Why does my notification sound keep going off on my Android phone?

Check Notification Settings

The first step is to review the notification settings for each app on your Android device. Open the Settings app and go to Apps & Notifications > Notifications. Here you will see a list of apps that have permission to send notifications. Tap on each app to view and adjust its notification settings.

Carefully review each app’s notification settings. Turn off notifications entirely for apps that are sending unnecessary or disruptive notifications. You can also change the priority level for app notifications, making them gentle or urgent depending on your preferences.

For apps that you want to keep getting notifications from, take a look at the notification categories and channels. Disable specific notification types that you don’t need. For example, you may want to keep getting chat messages but turn off promotional notifications.

Adjusting notification settings gives you granular control over which apps can send notifications and the types of notifications you’ll receive. Turning off disruptive or irrelevant notifications can stop your notification sound from going off unnecessarily.

Source

Identify Source App

When the notification sound goes off, take note of which app it came from. The sound will likely be tied to the notification settings for a particular app. Try to identify the distinct sound and pinpoint which app it belongs to.

Go into the settings for apps that you think may be triggering the notification sound. Check the notification settings and sound options for each app. For example, open the app’s settings and look for options like “Notifications,” “App notifications,” or “Notification sounds.”

Disable or customize notification sounds for apps that don’t need them turned on. If you can identify the specific sound coming from a particular app, you can change or turn off that sound in the app’s notification settings.

According to Reddit and Android Central forums, sometimes a notification sound goes off without an actual notification.^[1]^[2] So check apps even if you don’t see a notification from them.

Update Apps

One common reason your notification sound keeps going off on your Android phone is outdated apps. App developers regularly release updates that contain bug fixes, performance improvements, and notifications optimizations. An outdated version of an app may contain bugs that cause repeated or errant notification sounds.

To update your apps and fix potential notification issues, open the Google Play Store app. Tap the profile icon in the upper right corner, then go to Manage Apps & Devices > Updates Available. This will show you all the apps that have pending updates. Tap “Update All” to download and install the latest version of each app.

You can also update apps individually. Go to the Play Store app’s Updates tab to see available updates, or open the Play Store page for a specific app you use that could be causing notification problems. Make sure to install any available updates.

Keeping all apps fully updated ensures you have the latest notification capabilities and fixes provided by developers. If an app was triggering repeated notification sounds, the updated version may resolve the problem. While not a guarantee, updating apps is an easy troubleshooting step that could get your notification sounds back to normal.

Sources:
https://www.androidpolice.com/android-notification-problems-fixes/
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-fix-it-when-notifications-are-not-showing-up-on-android-5191032

Restart Device

Restarting your Android device resets all the apps and services and can help resolve temporary software glitches that may be causing issues with your notification sounds (The Education Advocate, n.d.). Simply powering your device off completely and then back on again can reset things and get the notification sounds working properly again (The Tech Edvocate, 2023). This basic troubleshooting step is easy to try and may provide an instant fix for notification sound problems.

To restart your Android device, hold down the power button for a few seconds until the power off prompt appears. Tap “Restart” and let your device completely shut down. Wait 30 seconds or so, then press the power button again to turn your device back on. Give it a minute or two to reboot completely. Then try your notification sounds again. Often this simple restart is enough to resolve temporary bugs and get notification sounds working again.

Restarting your Android requires no technical expertise and takes less than a minute. Before trying more complex troubleshooting, restart your device to see if it resolves your missing notification sounds. Rebooting your phone resets the audio services and gives the operating system a fresh start, often fixing notification sound issues (Android Central, 2021).

Check Do Not Disturb Settings

The Do Not Disturb feature on Android allows you to limit interruptions by silencing calls, alerts, and notifications. If your notification sound keeps going off unexpectedly, it could be an issue with your Do Not Disturb settings.

First, review your Do Not Disturb schedules and exceptions under Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb. Make sure Do Not Disturb is not enabled during time periods when you want to receive notifications ¹.

