How long can a notification sound be?
Setting the Stage
Notification sounds are short audio cues used in user interfaces to alert users to new messages, calendar events, and other system notifications. While seemingly minor details, the length and quality of notification sounds can have a significant impact on the overall user experience.
How long should a notification sound be? This question may seem trivial at first glance, but striking the right balance is key. Overly long sounds become annoying and interruptive, yet extremely short sounds can easily be missed by users. There’s both an art and a science to designing notification sounds that inform without irritating.
In this article, we’ll explore the historical evolution of notification sounds, examine key technical and design considerations, and provide best practice recommendations for crafting notification audio that delights users.
History of Notification Sounds
Notification sounds first emerged in the pre-internet era with simple alerts like flags on mailboxes or flashing lights on answering machines. These visual notifications kept users informed but lacked auditory cues.
With the rise of mobile phones and smartphones in the 1990s and 2000s, notification sounds became increasingly common. However, early sounds were very basic, often just simple beeps or chimes to alert users to incoming calls and messages.
Over time, as smartphones advanced, notification sounds evolved to become more complex and varied. Platforms like iOS and Android offered default sounds with musical elements like the famous iPhone “tri-tone” text message alert created by Kelly Jacklin in 1999 [1]. Users could also download custom sounds and assign different alerts to contacts.
Now notification sounds are an integral, customizable part of the mobile experience. From melodic tones to voice alerts and sound effects, there are endless possibilities to notify users while adding personality to devices.
Technical Limitations
There are several technical factors that limit the possible length of notification sounds on mobile devices:
File size restrictions – Notification sound files need to be small enough to minimize storage space and download times. On iOS, the recommendation is to keep files under 300 KB 1. Android also imposes file size limits that constrain duration.
Hardware processing constraints – Mobile device speakers and microphones are designed to optimize for voice calls and alerts, not high-fidelity music playback. The small speakers have limited dynamic range. This affects how notification sounds are engineered and compressed.
Audio compression techniques – To keep file sizes manageable within the limits of mobile hardware, notification sound files use lossy compression like MP3 and AAC at relatively low bitrates. These reduce audio quality and duration. iOS requires AAC format at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sampling rate 2.
User Experience Factors
When designing notification sounds, user experience should be a top priority. The sound needs to effectively alert users without becoming annoying or disruptive. According to research from UX design experts, notification sounds should typically be 1-3 seconds in length in order to convey the necessary information without aggravating users.
A very short beep or chime under one second may not fully capture the user’s attention. However, an excessively long sound can feel overly intrusive. As noted in a guide to UX sounds from Toptal, the popular Samsung whistle ringtone serves as an example of a notification sound that is too long at 5 seconds, compared to most UX notification sounds.
The ideal notification sound gives users just enough time to grasp the context, without dragging on. Designers should consider the use case, device, and environment to determine the appropriate length to alert but not annoy.
Accessibility Considerations
When designing notification sounds, it’s important to consider accessibility for users with hearing impairments. Long, complex notification sounds can make it difficult for those who are hard of hearing to understand the alert. Following web accessibility guidelines can help create notification sounds that accommodate varying levels of hearing ability.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide recommendations for making web content more accessible to users with disabilities. WCAG guideline 1.2 states that media alternatives should be provided for time-based content like audio notifications. This could include visual alerts or vibrations to accommodate those who cannot hear the audible notification well.
Additionally, notification sounds should not be set too loud by default, as excessively loud sounds can be uncomfortable or painful for some users. Allowing customization of sound levels gives users control over their experience. Simple, distinct tones are preferred over complex melodies or sound effects, as they are easier to perceive. Limiting notification length also helps reinforce the alert for those with hearing loss.
By keeping accessibility at the forefront when designing notification sounds, we can create more inclusive experiences on the web. Following established guidelines helps ensure notifications can reach all users, regardless of ability.
Creative Potential
Notification sounds present an opportunity for creativity and originality. Unexpected or unusual sounds can grab the user’s attention more effectively than common ringtones or alerts. Brands can also leverage unique notification tones as a form of audio branding to make their app stand out. There is artistic freedom in crafting notification sounds, as designers are not limited to typical beeps or chimes.
