You can then customize the times and exceptions for Do Not Disturb. For example, you can set it to silence notifications overnight or allow calls from certain contacts to ring through even when Do Not Disturb is on. This allows you to enable Do Not Disturb to silence unnecessary interruptions during set times you specify.

Conclusion

In summary, there are a few key ways to control notification volume on Android devices. The main method is to open the Sound settings and adjust the volume sliders for media and notifications. You can mute notifications entirely or change the notification sounds for each app. Enabling Do Not Disturb mode is another option to silence notifications for a set period of time. Some additional tips include checking notification settings within individual apps to disable certain notification types and using Priority mode to only allow notifications from selected apps to make noise.

Managing notification sounds is important for controlling distractions and customizing your Android experience. With the Sound settings, Do Not Disturb modes, and app notification settings, you have granular control over notification volume. Experiment to find the right balance for your needs.

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