Can I have a different notification sound for text messages?

Why Customize Notification Sounds?

Customizing notification sounds for different apps and contacts comes with several key benefits:

Improved Productivity and Prioritization – Assigning distinct sounds to important apps like email, calendar, or work messaging can help you identify and respond to high-priority notifications more quickly. According to Swrve, using different sounds allows users to process notifications faster.

Personalization – Choosing notification sounds that match an app or contact’s personality makes your device more fun and personalized. For example, assigning a playful sound to a friend versus a more professional sound for your manager.

Accessibility – Custom sounds can make notifications more accessible for users with visual impairments or reading difficulties. Unique sounds help differentiate notifications when users cannot see the screen or read text easily.

Overall, taking advantage of custom notification sounds improves organization and makes practical use of the advanced notification capabilities on smartphones. It enables users to customize their experience based on priorities and preferences.

Default Notification Sounds

iOS and Android devices come with a set of default notification sounds that apps and contacts can use out-of-the-box without customization. On iOS, the default notification sound has traditionally been a simple chime called “Tri-Tone” [1]. However, Apple changed the default notification sound to “Rebound” starting in iOS 17, which is a much quieter chime [2]. Many iOS users have complained about the new default Rebound sound being too quiet.

On Android, the default notification sound is simply called “Default notification sound” and is a short double chime. This default sound can vary slightly between Android manufacturers and OS versions, but generally has a similar chime-like sound. Unlike on iOS, the default notification sound on Android has remained consistent over many years and versions.

Both platforms allow the default notification sound to be easily changed system-wide or on a per app basis. But many users choose to keep the recognizable default sounds for most notifications, only customizing tones for specific contacts or apps.

Customizing Notification Sounds on iOS

You can customize the default notification sound for text messages on an iPhone running iOS. Here are the steps to change the text tone:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
2. Tap on “Sounds & Haptics”.
3. Under “Sounds and Vibration Patterns”, tap on “Text Tone”.
4. This will open up the list of available text tones. Tap on the text tone you want to set as the new default.
5. You can listen to each text tone by tapping on it.
6. Once you’ve selected the desired text tone, tap “Back” to save your changes.

The new text tone you selected will now play for all new text message notifications instead of the default tone.

You can repeat these steps at any time to choose a different text tone for your iPhone. iOS also allows you to set custom text tones for individual contacts which we’ll cover later.

For more details, refer to Apple’s support guide on customizing notification sounds.

Customizing Notification Sounds on Android

Android allows you to easily customize the default notification sound for text messages and other apps. Here are the steps to change the default text tone on Android:

1. Open the Settings app on your Android phone.

2. Tap on Sound & vibration or Sounds and vibration depending on your Android version.

3. Tap on Default notification sound.

4. Tap on My Sounds to see the custom sounds available.

5. Tap on the + icon to add a new custom sound.

6. Select the sound file you want to use from your phone’s internal storage or SD card.

7. Once selected, the sound will be added to your custom sounds and set as the new default.

You can follow these steps to set a unique text tone or other custom sounds for various apps. This allows you to assign distinct notification sounds to your most important contacts or apps. Some Android skins like Samsung also include advanced options to customize notifications further.

Sources:

[1] https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-change-create-android-notification-sounds-4783114

Assigning Custom Sounds to Contacts

You can assign unique notification sounds to individual contacts on both iOS and Android devices. This allows you to identify who is texting you without even looking at your phone.

On iOS devices:

1. Open the Contacts app and select the contact you want to assign a custom tone to.
2. Tap Edit in the upper right corner.
3. Under Ringtone, tap Text Tone.
4. Browse through the available tones and select the one you want.
5. Tap Done to save the new text tone.

On Android devices:

1. Open the Contacts app and select the contact.
2. Tap the menu icon (3 vertical dots) and choose Set ringtone.
3. Tap Text ringtone.
4. Browse and select the desired tone.
5. Tap OK to confirm.