Some examples of creative notification sounds include using voice samples, music clips, animal noises, cartoon sound effects, or other ambient sounds. The Reddit thread “What are some of your favorite text/notification tones?” highlights some creative user-generated ideas like the Aku Aku mask sound from Crash Bandicoot games or TV show clips like “Troy and Abed in the morning!” (Source).
The Mixkit library also provides a wide selection of creative notification sounds like typewriters, cameras, and more ambient options to inspire unique alerts (Source). With some imagination and audio editing skills, the possibilities are endless for branding apps with signature sounds or enabling users to set customized tones that express their personality.
Length Recommendations
Most industry experts recommend keeping notification sounds brief, usually between 1-3 seconds in length. According to a blog post by Airship, “The ideal push notification length is 100 characters or less.”[1] Similarly, the UX design site uxdesign.cc noted, “Normal notifications used to alert a user are commonly short, their sound lengths, go for 1 to 3 seconds.”[2]
Shorter notification sounds have some advantages. They are less disruptive or annoying to users, especially if they are receiving multiple notifications. Brief sounds are also easier for companies to design and implement across platforms. However, longer notification sounds can work well in some contexts. For example, a 5-10 second sound might make sense for very high priority alerts that require immediate user attention or action.
Overall, following industry norms and keeping most notification sounds to 1-3 seconds is recommended. But companies should also consider the context and use case for the notification sound when deciding on duration.
[1] https://www.airship.com/blog/brevity-wit-the-ideal-push-notification-length/
[2] https://uxdesign.cc/how-to-design-notifications-from-scratch-4d4cc877b2ff
Copyright and Licensing
A common concern when creating notification sounds is avoiding copyright infringement. Sounds that are branded or trademarked by large companies like Apple and Microsoft should not be used without permission, as this infringes on their legal ownership over the audio [1]. The safest option is to use notification sounds that are released under Creative Commons or other royalty-free licenses. There are many websites that offer downloadable notification sounds for commercial use without attribution.
If you want to use a branded or trademarked sound, you will need to contact the rights holder and negotiate a license agreement. For example, if you wanted to use the iPhone ringtone sound in your app, you would need explicit permission from Apple. The licensing fees for heavily branded sounds can be substantial. Unless you have a strong creative reason to use a trademarked sound, it’s usually best to stick with royalty-free options.
Future Possibilities
As technology continues to advance, notification sounds have the potential to become more immersive and personalized. Here are some exciting possibilities for the future of notification sounds:
Thanks to new sound formats like Dolby Atmos, notification sounds could utilize 3D and spatial audio for a more immersive experience. Sounds could come from different directions to indicate different apps or contacts. Directional audio could also help users identify notifications in noisy environments.
Advancements in AI and contextual awareness may enable notification sounds to become more personalized and relevant to each user. Sounds could be tailored to users’ preferences, habits, location, activity, time of day, and other contextual factors. The same notification could have different sounds depending on the user’s current context.
As virtual and augmented reality become more prevalent, notification sounds may take on new forms. Sounds could be positioned at certain spots in a 3D space to attract users’ attention. Users may even be able to customize their own ambient sound environments.
While technical constraints have traditionally limited notification sounds, innovations in sound design open up new creative possibilities. The future could bring notification sounds that are more subtle, useful, and aesthetically pleasing.
Conclusion
In summary, notification sounds serve an important function in alerting users to new information and events on their devices. However, excessively long notification sounds can be disruptive and reduce productivity. The optimal notification sound balances brevity with just enough length to grab the user’s attention. Research shows sounds longer than 3-5 seconds can negatively impact short-term memory and concentration. While creative personalization is possible, users ultimately value control and customization to choose notification sounds that work for their context.
The future may bring advances like adaptive notification sounds that automatically adjust length based on factors like the user’s current activity. But for now, following UX best practices of brevity, user control, and effective alerting remains key. Notification sounds walk a fine line between informing users and frustrating them. With mindful design, they can enhance rather than detract from our digital experiences.