How do I adjust text notification volume?

What are text notifications?

Text notifications are alerts that appear on a mobile device when a new text message is received. They allow users to see a preview of incoming texts without having to open the messaging app. Text notifications typically display the name or number of the sender, a snippet of the message content, and the time received (Source).

On both iOS and Android devices, text notifications pop up briefly over whatever screen is open. They can be accessed again by swiping down from the top of the screen. Users can choose to open the message immediately or dismiss the notification.

Text notifications work using the standard SMS (Short Message Service) protocol. When a new text comes in, the operating system is notified and displays an alert. SMS has been supported on mobile phones since the beginning, making text notifications a universal and reliable way to notify users of new messages (Source).

Why Adjust Text Notification Volume?

There are several reasons you may want to adjust the volume of your text notification sounds separately from your ringer volume:

Notifications can be disruptive if they are too loud. You may want text tones quieter than your ringer so they don’t interrupt conversations or distract you unnecessarily.
Conversely, you may want text tones louder than your ringer so you don’t miss important messages when your phone is set to vibrate.

You may have different volume preferences depending on your situation. For example, you want loud notifications at home but softer tones in public places like the office.
Separating the text tone and ringer volumes allows you to customize volumes based on your needs and preferences.

Adjusting text notification volume gives you more control over how and when you receive notifications from messaging apps and contacts. You can make tones loud enough to hear but not so disruptive they disturb others around you.

Check notification settings

The first step is to locate your phone’s notification settings. On Android phones, this is typically found in the Settings app:

https://support.google.com/android/answer/9079661?hl=en

Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > Notifications. Here you can manage notifications for individual apps.

On iPhones, go to Settings > Notifications to manage notifications for all apps. You can also go to Settings for an individual app to adjust its notifications.

https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-211621/

The notification settings may be named slightly differently depending on your phone’s manufacturer and operating system, but they should be easy to locate in the Settings app.

Adjust notification volume

Here are the steps to adjust the notification volume, mute or vibrate only on your device:

On Android devices, open the Settings app and tap Sound & vibration or Sounds and vibration. Look for Default notification sound, Media volume, Ring volume, Alarm volume, etc. and adjust the sliders as desired. To mute, move the slider all the way to the left or tap the icon to switch to vibrate only.

On iPhones, open the Settings app and tap Sounds & Haptics. Adjust the slider for Ringers and Alerts to your desired volume level. To mute, move the slider all the way to the left. To set vibrate only, tap the Vibrate switch. For app-specific volumes, tap Sounds and choose an app under Notification Sounds to set the volume for alerts from that app.

You can also use the volume buttons on the side of your device to quickly change the notification volume when not on a call. Press the buttons up or down to make it louder or quieter.

Set custom volumes

On Android, you can set custom volumes for notifications from different apps. This allows you to adjust the loudness of notifications independently per app.

To set a custom volume for an app’s notifications on Android 9.0 and higher:

Open the Settings app and go to Apps & notifications.
Select Notifications.
Find the app you want to adjust and tap on it.

Under Importance, tap on the setting you want (Low, Medium, High).
Adjust the slider under Sound to your desired volume for that app.

This will make the notifications for that particular app play at the custom volume you set. You can repeat these steps for other apps to give them their own custom volumes.¹

On some Android devices running Android 10 and lower, there may be an option under Sound & vibration settings to set volumes per app. Check your device’s settings to see if this option is available.

So in summary, newer Android versions allow setting custom notification volumes for each app for flexibility. Check your Android version and Sound settings to find the customization options available.

Adjust Message Tones

One of the most common customizations for notifications is adjusting the message tone or sound that plays for each notification received. Every app typically has a default sound that will play when a notification comes in. However, both Android and iOS allow you to change the notification sound on a per-app basis.

On Android, go into the Settings app and select Apps & Notifications > Notifications. You’ll then see a list of apps that have recently sent notifications. Tap the app you want to customize and select the option for Sound. Here you can pick from your device’s preset notification sounds or a custom sound loaded onto your device (Source).

