Why is there no sound notification on my Outlook app?

The Outlook mobile app allows users to access their Outlook email and calendar on iOS and Android devices. One key feature of the app is the ability to receive notifications for new emails, calendar events, reminders and more. These notifications typically include visual banners and audio alerts to notify the user of new activity even when the Outlook app is running in the background.

However, some users have reported issues where the Outlook app is not producing audio notifications when new emails or events come in. Without the audible alerts, users can easily miss notifications as they may not see the visual banners pop up on their device screens. This can lead to delays in responding to urgent emails and missing important calendar events.

Types of Notifications in Outlook

The Outlook mobile app for iOS and Android provides several types of notifications to help keep users informed and organized:

Email notifications – Be notified whenever you receive a new email. You can customize notifications to only alert you for certain email senders or priority emails.

Calendar alerts – Get reminded about upcoming appointments and events on your Outlook calendar. Calendar alerts help avoid missing meetings.

Reminders – Create reminders that provide alerts at specific times or locations. Reminders in Outlook can help you remember to follow up on emails, run errands, or complete tasks.

You can customize notification settings separately for emails, calendar alerts, and reminders in Outlook. This allows you to fine-tune which types of notifications you receive.

Sound Notifications

By default, the Outlook mobile app will play a sound for new message notifications, calendar events, and reminder alerts [1]. These sounds help notify you when you receive new mail or have an upcoming appointment in your calendar. The audio cues can be useful for staying on top of your inbox and schedule when you are away from your computer.

For email messages, Outlook will play a brief chime sound when a new message arrives in your inbox. This helps alert you to new mail so you can review it in a timely manner. For calendar events, Outlook will play a sound at the date/time of the event based on your alert settings. And for reminders, Outlook plays a sound when the reminder is triggered to notify you of tasks and to-dos. These various sound effects can be controlled in the settings.

Enabling/Disabling Sound Notifications

You can enable or disable sound notifications for different types of alerts in Outlook. This allows you to customize which notifications make sounds and which ones are silent.

To turn sound on or off for email notifications in Outlook on desktop:

– Go to File > Options > Mail.

– Under Message Arrival, check or uncheck “Play a sound” as desired. You can also select a different sound here.

On mobile, open the Outlook app and go to Settings > Notifications to toggle sound on or off for your notifications.

On iOS ^[1], slide the “Sounds” switch to on or off. On Android, toggle the “Allow notifications” and “Sound” options.

You can also set sound preferences specifically for calendar event reminders and meeting responses in the calendar settings in Outlook.

Default Notification Settings

The Outlook mobile app has default notification sounds enabled by default for new mail and calendar events. According to Microsoft, the default notification sound for new mail on iOS is “Mail Received” and for calendar events is “Calendar Event.” On Android, the default new mail notification sound is simply called “Email” and the calendar notification is “Calendar Reminder.”

These default sounds are setup when you first install and setup the Outlook mobile app on your device. Outlook allows users to customize the default sounds through the notification settings. However, if you have not changed these settings, then the app will use the default notification sounds.

Customizing Notification Sounds

You can customize the notification sounds in the Outlook mobile app for different types of notifications, such as new emails or calendar events. Here’s how to set custom sounds on iOS and Android devices:

On iOS, open the Settings app and tap on the Outlook app. Scroll down and tap ‘Sounds’ to customize sounds for new mail, calendar events, reminders and others ¹.

On Android, open the Outlook app and tap on the hamburger menu in the top-left. Go to Settings > Notifications > New mail sound. Tap on the sound option to change it or add a custom sound ¹.

You can set unique custom sounds for different accounts in Outlook. On iOS, go to Settings > Outlook > Accounts & Passwords and select an account. Tap ‘Sounds’ to customize notifications. On Android, tap on an account under ‘Notifications’ to customize sounds ¹.

Notification Settings on iOS vs Android

There are some key differences between the notification settings available in Outlook’s iOS and Android apps:

On iOS, notification settings are controlled at the system level. You can go into Settings > Notifications > Outlook to toggle notifications on/off and customize notification sounds for the Outlook app. There is granular control over which account notifications you want enabled.

On Android, notification settings are configured within the Outlook app itself. You can go to Settings > Notifications to toggle notifications and sounds. The notification options are more basic compared to iOS – you can only enable/disable notifications for the entire Outlook app, not individual accounts.

Notifications on iOS can include a preview of the email/event, while Android notifications only display the sender/title. iOS also supports timed notifications to mute during certain hours. These advanced notification options are not available in the Android Outlook app.

So in summary, iOS provides richer notification customization through the system settings, while Android relies on the basic built-in controls within the Outlook app.

Source: Optimize the Outlook mobile app for your phone or tablet

Troubleshooting Missing Notification Sounds

There are a few common reasons why notification sounds may not be working properly in the Outlook app:

• Sounds are disabled in Outlook’s notification settings – Check the app’s settings to make sure “Play Sound” is enabled under notifications.
• Device sound is muted – Make sure your device’s ringer/media volume is turned up and not muted.
• Outlook is in offline mode – Being in offline mode can prevent notifications and sounds. Make sure Outlook is online.
• Outdated app version – An outdated version of the Outlook app may have notification bugs. Update to the latest version.
• Notifications disabled for Outlook – Check your device’s notification settings to ensure Outlook has permissions to display notifications.
• Conflict with other apps – Other apps may interfere with Outlook’s ability to produce notification sounds.

To fix missing notification sounds, first ensure sounds are enabled in Outlook’s app settings. Also check your device’s sound, notification, and Outlook app permissions. Update Outlook to the latest version, and toggle offline mode on/off. If the issue persists, try uninstalling/reinstalling Outlook to resolve any potential conflicts with other apps.

Summary

In summary, Outlook’s mobile app supports sound notifications that alert you when new emails arrive. By default, sound notifications are enabled on iOS devices but disabled on Android. You can customize notification sounds in the app’s settings – for iOS go to Settings > Notifications > Outlook, and for Android go to Settings > Notification sounds.

On both platforms, you can set a default notification sound or assign custom sounds to individual email accounts. If notifications are suddenly silent, first check if Do Not Disturb is enabled, which mutes all sounds. Also confirm notification sounds are still enabled in the app’s settings, and that system volume is turned up. Reinstalling the app can resolve underlying software issues causing missing sounds. With the ability to customize alert tones, Outlook’s notifications can be tailored to your preferences.

Conclusion

In summary, the Outlook mobile app allows users to customize notification settings, including enabling or disabling sound notifications for new emails and calendar events. The default setting mutes notification sounds, so users must proactively go into Settings to enable sounds if desired.

For most users, having audio notifications can be helpful for staying on top of new messages and appointments. The chime or alert tone provides an extra cue to check the app when new items come in. However, some users may prefer keeping notifications silent to avoid disturbances.

My recommendation is to enable notification sounds, at least for priority senders or calendar events. The audio feedback can be a useful productivity aid. However, maintain the default mute setting for less important alerts to avoid notification overload. Take advantage of the granular customization options in Settings to tailor notifications to your needs.