How to change notification sound on Android for different apps?
Notifications are an important way for smartphone users to stay informed about new messages, alerts, and other app activity. Android allows users to customize notification settings per app, so you can have different notification sounds, vibration patterns, and other preferences for each app on your device. This enables users to quickly identify which app is notifying them based on the unique notification sound.
Having distinct notification sounds for different apps can be useful in many cases. For example, you may want a more subtle sound for lower priority apps and a louder or more unique sound for urgent communication apps. Some users like to set custom notification sounds for individual contacts as well. Overall, the flexibility to configure app-specific notification settings allows users to optimize notifications to their needs and preferences.
Prerequisites
Before changing notification sounds on an Android device, there are a couple requirements that need to be met:
- The Android version needs to be 5.0 or higher – Android 5.0 (Lollipop) was the first version to allow different notification sounds for individual apps. While it may be possible on some devices running Android 4.4 (KitKat) or lower, it is not officially supported.
- Have notification sound files downloaded – In order to set custom sounds for apps, you’ll need to have the audio files downloaded on your device storage. Android supports common formats like MP3, WAV, and OGG for notification sounds.
As long as your Android version supports it and you have new notification sounds ready, you can customize sounds on a per-app basis.
Access Notification Settings
To access your device’s notification settings, first open the Settings app on your Android phone or tablet. This is usually found in your app drawer or by swiping down from the top of the screen and tapping the gear icon.
Once in Settings, scroll down and look for a “Sounds & vibration” or “Notifications” menu. On some devices this may be labeled “Sound & notification” or “Sound.” Tap into this menu.
Here you’ll see controls for your default notification sound, as well as settings for notification vibrations, Do Not Disturb mode, and more. For example, you can change the default notification sound for all apps by tapping “Default notification sound” and selecting a new one. There are also sliders to control notification volume and vibration intensity.
You may also see advanced notification controls, like the ability to block visual disturbances, hide sensitive content, and set priority levels for individual apps. Take some time to explore these options to customize notifications to your preferences.
Change Default Notification Sound
To set a new default notification sound for all apps on your Android Pie device, first open the Settings app and tap on Sound. Then select the option for Default notification sound. This will open up your ringtones menu where you can browse and select a new sound that will be applied to notifications from all apps.Source
For example, on a Samsung Galaxy device running Android 9 Pie: Source
- Tap Default notification sound
- Select a new default sound from your ringtones that you want to use
This will set the notification sound you picked as the default for all application notifications. Whenever you get a new notification from now on, this sound will play.
Change Sound for Specific App
You can customize the notification sound for individual apps instead of changing the default sound for all apps. Here’s how:
- Open Settings and tap Notifications.
- Tap App notifications.
- Locate and select the desired app you want to change the notification sound for.
- Tap Sound.
- Select the sound you want to use for notifications from this app. You can choose from default system sounds, downloaded sounds, or even assign a custom contact ringtone.
- Tap Back to return to the main Notifications screen. The selected sound will now be used for notifications from that app.
Following these steps allows you to set a unique notification sound for important apps so you can identify notifications just by the sound. For example, you may want to set a distinctive ringtone for email notifications from your priority contacts.
Use Contact Ringtones for Notifications
You can set custom ringtones for individual contacts, and use these as notification sounds for apps. Here’s how:
- Open your contacts app and select the contact you want to customize.
- Tap on the contact name to open details.
- Tap “Edit” or the three dots icon for more options.
- Tap “Ringtone” and select a sound to use for this contact.
Once you’ve chosen a custom ringtone for a contact, you can use it for app notifications like this:
- Go to Settings > Sound & vibration > Default notification sound.
- Under “Ringtone”, select “Contact ringtones”.
Now when you get a notification from that app, it will play the ringtone you set for that individual contact. This lets you customize alerts for your most important contacts.
Download New Notification Sounds
You can add new notification sounds by downloading sound files from trusted sources. Some good places to find notification sounds include:
- Zedge – Zedge offers a wide selection of free notification sounds and ringtones you can download.
- NotificationSounds – This site offers a library of high-quality notification sounds to choose from.
- Free Music Archive – You can find royalty free notification sounds here to use. Just make sure they are short clips.
Once you have downloaded a notification sound file you want to use, you can add it to your sound options in your phone’s settings:
- Go to Settings > Sound & vibration > Default notification sound > My Sounds
- Tap the + icon to select a sound file from your downloads folder
- Give the sound file a name and tap OK
The sound file will now show up as an option you can choose for your default notification sound or for app-specific sounds. Make sure the files you download are short audio clips optimized for notifications.
Troubleshooting
If you are still having issues with notification sounds after trying the steps above, here are some troubleshooting tips:
App Notifications Using Default Sound Incorrectly
Sometimes an app will ignore the custom sound you set and use the default notification sound instead. To fix this:
- Open the app’s settings and look for a notifications section
- Make sure the app has permission to access notifications
- Check if there is an option to set a custom notification sound just for that app
If the app does not have its own notification settings, you may need to uninstall and reinstall the app to reset its notification preferences.
Sounds Not Appearing as Options
If certain sounds you downloaded are not showing up as options to select, try the following:
- Make sure the sound files are saved in the Notifications folder on internal storage
- Reboot your device to refresh the media index
- Clear the cache for the Settings app
If the sound still does not appear, you may need to use a different file type such as .ogg instead of .mp3.
Sounds Corrupted/Can’t Be Set
Corrupted or incompatible sound files may cause errors when trying to set notification sounds. To resolve this:
- Try using a different sound file format like .ogg instead of .mp3
- Make sure the sound file size is under 1-2MB
- Download the sound file again in case the original download was corrupted
If problems persist, it is best to stick with the built-in notification sound options rather than custom sounds.
Customize Additional Notification Settings
There are even more ways to customize your notifications beyond the default sound on Android. For example, you can change the LED light colors, vibrate patterns, and visual display options.
To customize the LED light, open the Settings app and go to Apps & Notifications. Select Notifications and then tap Advanced. Here you’ll find an option to customize the LED light colors for notifications from different apps. You can pick a specific color for each app’s notifications.
Vibrate patterns can also be customized under the Advanced notifications settings. Choose Default vibration pattern and you can pick from preset options or even create your own pattern.
Visual options like Pop on screen and Override Do Not Disturb can be configured as well. Pop on screen makes notifications briefly appear as a pop-up over any screen you’re viewing. Override DND allows certain apps to bypass your Do Not Disturb settings so their notifications come through even when DND is on.
With all these advanced customizations, you can really tailor Android’s notifications to match your preferences. Just dive into the settings and explore the possibilities.
Conclusion
To recap the main steps covered in this article, you learned how to access Android’s notification settings to change the default notification sound for all apps. You also learned how to customize notification sounds for individual apps, assign contact ringtones for notifications, download new notification sounds, and troubleshoot issues.
There are additional notification settings you can customize beyond just notification sounds. For example, you can control notification vibrations, set priority levels for notifications, block notifications entirely during certain times or events, and more. Dive into Android’s advanced notification settings to tailor notifications exactly to your preferences.
If you need any further help changing notification sounds or other notification settings on your Android device, check the manufacturer’s support site or user forums. There are also many helpful guides and tutorials available online. With a bit of tinkering, you’ll be able to configure notifications so they work best for you.