Can you have separate notification sounds on Android?

Android devices come with default notification sounds that alert users to new messages, calendar events, and other app notifications. While the default sounds work, many users prefer to customize notification sounds to make alerts more useful and personalized.

There are several ways to customize notification sounds on Android. Users can change the default notification sound so that all apps use the same new tone. It’s also possible to set custom sounds for individual apps, so you can differentiate notifications from different services. Some Android skins, like Samsung’s One UI, include advanced sound settings to simplify customization. There are also third party apps that provide greater control over notification audio.

This guide will cover the options for customizing notification sounds on Android. We’ll look at how to change the default sound, set per-app sounds, use third party tools, and more. With custom sounds, you can personalize your device and make notifications more effective.

Default Notification Sounds

Android comes with a set of default notification sounds that are used for different system apps and notifications. When you first set up a new Android device, it will use these default sounds for notifications from apps like Messages, Email, Calendar, and more [https://stackoverflow.com/questions/2724871/how-to-bring-up-list-of-available-notification-sounds-on-android].

The default notification sounds in Android include classic options like a simple beep, a chime, or a basic ringtone. Newer Android versions have additional default notification sounds like bubbles, pings, and futuristic tones. The default notification sounds are universal and not tied to a specific Android phone brand or model.

Some of the most common default notification sounds in Android include Message, Soul, Flourish, Topaz, and Costume. These default sounds are applied to notifications from various apps out of the box. Users can customize the notification sound on a per app basis if they want different sounds for each app.

Customizing Notification Sounds

The default notification sound on Android can be changed by going to Settings > Sound & vibration. Here you will find the option for “Default notification sound” where you can select from the preset notification sounds included on your device. To use a custom sound, tap on “Default notification sound” and then select “My Sounds” to choose an audio file stored on your device like an MP3 or WAV file (Source).

To change the default notification sound on a Samsung Galaxy device specifically, open Settings and go to Sounds and vibration > Notification sounds and tap on the desired sound effect to set it as default. You can also tap on Add to use your own custom audio file (Source).

The steps may vary slightly by Android device manufacturer, but generally involve going into the Sounds or Notifications section of the Settings app and selecting a new sound for the “Default notification sound” option. This will change the sound for all app notifications. Unique sounds can also be set for specific apps.

Per App Notification Sounds

One of the most useful features of Android is the ability to set different notification sounds for individual apps. This allows you to customize your phone’s notifications and quickly identify which app is sending an alert without even looking at your phone.

To set custom sounds for apps on Android:

• Go to Settings > Notifications
• Tap the app you want to customize
• Tap Sound and select your desired notification tone from the list to change the presets. You can choose from default system sounds or use any custom audio files you have added to your device.

This can be done for messaging apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, email clients, calendar alerts, and any other apps that have notifications. It’s a very useful way to personalize your Android experience.

According to a Reddit thread, users praise this customization option and find it essential for managing notifications from different apps. One user on the Samsung Galaxy S22 reported that “Yes, you can set notifications per app in the Notifications settings.”

Third Party Apps

There are many third party apps that provide access to a wide variety of notification sounds for Android. One of the most popular is Zedge, which offers thousands of free ringtones, notification sounds, alarm sounds, and more. Zedge has a huge selection of categories to browse, like funny sounds, movie quotes, iOS notification tones, and more. You can preview sounds before downloading them.

Another popular app is Notification Sounds, which provides a curated collection of notification tones, message sounds, and ringtones. The app makes it easy to browse by category and has convenient sorting options. Downloads are fast and you can preview sounds as well.

Apps like these provide an easy way to customize notification sounds on Android without needing to create your own audio files. They offer much more variety than the built-in notification sounds on Android.

