How do I silence apps with sound?

With so many apps constantly sending notifications throughout the day, the sounds associated with those notifications can become overwhelming and distracting. Studies show that even when ignored, notifications are just as disruptive as a phone call. The constant dings, pings, and other sounds from apps make it difficult to focus and get things done.

The goal of this guide is to explain different methods you can use to silence app sounds selectively or during specific times of day. By muting notifications and disabling app sounds, you can take control over the auditory distractions and create the focused environment you need to be productive and present.

Determine Your Goal

The first step is to determine exactly what you want to silence on your device. There are a few main options:

Silence notifications – This will mute sounds and vibrations from notifications, but allow calls and media to play normally. You’ll still see notifications on your screen.

Silence sounds – This will mute all sounds from your device, including notification alerts, media, videos, games, etc. Your phone will vibrate for calls and notifications.

Silence both – You can silence both notifications and sounds for complete quiet. Your phone won’t ring, vibrate, or make any noises until you undo the settings.

For example, you may want to silence notifications before going to bed, but keep your morning alarm active. Or you could silence sounds during a meeting so your device doesn’t interrupt, but keep vibrations on for notifications.

Check App Settings

One of the easiest ways to silence an app’s sounds is to go directly into the app’s settings and turn off notification sounds. Here’s how:

Open the app you want to silence.

Look for a settings icon, often shown as a gear or 3 lines. Tap it to open the app’s settings menu.
Find the section for notifications or sounds. It may be labeled “Notifications,” “App Notifications,” “Sounds,” or something similar.
Toggle off any options for sounds, such as “App sounds,” “Notification sounds,” or “Alert tones.”

For example, in the Gmail app for Android:

And in the Settings app for iPhone:

This gives you granular control to disable sounds for specific apps only. Check each noisy app’s settings to turn off sounds you don’t need.

Sources:

Control notifications on Android

Turn App Notifications On / Off – Android

Change notification settings on iPhone

Use Do Not Disturb

Enabling Do Not Disturb is an easy way to silence notifications and app sounds on your phone. On an iPhone, open the Settings app and go to Focus. Tap on Do Not Disturb to customize when you want to silence notifications.https://support.apple.com/en-us/105112 You can schedule Do Not Disturb during certain times, allow calls from certain people, and customize other options.

On Android, open Settings and go to Sound > Do Not Disturb. From here you can control what can interrupt when Do Not Disturb is on, schedule quiet hours, and allow exceptions.https://support.google.com/android/answer/9069335?hl=en Enabling Do Not Disturb is an easy switch to quickly silence all sounds and notifications when you need focus.

Mute App Notifications

You can easily mute notifications from specific apps on your iPhone from the Settings menu. Here are the steps:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap on “Notifications”.
Scroll down and select the app you want to mute notifications for.

Toggle off “Allow Notifications”. This will mute all notifications from this app.

You can also customize the notifications to only allow certain types, like badges, sounds, lock screen etc. Just toggle off the specific notification types you want to mute.

For example, in the screenshot below, WhatsApp notifications have been muted by toggling off Sounds and Badges:

This is an easy way to quickly mute any app’s notifications right from the Settings. You can always toggle them back on if you change your mind.

Turn Off App Sounds

To turn off sound effects for an app on your phone, follow these steps:

Open the Settings menu.
Tap on “Apps & notifications” (on Android) or “Sounds & Haptics” (on iPhone).
Find the app you want to silence and select it.

Toggle off the option for “Sounds” or “Sounds & Haptics” for that app.

This will disable any sounds, music, or audio effects that the app plays. The app itself will still function normally, just without sound. You can toggle the sounds back on for that app at any time by returning to the same menu.

Here is a screenshot showing the Settings page on Android where you can turn off sound effects for a specific app:

And this screenshot shows the equivalent iPhone setting to mute sounds for an individual app:

So using your device’s Settings menu makes it easy to disable audio and sounds for just a single app, while leaving your general system volumes and other apps unaffected.

Use Focus Modes

Focus modes allow you to customize which apps and notifications can interrupt you while a certain mode is activated (Apple Support). For example, you can set up a “Work” focus that hides distractions from your social media apps.

To start using Focus modes:

Open the Settings app and tap “Focus”
Tap the “+” icon to create a new Focus or select an existing one like “Do Not Disturb”
Choose which apps and people can notify you while the Focus is on

Customize Focus-specific Home and Lock screens for each mode (iOS 16+ only)

Some examples of useful Focus modes are:

“Work” to mute social media during work hours

“Sleep” to silence notifications at night
“Gym” to avoid interruptions during workouts
“Driving” to auto-reply to messages and only allow phone calls

Focus modes are highly customizable so you can tailor each one to fit your needs. Activating a Focus is as easy as swiping into Control Center and tapping its icon (The Verge). This provides an efficient way to silence specific apps and distractions on demand.

Try Notification Blocking Apps

Third-party notification blocking apps provide granular control over app notifications and sounds. These apps allow you to customize notifications on an app-by-app basis. For example, you can block all notifications from a distracting social media app while allowing notifications from productivity apps. Some popular notification blocking apps include:

Notification Cleaner & Blocker – This Android app lets you block notifications by keyword, app, topic, and more. You can create highly customized filters to silence only the notifications you want.

Notifica – Available for Android, Notifica cleans up your notification shade by removing unwanted or low priority notifications. The app makes it easy to block notifications from individual apps.

Flipd – This app, available for iOS and Android, allows you to block distractions during focus times. You can silence all non-essential notifications for set periods to avoid distractions.

Using a dedicated notification blocking app gives you robust tools to silence app sounds and notifications. Find one that suits your needs and customize it to filter out only unwanted interruptions.

Automate Quiet Hours

You can schedule quiet hours to turn on and off automatically at set times. This allows you to silence notifications and sounds during certain periods each day without having to remember to manually toggle settings on and off. Here are some ways to automate quiet hours on various devices:

On Android, open the Settings app and go to Sound > Do Not Disturb. Tap Schedules and select the time periods you want quiet hours to be enabled. You can set multiple schedules, like overnight and during work hours. Android also has a built-in Bedtime mode that silences sounds while you sleep [1].

On iPhones, enable Do Not Disturb and set automated schedules under Settings > Focus. You can create separate Focus modes for times when you want to minimize distractions. The built-in Sleep Focus automatically turns on at your specified bedtime.

On Windows 10, access Quiet Hours settings by going to Settings > System > Sound and scrolling down. Enable quiet hours and set the start and end time. You can have quiet hours turn on automatically during certain time ranges [2].

Some third party apps like Postscript also let you set automated quiet hours for certain channels like SMS messaging campaigns [3].

Automating quiet hours ensures you won’t be disturbed by notifications during focused work time or at night when sleeping. Just set and forget the schedules.

Conclusion

In summary, there are a few key ways to silence apps and reduce distracting sounds on your device:

Go into individual app settings and disable sounds and notifications
Use Do Not Disturb or Focus modes to block sounds during certain times or activities

Mute app notifications so they don’t make sounds
Turn off all app sounds in your device’s main settings
Try notification blocking apps to customize which app alerts come through

Silencing your apps can help you avoid distractions, stay focused, and improve your productivity. With apps muted, you’ll be less tempted to keep checking your device when you need to concentrate. Reducing app sounds allows you to work, study, or spend time with loved ones without constant interruptions. Give it a try and see if limiting app noises helps you achieve your goals and live in the moment.