How do I set individual notification sounds for different people?

Custom notification sounds allow you to set unique alert tones for different contacts, apps, and notifications on your smartphone. This can be useful in several ways:

You can easily identify who is contacting you without looking at your phone. If you assign custom sounds to important contacts like your spouse, child, or boss, you’ll recognize them right away (1).

Custom sounds help avoid confusion if your phone is nearby others. You’ll know a notification is meant for you (2).

Unique sounds can represent different apps or types of alerts, like specific sounds for text messages, calendar events, work emails, etc. This allows you to quickly identify the type of notification without checking your phone (3).

Custom tones allow personalization and self-expression through fun or interesting sounds that represent your style (4).

Overall, custom notification sounds add convenience, organization, and personality to your mobile experience.

Check If Your Phone Supports Custom Sounds

Before setting custom notification sounds, you’ll want to check if your Android or iPhone supports individual sounds for different contacts. Here’s how to check:

On Android, go to Settings > Sound & vibration. If you see options for “Default notification sound” and “Separate app sounds,” your phone supports custom sounds for apps and contacts. Samsung phones also have an “Individual notification sounds” option under Sound and vibration settings.

On iPhone, open Settings > Sounds & Haptics. If you see options for text tone, calendar alerts, email alerts etc. under Sounds, you can set custom sounds. You can also set per-contact alerts and custom vibration patterns.

So in summary, look under your Sound settings for options to change notification tones for individual apps, contacts or messaging alerts. If you only see options to change the default sound, your phone may not support separate custom sounds.

Sources:
https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-customize-notification-sounds-android/
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-create-android-notification-sounds-4783114

Set a Default Sound

Here are the step-by-step instructions for setting a default notification sound on your Android phone:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android device.

2. Tap on “Sound & vibration.”

3. Tap on “Default notification sound.”

4. You will see a list of preloaded notification sounds on your device. Tap on the sound you want to set as your default.

5. Alternatively, to use a custom sound, tap on “Add ringtone” and select a sound file from your device storage. Make sure the audio file is in .mp3 or .ogg format.

6. Once selected, the sound will now play for all app notifications by default.

That’s it! With just a few taps, you can customize the default notification sound on your Android device. Just repeat these steps whenever you want to change it to something new. You can set unique sounds for individual contacts as well.

Change Sounds for Specific Contacts

You can assign unique notification sounds for individual contacts on both iPhone and Android devices. Here are the steps:

Open your phone’s Contacts app.

Select the contact you want to assign a custom sound for.
Tap “Edit” in the upper-right corner.
Scroll down and tap “Text Tone.”

Select the sound you want for this contact from the list.
Tap “Done” to save the changes.

Now when this contact calls, texts, or sends other notifications, your phone will play the unique sound you selected for them. You can repeat these steps to set custom sounds for other individual contacts as well.

On iPhone, you can also long press on a contact’s name and choose “Edit” to access the sound settings directly. And on Android, the steps may vary slightly by device model and version.

Set Custom Sounds for Apps

You can set a custom notification sound for specific apps on both Android and iPhone devices. Here are the steps:

On Android:

Open the Settings app.
Tap Apps & notifications.
Tap See all # apps or App info.

Select the app you want to customize.
Tap Notifications.
Tap Sound and select your desired notification tone from the list to change the presets.

On iPhone:

Open the Settings app.
Tap Notifications.

Select the app you want to change the notification sound for.
Under Sounds, tap the sound option to change it.
Browse the available sounds or tap Add New Sound to use a custom sound.

This allows you to set a unique notification sound for each app installed on your device. You can use custom sounds or select from the preset options available.

Sources:

https://www.makeuseof.com/how-to-customize-notification-sounds-android/

https://www.samsung.com/africa_en/support/mobile-devices/how-to-set-notification-sounds-for-each-app-on-you-galaxy-phone/

Change Sound Settings on iPhone

Here are the steps to customize notification sounds for different contacts on your iPhone:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

Tap on “Sounds & Haptics.”
Under “Sounds and Vibration Patterns,” tap on “Ringtone.”
This will open up your list of ringtones. Scroll and tap on the ringtone you want to set as your default.

Now go back and tap on “Text Tone.”
Choose the text tone you want to use for new message notifications.
Go back and tap on “New Mail.”

Choose the notification sound you want for new emails.
You can customize sounds for Calendar alerts, Reminders, and other apps in the same way.
For contacts, go to your Contacts app and select a contact.

Tap “Edit” and then “Ringtone.”
Choose a custom ringtone for that contact.
Tap “Done” to save the changes.

Now your iPhone will use your personalized sounds for notifications. You can set unique sounds for your most important contacts this way.