The custom text tone will now be used for notifications from that contact. Repeat steps for other contacts you want to assign unique notification sounds to. Make sure system sounds are enabled in your device settings.

Using 3rd Party Apps

Many apps are available to provide extra or custom notification sounds beyond what your phone’s operating system allows. Popular options include:

Notification Sound Manager for Android lets you upload custom audio files as notification sounds. You can also set keywords so that a sound only plays for notifications containing those words.

Zedge has a large collection of free notification sounds you can browse and download. It also allows you to set different notification sounds for individual apps.

On iOS, apps like Ringtone Maker allow you to convert songs or audio files into custom ringtones and notification sounds.

These third party apps provide more options and flexibility to assign unique notification sounds beyond the default system sounds.

Creating Your Own Notification Sounds

If you want a truly unique notification sound, you can create your own custom alert tones to assign. There are a few different ways to make DIY notification sounds for both iOS and Android.

A simple option is to record your own sound using your phone’s voice recorder or microphone. You can say a word or phrase, make a silly noise, or record a short musical tune. Just keep files under 30 seconds. Save recordings as MP3 files.

You can also use free audio editing tools like Audacity or Ocenaudio to craft custom notification sounds on your computer. These give you more advanced controls for mixing, editing, and exporting audio files.

For the most flexibility, try using digital audio workstations like Garageband or FL Studio. These tools allow you to generate tones, layer sounds, apply effects, and export notification sounds tuned precisely how you want.

After creating a custom notification sound file, transfer it to your iPhone or Android device. Then assign it like you would any other sound for full customization.

Troubleshooting Tips

If you are not hearing notification sounds for texts, calls, or apps on your iPhone or Android device, here are some troubleshooting tips:

On iPhone, check that the ringer and alerts volume is turned up under Settings > Sound & Haptics. Make sure that Do Not Disturb is disabled, as this will mute sounds (1). You can also go into Settings for individual apps and make sure sounds are enabled.

On Android, check that volume levels are turned up and make sure your phone is not set to vibrate, silent, or priority only modes which could mute sounds. Go into Settings > Sound and vibration and check that your preferred notification sound is selected (2). You can also go into App info for individual apps and make sure the notification sound is enabled.

On both platforms, check that your phone speakers are not damaged and the issue is isolated to notification sounds. Try testing with headphones to isolate the issue. A reboot or reinstall of an app can sometimes resolve quirky issues with missing notification sounds.

Accessibility Considerations

Having distinctive notification sounds is especially important for people with visual impairments. Since they cannot see visual alerts on their phone screens, customizable audio alerts allow them to identify who is contacting them or what app is sending a notification. As this article discusses, audio is a vital accessibility tool for the visually impaired.

Both iOS and Android offer strong accessibility features like VoiceOver and TalkBack that can speak text on screens. However, these screen readers cannot customize or identify notification sounds. Assigning unique audio tones to specific contacts or apps gives users more context about incoming notifications without needing to check their phone screens.

Visually impaired users rely on audio cues from their devices to navigate their daily lives. Distinctive notification sounds empower them and provide valuable information. As developers continue improving accessibility, it is important they consider the needs of blind and low vision users.

Key Takeaways

Customizing notification sounds allows you to assign unique sounds to specific contacts or apps. This can help you quickly identify who is contacting you or what app needs your attention without having to look at your phone.

Both iOS and Android allow you to customize notification sounds in the system settings. iOS lets you assign custom sounds on a per-app basis while Android allows per-contact customization.

You can use built-in sounds, purchase sound packs, assign music files, or create your own custom sounds. Some third party apps like Zedge also offer notification sound packs.

When creating custom notification sounds, keep files under 30 seconds and use common audio formats like MP3 or M4R. Test sounds before assigning to ensure they are loud/noticeable enough.

Custom sounds can aid accessibility, but make sure important notifications have an additional visual cue for those with hearing impairments.

With some tweaking, custom notification sounds can help you identify incoming alerts without having to constantly check your phone screen.