Notifications are an important part of many devices, allowing you to get alerts for new messages, calendar events, and other updates. The default notification sounds can get annoying after a while, especially if you get a lot of notifications. Fortunately, on most devices you can customize your notification sounds to use any audio file you want.
In this article, we’ll walk through how to change the default notification sounds on some of the most popular platforms and devices. Whether you want to use your favorite song as your new text tone or assign unique sounds to specific apps, customizing your notification audio is a great way to personalize your device.
Changing Notification Sounds on iPhone
The iPhone makes it easy to customize your notification sounds for texts, emails, reminders, and more. Here are the steps to change the default sounds on an iPhone:
1. Open the Settings app.
2. Scroll down and tap on Sounds & Haptics.
3. Under Sound and Vibration Patterns, tap on Sounds.
4. This will open up a list of the different notification types, like Ringtone and Text Tone. Tap on any notification type to change the sound.
5. You can then choose from the default sounds Apple provides or tap on “My Sounds” to select an audio file from your music library.
6. Once you’ve selected a new sound, it will be set for that notification type. Make sure to click “Back” in the top left corner when you are done to save your changes.
The My Sounds section makes it really easy to turn any song, audio clip, or sound effect into your custom notification. Just make sure the file is loaded onto your iPhone first.
You can repeat these steps to change the sound for calendar alerts, new voicemail notifications, email alerts, and any other types of notifications you receive on your iPhone. It’s an easy way to identify different notifications without even having to look at your screen.
Using songs for custom iPhone ringtones
Any song in your music library can become your custom text tone or ringtone. Just follow these additional steps:
– Open the GarageBand app and select Audio Recorder.
– Choose a song from your library and trim it to 30 seconds or less.
– Tap Share and Export to save the trimmed song file.
– Go back to Settings > Sounds and select this new file for any notification sound.
GarageBand lets you quickly turn longer songs into short audio clips perfect for custom ringtones or tones. This gives you many more options compared to the default sounds.
Changing Notification Sounds on Android
Compared to iPhone, Android offers even more options for customizing notifications because you can use any audio file as a sound. Here’s how to change the default notification sounds on Android:
1. Open the Settings app and select Sound & vibration.
2. Tap on Notification sound.
3. Select a default sound or tap on Add ringtone to choose any audio file saved on your device.
4. Tap on a notification type like Alarm, Calendar event, Email, etc to change the sound just for that app.
5. Select the new sound you want to use from your ringtones or media files.
If you want super unique sounds for different apps, Android makes it easy to assign a custom sound for notifications from specific apps.
You can also change the default tap sounds, charging sounds, and dial pad tones using the Sound settings if you want to customize even more audio experiences.
Creating custom notification sounds
To get really creative with your custom sounds on Android, try making your own audio clips or editing sounds in an app like Audacity:
– Record a short sound like a voice memo to use for a text tone.
– Download unique sound effects online to use for app alerts.
– Edit an audio file in an app like Audacity to cut out 30 seconds for a custom ringtone.
– Use audio creation apps to make short clips by mixing sounds together.
Since Android allows any file format like MP3 for notifications, you can let your creativity run wild. Make funny noises, sample songs, or record words to get personalized alert tones.
Changing Notification Sounds on Windows
Windows 10 allows you to customize notification sounds for all types of alerts. Here are the steps:
1. Open Settings and select System then click on Sound.
2. Under More Options, scroll down to the Notifications section.
3. You’ll see a list of apps and notification types like Mail, Calendar, etc. Select one to change the sound.
4. Pick a new sound from the available options or click Browse to select an audio file from your PC.
5. Make sure to click the Save button at the bottom when you’ve picked a new sound.
6. Repeat for any other apps you want to customize notification sounds for.
Windows bundles a few built-in sound effects but also makes it easy to use your own audio files. Unlike iPhone, there are no restrictions on file length or format.
Adding custom sound files
To use completely custom audio for your notifications on a Windows PC:
– Find or create audio files in MP3, WAV, or other formats.
– Save the files into a folder like Documents > Notification Sounds.
– When changing the notification sound, click Browse and select this new audio file.
You can download unique sound effects online or convert songs into short clips using an audio editor. Having the files saved in a designated folder makes them easy to find when customizing your notification sounds.
Now your new SMS tone, email ping, or app alert can be in your own voice, a song, or a sound effect.
Changing Notification Sounds on Mac
Mac also provides a lot of flexibility for choosing custom sounds to replace the default alert noises. Here are the steps:
1. Click on the Apple icon in the top left and choose System Preferences.
2. Select Notifications & Focus.
3. On the left, pick an app you want to change the notification sound for.
4. Find the sound option and click on the dropdown menu to see the built-in sounds.
5. Select Other to pick any audio file from your Mac’s library or storage.
6. Navigate to and select the new sound file you want to use.
7. Make sure to click the X in the top left corner to save your changes.
8. Repeat for any other apps you want to customize.
Mac supports common formats like MP3, WAV, AAC for notification audio. With just a few clicks, you can transform any song or sound effect into your new alert tone.
Adding custom sounds
Follow these tips if you want to use completely custom notification audio on a Mac:
– Create or download short audio files specifically meant for alerts.
– Save the files into a memorable location like Documents > Notification Sounds.
– When selecting a new sound, choose Other and navigate to this folder.
– You can edit longer audio clips in GarageBand to make 30 second ringtones.
– Try unique sounds like pet noises, instruments, or meme clips for funny text tones.
The key is having the audio files handy in a designated place for easy access when customizing your system sounds. Let your imagination run wild with the notification possibilities.
Conclusion
After following the steps for your device, you should now have customized notification sounds set for your most used apps and alerts. Just remember to save your changes as you select new tones.
Unique notification sounds can help you identify different types of alerts without having to look at your phone. Whether you want a calming chime for emails or your favorite song for incoming texts, custom audio adds personality to your device.
Plus, changing the default notification sounds prevents repetitive dings from driving you crazy. Take a few minutes to assign special sounds for notifications you actually want to hear. You can always switch them back if you get nostalgic for the classic dings and chimes.
So explore your audio files and get creative with custom notification tones. Just keeping the length short and file types compatible, and you’ll be set to give your phone, computer, tablet, or smartwatch more personalized sounds.