How do I add sound to my Android phone?

Having customized ringtones and notification sounds on your Android phone offers many benefits. Unique sounds allow you to easily identify who is calling or sending a notification without having to look at your phone. This can be especially helpful in loud environments. Custom sounds also let you express your personality and style. Additionally, custom sounds associated with certain apps can help train you to respond quickly to key notifications. For example, having a special sound for your email or calendar app may condition you to check those notifications promptly. Overall, setting custom ringtones and notification sounds can make your phone experience more efficient, enjoyable, and personal.

This guide will walk through all the key steps for adding custom sounds to your Android phone. We’ll cover using default sounds, downloading from app stores, transferring from your computer, recording your own sounds, and troubleshooting any issues.

Check Default Ringtones & Notifications

Most Android phones come pre-loaded with default ringtones, notification sounds, and alarm tones. To view and listen to the built-in options on your device:

1. Open the Settings app.

2. Tap Sounds & vibration (may be called Sound & notification on some devices).

3. Tap Phone ringtone.

4. Here you’ll see a list of the default ringtones. Tap each one to hear a preview.

5. Tap Notifications. This will show you the default notification sounds.

6. Tap Alarm to see the default alarm tones.

Listening through these default options can help you identify ones you want to keep before downloading or assigning new sounds.

Use Built-In Sounds

Android phones come with a variety of built-in notification sounds you can choose from. To access the built-in sound picker:

1. Open the Settings app.
2. Tap Sound & vibration (on some devices this may be under Sounds & vibration or Sound).
3. Tap Notification sound.
4. You will see a list of built-in sounds to choose from. Tap on a sound to preview it.
5. Once you’ve found a sound you like, tap OK to set it.

The built-in sounds have generic names like “Classical”, “Cosmic”, and “Crystal”. Scroll through and preview the sounds to find one you like. Many Samsung devices also have additional Samsung-branded sounds available.

If you don’t see a large selection of built-in sounds, your device manufacturer may have opted for a more limited set. In that case, you can download additional notification sounds from the Google Play Store.

Download Ringtones from App Stores

One of the easiest ways to get new ringtones on your Android phone is to download them from the app stores. There are several apps dedicated to providing ringtones, notification sounds, alarm tones, and more. Some top options include:

Zedge Ringtones & Wallpapers – Zedge is one of the most popular apps for Android customization. It has a huge library of ringtones, notification sounds, wallpapers, and more to personalize your device.

Ringtones for Android – This app provides thousands of free ringtones, alarm tones, and notification sounds to choose from. You can browse by category or search for specific tones.

Ringtone Maker – As the name suggests, this app allows you to create and edit your own ringtones. You can trim audio clips, add fade effects, and export as ringtone files.

By using these apps, you can instantly access a huge selection of ringtones to set as your default or assign to specific contacts. Just download the app, browse the library, and tap to save any ringtone you like directly to your Android device.

Transfer Ringtones from Computer

One easy way to get custom ringtones and sounds onto your Android phone is by transferring audio files from your computer. This can be done using a USB cable to connect your Android device to your computer.

First, use a USB cable to connect your Android phone to your computer. Make sure your phone’s storage is set to be accessible by the computer.

Next, locate the audio files you want to use as ringtones or notifications on your computer. These can be MP3, WAV, or other audio file formats. Place the audio files into a folder on your computer for easy transfer.

Then, on your computer, navigate to your Android phone’s storage. There should be a folder such as Ringtones or Notifications where you can copy over the audio files. If not, you can create a folder and name it yourself.

Copy the audio files from your computer into the Ringtones/Notifications folder on the Android device storage. The files will now be available as ringtones/notifications on your phone.

Finally, safely disconnect your phone from the computer. Open the Sounds settings on your Android phone, and you should now see the custom audio files available as ringtones or notifications.[1]

Record Your Own Sounds

One of the easiest ways to add custom sounds and ringtones to your Android phone is to record your own using the built-in voice recorder app. Most Android phones come pre-installed with a Voice Recorder app or something similar that allows you to record audio clips and save them as files.

To record your own custom ringtone or notification sound:

1. Open the Voice Recorder app on your Android.
2. Tap the record button and speak into your phone’s microphone to record your desired sound clip.
3. Stop the recording when finished. Make sure it’s 10 seconds or less for ringtones.
4. Tap save or done to save the recording as an audio file.
5. Locate the saved recording and rename the file to something memorable.

You can then use the steps outlined in the “Set Custom Ringtones” section below to set this recorded sound file as your custom ringtone, notification, or alarm.

Some popular voice recorder apps for Android include Google Voice Recorder, Sony Audio Recorder, and Easy Voice Recorder.

Set Custom Ringtones

One of the most useful customizations you can make on your Android phone is to set unique ringtones for your contacts. This allows you to identify who is calling without having to look at your phone. Here’s how to assign custom ringtones to contacts on your Android device:

Open the Contacts app and select the contact you want to customize. Tap the menu icon in the top right and choose “Set ringtone.” You will then see a list of all ringtones available on your phone. Select the desired ringtone to set it for that contact. According to WikiHow, you can also long press on the contact, then tap “Edit contact” and choose “Ringtone” to set a custom sound.

If you want a unique notification sound for a contact’s text messages, open the Messaging app, find the conversation with that contact, and tap the contact name at the top. Choose “Contact ringtone” and select the desired notification sound. Now whenever that person calls or texts, you’ll hear the ringtone you picked!

Setting custom ringtones for key contacts makes it easy to identify callers without looking at your phone. Just listen for the unique ringtone you set for each person.

Set Custom Notifications

You can set custom notification sounds for individual apps on your Android device. This allows you to assign unique sounds to apps so you can easily identify notifications just by the sound.

To set custom notifications for apps:

1. Go to Settings > Notifications.
2. Tap Notifications again to see a list of apps on your device.
3. Select the app you want to customize notifications for.
4. Tap Sound and select your desired notification sound from the list or tap Add to use your own sound file (source).
5. Tap Back to return to the main Notifications screen and repeat for other apps.

This will set a unique sound for notifications from that app. You can repeat this process for as many apps as you want to assign custom sounds for easy identification (source).

Change Default Sounds

To make a custom sound the default for all notifications or ringtones:

1. Open the Settings app and tap Sound & vibration.
2. Tap Default notification sound or Default alarm sound.
3. Tap the sound you want to set as the default from your custom sounds list.

The selected sound will now play for all notifications or alarms unless overridden by per-app settings. Setting a global default is useful to avoid having to change each app individually.

Some Android skins like Samsung OneUI also have an option to change the default notification sound under Sounds and vibration > Sound quality and effects.

Sources:

How to Change Android Notification Sounds

How to Change Notification Sounds for Each App on Your Android Phone

Troubleshooting

If you are having issues with sound not working properly on your Android device, here are some troubleshooting steps to try:

First, make sure your device is not muted or in silent mode. Open the notification panel and check if the sound/vibrate icon shows the speaker crossed out. If so, tap on it to switch back to sound mode (source).

You can also go to Settings > Sounds and vibration and check that your phone ringtone and notification volumes are turned up and not set to 0. Make sure that “Media volume” is also not minimized (source).

Check if there is any debris or dust lodged in the speaker grille that could be blocking sound. Use a toothpick or brush to gently clean out the speakers.

For calls, go to Settings > Accessibility and disable “Mute all sounds” if it is enabled. Also try switching off “Noise cancellation” during calls.

Finally, you can try restarting your Android device to refresh the audio drivers if nothing else works. Press and hold the power button and tap “Restart”.