For iPhones, open the Settings app and select Sounds & Haptics. Under the Sounds and Vibration Patterns section, tap Default Notification Sound to change the default for all apps. To customize per app, go into Settings for that specific app and adjust the notification settings. You can select from a preset sound or pick a custom sound you’ve added (Source).

Adjusting notification tones allows you to identify certain apps by sound and prioritize the most important ones. Custom sounds can help personalize your device and its alerts.

Manage Notifications by App

You can control notifications on a per-app basis on both iOS and Android devices. This allows you to turn off notifications completely for certain apps or select which types of notifications to receive.

On iOS, go to Settings > Notifications and select the app. From there, you can turn off Allow Notifications toggle to disable all notifications. To select specific notifications, choose from options like Sounds, Badge App Icon, Show in Notification Center, etc. According to Google support, Android allows disabling notification categories directly in the app’s notification settings.

Both platforms also allow setting notification priority levels (ex. Urgent, High, Medium, Low). Adjusting these can reduce intrusive or unnecessary notifications. For less distraction, consider turning off or lowering priority for non-essential apps.

Set ‘Do Not Disturb’

Do Not Disturb (DND) is a feature on both iPhones and Android devices that allows you to mute notifications for a set period of time. This can be useful if you are in a meeting, sleeping, driving or any other situation where you don’t want to be disturbed by calls or texts.

On an iPhone, you can turn on DND by swiping up from the bottom of the screen to access Control Center, then tap the crescent moon icon. This will mute all alerts and calls. You can also set DND on a schedule, allowing it to turn on automatically at certain times like when you go to bed (Source: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/253776275).

For Android devices, open the Settings app and go to Sounds (or Sound & vibration). Tap Do Not Disturb and toggle it on. You’ll see options for customizing when DND activates and what exceptions are allowed. Schedule it for certain times or select ‘Always’ to keep it enabled indefinitely (Source: https://www.asurion.com/connect/tech-tips/be-present-how-to-turn-on-your-phones-do-not-disturb-feature/).

Using DND during scheduled quiet times or when you need to avoid interruptions can help you stay focused. Just make sure to set exceptions for important contacts in case of emergency.

Troubleshooting Tips

Here are some common fixes for notification volume issues on Android devices:

Check Volume Settings

Open the Settings app and go to Sounds & vibration > Volume to check that the notification slider is turned up and not muted. You can also try toggling the “Also vibrate for calls” setting.

Restart Your Device

Sometimes a simple reboot can resolve quirky software issues like no notification sounds. Power down your phone, wait 30 seconds, and restart it.

Clear App Cache & Data

For an app with no notification sounds, go to Settings > Apps & notifications > See all apps. Select the problematic app, choose Storage & cache > Clear cache and Clear data. This wipes temporary files and resets the app.

Check Do Not Disturb Settings

Make sure Do Not Disturb mode is not enabled, as this will mute all sounds. Customize DND settings under Settings > Sound & vibration > Do not disturb.

Update Android OS

An outdated OS could cause notification sound glitches. Go to Settings > System > System update to download the latest Android version for your device.

Reset App Preferences

As a last resort, reset all app preferences under Settings > System > Reset options > Reset app preferences. Just be aware you’ll need to customize your apps again afterwards.

Notifications for Accessibility

Making notifications easily perceivable is crucial for users with vision or hearing disabilities. Both Android and iPhone offer robust accessibility features to ensure notifications can be customized.

For users with limited vision, enabling spoken notifications can read out the contents of notifications. On Android devices, this can be enabled through the Sound Notifications menu in Accessibility settings (Source: Google Support). iPhones allow you to enable the “Speak Notifications” feature under Accessibility settings (Source: Apple Support).

Users with hearing disabilities can enable LED notification lights, increase vibration intensities, or enable visual alerts like banners and pop-ups. Android’s Sound Notifications and iPhone’s Accessibility settings provide customizable options to suit different needs.

Enabling accessibility features for notifications ensures all users can stay aware of and responsive to important communications.