Last updated: July 31st, 2026 at 15:01 UTC+02:00
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To open notification sound settings on a Samsung phone, go to Settings, tap Sounds and vibration, then select Notification sound. From there, you can choose from Samsung's built-in tones or add your own custom audio file. This works across most Samsung Galaxy smartphones running One UI.
The exact menu names may vary slightly depending on your phone model and which version of One UI it runs, but the path is largely the same across the Galaxy lineup. Below, we walk through everything you need to know about finding, changing, and customizing notification sounds on your Samsung device.
Notification sound settings on a Samsung phone are inside the Settings app. Open Settings, scroll down to Sounds and vibration, and tap it. You will then see Notification sound listed as one of the options. Tapping it opens a list of available tones you can preview and select.
If you are not sure where Settings is, look for the gear icon on your home screen or in the app drawer. You can also swipe down from the top of your screen to open the quick panel, then tap the gear icon in the top corner.
Once you are inside Sounds and vibration, you will notice several related options nearby, including ringtone, system sounds, and volume controls. Notification sound specifically controls the alert tone that plays when apps like messaging, email, or social media send you a notification. It is separate from your ringtone, which only plays for incoming calls.
To change the notification sound on a Samsung phone, open Settings, go to Sounds and vibration, tap Notification sound, and select any tone from the list. Tap a tone to preview it, then tap the back arrow or confirm your choice to save it. The new sound will apply immediately.
Here is the step-by-step process:
Samsung includes a solid variety of built-in notification tones, ranging from subtle chimes to more distinct alert sounds. If none of them appeal to you, the next sections explain how to set a per-app sound or add your own audio file.
Yes, you can set a different notification sound for individual apps on a Samsung phone. Instead of going through Sounds and vibration, open Settings, tap Notifications, select the app you want to customize, and look for a Sound option within that app's notification settings. Not every app supports this, but most messaging and email apps do.
Here is how to do it:
Some apps, like Samsung Messages or Gmail, also let you change notification sounds from within the app itself. Look inside the app's own settings menu if you cannot find the option through the main Settings path. This per-app control is especially useful if you want to instantly recognize which app is alerting you without looking at your screen.
To add a custom notification sound on a Samsung phone, you need to save an audio file to your device and then select it from the notification sound picker. When you are inside Notification sound settings, tap the plus icon or Add button at the top of the list, browse your storage for the audio file, and select it. It will then appear in your tones list.
A few things to keep in mind:
Once you add a custom sound, it stays in your notification sound list even after you change it, so you can switch back to it at any time without having to add it again. This is a great way to personalize your phone with a sound that is truly your own.
If your Samsung phone is not making a sound for notifications, the most common reasons are that the phone is set to silent or vibrate mode, the notification sound is set to None, Do Not Disturb is turned on, or the app's notifications have been muted. Checking these four things will resolve the issue in most cases.
Work through these checks one by one:
If none of these steps fix the problem, try restarting your phone. A quick restart clears minor software glitches that can sometimes cause notification sounds to stop working unexpectedly. If the issue continues after a restart, checking for a One UI software update in Settings under Software update is a good next step, as updates often include bug fixes for system audio behavior.
Yes, changing the notification sound through Settings > Sounds and vibration > Notification sound sets a system-wide default that applies to all apps that haven't been individually customized. However, any app you've already assigned a unique sound to will keep its own sound and won't be overridden. Think of the system-wide setting as the fallback tone for any app that doesn't have its own custom sound assigned.
Unfortunately, you can't directly use streaming audio from Spotify or YouTube as a notification sound, since those services don't allow you to save audio files to your device. Instead, you'll need to use an audio file you actually own or download — such as an MP3 purchased from a music store or a free sound clip from a site like Zedge or Notification Sounds (notificationsounds.com). Once you have the file saved to your phone's storage, you can add it as a custom notification tone through the plus icon in the Notification sound settings.
This is a known occasional side effect of major One UI software updates, which can sometimes reset certain sound preferences back to their defaults. If this happens, simply go back to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Notification sound and reselect your preferred tone. If you were using a custom audio file, make sure the file is still saved on your device, as moving or deleting it from storage will also cause the tone to revert to the default.
In the Samsung Messages app, you can assign a unique notification tone to individual contacts directly within the app. Open Samsung Messages, go into a conversation, tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner, select "Notification settings" or "Mute notifications," and look for a sound or ringtone option. For third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp, a similar option is usually found inside each chat's notification settings, accessible by tapping the contact's name at the top of the conversation.
MP3 is the safest and most widely compatible format to use for custom notification sounds on Samsung phones, though OGG and AAC also work well. For length, aim for a clip between 1 and 3 seconds — short enough to be a quick alert without becoming annoying or disruptive throughout the day. If you have a longer audio file you'd like to use, you can trim it to the right length using a free app like Ringtone Maker or an online tool like mp3cut.net before saving it to your device.
Yes, many apps — especially email and messaging apps — split their notifications into multiple categories, and you can assign a different sound to each one. To do this, go to Settings > Notifications > App notifications, select the app, and look for individual notification categories listed beneath the main app toggle. For example, Gmail separates notifications for new emails, chat messages, and video calls, each with its own sound setting. If you don't see separate categories, the app likely only uses a single notification channel.
If your notification sound is barely audible even at full volume, first check that you're adjusting the correct volume slider — Samsung separates media, ringtone, and notification volumes, and it's easy to accidentally adjust the wrong one. To access all volume sliders, go to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Volume. Also check whether a third-party app or Samsung's own "Adapt Sound" feature is altering your audio output, and make sure your phone's speaker grille isn't blocked by a case or debris, which can significantly muffle sound.
First Samsung device: Galaxy S II
Daniel is the proud co-founder of SamMobile. He joined the SamMobile team in 2011. Most of his spare time is spent enjoying nature (and life in general) with his wife & dog, friends, and family.