Also check the exceptions under “What can interrupt Do Not Disturb.” Make sure important apps are not being silenced accidentally. You can allow exceptions for specific contacts, repeated calls, messages, and other apps ².

If a rogue app is overriding Do Not Disturb, it could cause sound alerts at odd times. Try tweaking the exceptions to isolate the problematic app.

Clear App Cache and Data

One potential solution is to clear the cache and data for the app causing the notification sound issue. Clearing the cache and data will reset the app back to its default settings, which can help resolve bugs or glitches like repeating notification sounds.

Here are the steps to clear cache/data on an Android device:

Open your phone’s Settings app.

Tap “Apps & notifications” or “Apps.”
Select the app that is causing issues.
Tap “Storage & cache” or “Storage.”

Tap “Clear cache” to clear the app’s temporary files.
Tap “Clear storage” or “Clear data” to reset the app completely.

Clearing cache and data will sign you out of the app and delete any saved preferences or login details. However, it often resolves technical issues caused by buggy updates or corrupted data in the app. Give it a try if you have an app that seems “stuck” and keeps sending repeat notifications.

Check System Settings

One of the first things to check is your Android device’s default notification sound settings. Open the Settings app and go to Sounds and Vibration (or Notifications). Look for the “Default notification sound” option and make sure it is not set to silent or none [1]. If a silent notification sound is set as the default, it will override any app-specific sounds.

You can also check the sound settings for each individual app. Go back to the main Settings menu, choose Apps or Application Manager, select the specific app, and look for notifications options. Make sure the app sound is not set to silent or none. If you want a custom sound for an app, this is where you can change it [2].

Checking your system and app notification sound settings will ensure your Android phone’s notifications are properly configured with audible alert tones.

Factory Reset Device

Resetting your Android device to its factory default settings can often resolve software issues causing problems with notification sounds. This resets your device back to its out-of-the-box state, erasing all data and settings in the process. According to an article on The Ed Advocate website, going to Settings > System > Backup & Reset > Factory Reset is one way to reboot your device to factory settings and potentially fix notification sound problems.

A factory reset should be used as a last resort troubleshooting step if other methods like updating apps, restarting your device, adjusting notification settings for individual apps, and clearing app cache/data have not resolved inconsistent or missing notification sounds. It is important to backup any data you want to keep before resetting your device. Resetting will require you to reconfigure settings and redownload apps afterwards.

Contact App Developer

If an app’s notification sounds are not working properly, contacting the developer directly can help troubleshoot and resolve the issue. Most reputable apps provide some form of customer support where users can submit bug reports or get assistance.

The app developer may have a known solution for the notification sound problem that they can share. They also likely want to be notified of bugs or issues with their app’s functionality. By reporting the problem, you are helping them improve the app experience.

To find the developer’s contact information, check the app store listing for an email address, visit the developer’s website, or look in the app’s settings menu. Describe the issue in detail and include your device model and Android version. With some direct assistance from the team that built the app, you may be able to get the notification sounds working properly again.

Get Device Serviced

If the notification sound issue persists after trying all other troubleshooting steps, it may indicate a hardware problem or deeper issue with the Android operating system. At this point, it’s best to have the device inspected and potentially repaired or replaced by an authorized service provider.

Some signs that may indicate a hardware or OS issue:

Notification sounds are not working at all, even after factory reset.
The problem started suddenly, without any software changes.

You hear distorted or scratchy sounds instead of notifications.
Other audio issues are also occurring, like during calls.

Device manufacturers like Samsung, Google, LG and others have authorized repair centers that can fully inspect the phone and identify any component failures. They have the parts and expertise to replace any speakers, microphones, circuit boards or chips that may be malfunctioning.

The service center can also reflash the operating system if needed, or replace the device if it cannot be fixed. This gives the best chance of restoring full notification sound functionality.

While an authorized repair may cost money, it is often worth it to get your Android phone working properly again. Continuing to use a phone with persistent sound issues will lead to missing important alerts and notifications.