Contact-Based Customization

Most Android devices allow you to set custom notification sounds for specific contacts. This lets you assign a unique ringtone, text tone, or other alert to a particular contact so you can easily identify notifications from them. Here’s how to enable per-contact custom sounds:

On Samsung Galaxy devices running One UI, open your Messages app and select a conversation with the contact you want to customize. Tap the contact’s name at the top, then tap Notification sound. Choose a custom sound just for this person. You can select from your ringtones or other audio files (Republic Wireless).

If using Google’s Messages app, open a conversation thread and tap the contact’s name. Tap Custom notifications and select a unique sound for this person. You can also customize vibration patterns and LED light colors for each contact (Android Central).

On other Android devices, look in your Messaging or Contacts app for an option to set a custom ringtone, alert tone, or vibration pattern for individual contacts. This lets you easily identify who is contacting you without having to check your phone.

Calendar Notification Sounds

One of the most useful features of Android’s calendar app is the ability to customize notification sounds for calendar events and reminders. By default, Android uses the same default notification sound for all calendar alerts. However, you can set custom sounds for your calendar notifications if you want different sounds for different types of calendar events.

To use custom notification sounds for your calendar events in the Android calendar app, open the Settings menu and tap “Notification sound”. Here you can select “App provided sound” to enable custom sounds. Android’s calendar app will then use the custom sound you have set for that specific calendar or event.

You can also download custom sound files like .mp3s and set them as notification sounds through your Android calendar app. Just make sure the custom sound files are saved on your Android device’s internal storage. Then in the calendar app’s Settings, choose “Add ringtone” and select the sound file you want from your phone’s storage. Now your custom sound will play for your calendar notifications.

Overall, Android’s calendar app provides robust customization for event reminder sounds. So you can set different alert tones for work events versus personal ones, and make sure you never miss an important calendar notification.

Custom Sound Files

One of the most flexible ways to customize notification sounds on Android is by adding your own audio files. This lets you use any sound you want, like music clips, sound effects, or audio recordings.

To add a custom sound file as a notification tone on Android:

1. Save the audio file you want to use to your device’s internal storage or SD card. It can be an MP3, WAV, OGG or other standard audio format.
2. Open the Settings app and go to Sound & vibration > Default notification sound.
3. Tap My Sounds, then tap the + icon to add a new sound.
4. Select the audio file you want from your device’s file explorer.
5. Give the sound a name and tap OK to add it.

The sound will now appear in your list of notification tones and you can select it for any app. Keep in mind the audio clip should be short, around 5 seconds or less, for best results as a notification sound.

This method gives you unlimited options for custom notification audio. You could use short music loops, clips from movies or games, funny audio recordings, or anything else you want.

Limitations

There are a few limitations around customizing notification sounds on Android. According to Google’s developer documentation, starting with Android 8.1 (API level 27), apps cannot make a notification sound more than once per second (Google). This restriction is aimed at preventing apps from spamming users with too many notification sounds.

Some Android devices, especially from manufacturers like Samsung, also impose additional restrictions. Users report that after upgrading to Android 13, all notifications play the default sound regardless of customizations made within apps (Reddit). It’s unclear if this is an intended change by Google or a bug.

The maximum duration of custom notification sounds also appears limited. One developer reported the notification getting killed after 30 seconds of playtime (StackOverflow). So custom files longer than that may get cut off.

While notifications can be highly customized on Android, apps and devices do impose some restrictions. Users may not be able to set overly long or frequent custom sounds.

Conclusion

Android gives users extensive options to customize notification sounds on their device. The default notification sound can be changed globally to apply to all apps. Each app’s notifications can also be assigned a unique sound for easy identification without looking at your phone. Contacts can even have their own special notification sounds for texts and calls. Android also allows users to use custom audio files for notifications, rather than being limited to built-in options. The only limitation is that calendar notifications do not support separate sounds at this time. Overall, Android provides a high degree of flexibility and control over notification sounds, allowing users to personalize alerts to suit their preferences. With a few simple settings adjustments, you can have distinct notification sounds for everything on your Android phone or tablet.