Source: https://imazing.com/guides/how-to-customize-iphone-ipad-notification-tones

Change Volumes for Custom Sounds

One useful feature on Android is the ability to set custom volume levels for different notification sounds. This allows you to make some sounds louder or quieter than others. Here’s how to adjust the volume for custom notification sounds on your Android device:

Open the Settings app and go to Sound & vibration > Advanced. Look for the “Separate app sound” option and toggle it on. This separates notification sounds from media sounds.

Next, go back to Sound & vibration and tap App notifications. You will see a list of apps that have custom notification sounds. Tap on an app to adjust its notification volume specifically. Move the volume slider to your desired level.

Do this for each app sound you want to adjust. Any changes made here will only apply to that particular app’s notification sound. Your default notification sound volume will remain unaffected.

If you want to adjust the volume for your default notification sound and ringtones, go back to the main Sound & vibration page in Settings. Move the “Media volume” and “Call volume” sliders as desired. The “Alarm volume” slider adjusts volume for alarm tones.

Now when you get notifications from different apps, their sounds will play at your customized volumes, allowing you to make some more noticeable than others. Just remember to enable “Separate app sound” to separate app notifications from media playback.

Sources:
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-create-android-notification-sounds-4783114
https://support.google.com/android/answer/9082609?hl=en

Troubleshooting

If you’re having issues setting or hearing custom notification sounds, here are some solutions to common problems:

Sound Isn’t Changing

First, double check that you actually selected a new notification sound. It’s easy to think you changed it when you haven’t. Open the sound settings for that contact and confirm a unique sound is chosen.

Also, check that the app itself didn’t override your custom sound choice. Some apps don’t allow custom sounds and will use their own default instead.

Finally, make sure the volume for notifications is turned up enough to be audible. The custom sound won’t help if it’s muted!

Can’t Find Custom Sound

If you can’t find the sound file you want to use, make sure it is saved properly on your phone’s internal storage or SD card. The sound needs to be in .mp3 or .wav format. Sounds from streaming apps can’t be used.

You may need to move the file onto your device’s main storage if it’s currently on external or cloud storage. Custom notification sounds only work from local device storage.

Sound Plays for Wrong Contact

If a custom sound is playing for the wrong contacts, you may have assigned the same sound to multiple people. Double check each contact to make sure unique sounds are set.

Also, some apps override custom sounds and will use the default. So the sound may change depending on whether the notification came from the Messages app vs Facebook Messenger, for example.

Other Issues

For other problems with custom notification sounds, try restarting your phone and checking the sound settings again. Updates or new apps could cause conflicts. Updating or reinstalling apps may help.

As a last resort, reset your phone to factory default settings. This will erase custom sounds, but resolves most software issues. Just be sure to backup your device first!

Custom Sound Apps

Beyond the default notification sounds your phone offers, there are many apps that allow extra customization of ringtones, notification sounds, alarm tones, and more. Here are some top options:

Zedge (https://techigem.com/ringtone-apps/) – Zedge has one of the largest libraries of ringtones, notification sounds, alarm tones, and wallpapers. You can browse by category or search for specific sounds. It’s easy to preview, download, and set sounds as defaults or for custom contacts.

Ringtone Maker (Android) (http://global.drfone.biz/ky/android-tips/20-best-ringtone-apps-for-android.html) – This app lets you turn music files, YouTube videos, and other audio into ringtones and notifications. You can trim audio clips, adjust volume, and add fade effects. It also includes a large library of premade sounds.

GarageBand (iPhone) – Apple’s GarageBand app includes tools to make custom ringtones from songs in your music library. You can select a song segment, trim it, add fades, and export as a ringtone file to use for contacts, texts, or other alerts.

Audiko Ringtones (Android) (https://politic365.com/best-free-ringtone-apps-for-android/) – With Audiko you can turn online videos into notification tones and ringtones. It has a library of trending sounds and memes to choose from. You can edit audio clips and instantly set them as ringtones.

Conclusion

Setting custom notification sounds for individual contacts or apps can help personalize your device and make it easier to identify who is contacting you. With just a few quick settings adjustments, you can assign unique sounds to specific people, apps, and notifications.

In summary, first make sure your device supports custom sounds and check if any default system sounds appeal to you. Go through your contacts and apps to change notification sounds to your preferences. Adjust the volume levels appropriately so custom sounds are audible but not disruptive. If you have an iPhone, use the Sounds & Haptics settings to manage custom sounds.

A few final tips: create contact groups to batch assign notification sounds, use distinct melody snippets for your most important contacts, and check for third party apps if your default options are limited. With custom sounds, you can add personality to your device and never again wonder “whose phone is ringing?” when you hear an incoming notification.