Last updated: July 31st, 2026 at 15:01 UTC+02:00
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To find your notification sound on a Samsung phone, open the Settings app, tap Sounds and vibration, then tap Notification sound. From there, you can preview and choose from the built-in sounds already loaded on your device. This setting controls the default sound that plays whenever you receive a new notification.
Most Samsung phones running One UI make this easy to access in just a few taps, and you have more control than you might expect. Beyond the default sound, you can also assign unique tones to individual apps, add your own music, and troubleshoot any issues with sound not playing. The sections below walk through each of these questions step by step.
Your notification sound setting lives inside the Settings app under Sounds and vibration. Tap Notification sound and you will see a list of built-in tones. Tap any sound to preview it, then tap the one you want to keep and press the back button or confirm your selection. The change takes effect immediately.
Here is the full path to follow:
If you want no sound at all, you can select None at the top of the list. Keep in mind that this sets the default notification sound for your entire phone. Individual apps may override this with their own sound settings, which is covered in the next section.
Yes, you can set a unique notification sound for individual apps on your Samsung phone. Go to Settings, tap Notifications, select the app you want to change, then tap Sound to choose a specific tone for that app. This overrides the default notification sound just for that app.
This is really useful if you want to instantly know whether a new message is from a specific app without looking at your screen. For example, you might want a distinct sound for your messaging app versus your email app. Here is how to do it:
Some apps have multiple notification categories, such as messages, calls within the app, and general alerts. Each category can have its own sound, giving you very precise control. If an app does not show a sound option, it may manage its own notification settings internally, in which case you would need to open that app's own settings menu to make changes.
To use your own song or audio file as a notification sound on a Samsung phone, the file needs to be saved in the correct folder on your device. Place the audio file in the Notifications folder in your phone's internal storage, and it will appear in your notification sound list automatically.
Here is how to do it step by step:
Common audio formats that work well on Samsung phones include MP3 and M4A files. Very long audio files will still work, but only the first few seconds will play when a notification arrives, so shorter clips tend to work best. If you want to use a specific part of a song, consider trimming it first using a free audio editing app before copying it to the Notifications folder.
If your notification sound is set but you cannot hear it, the most common reasons are that your phone is in silent or vibrate mode, the notification volume is turned down, or Do Not Disturb is active. Checking these three things first will resolve the issue in most cases.
Work through this checklist to find the cause:
If none of these steps fix the issue, it is worth checking whether a recent One UI update changed any settings. Samsung occasionally adjusts notification defaults with software updates, so reviewing your sound settings after an update is always a good idea.
On a Samsung phone, the notification sound, ringtone, and alarm sound are three separate audio settings that each serve a different purpose. The ringtone plays when someone calls you, the notification sound plays for alerts from apps, and the alarm sound plays only when a clock alarm goes off. Each has its own volume control and can be set independently.
Here is a quick breakdown of each one:
The reason Samsung separates these three is so you can customize each one to suit different situations. For example, you might want a loud, attention-grabbing alarm in the morning, a quiet and subtle notification sound during the day, and a more personal ringtone for calls. Because their volumes are independent, turning down your notification volume will not affect how loud your alarm sounds, which is a genuinely useful distinction to understand.
Changing the notification sound under Settings > Sounds and vibration > Notification sound updates the default sound for any app that hasn't been given its own specific tone. However, apps that you've already customized individually — or apps that manage their own notification sounds internally — will not be affected by this change. Think of the default notification sound as a fallback that applies wherever no app-specific sound has been set.
Samsung phones support several common audio formats for custom notification sounds, with MP3 and M4A being the most reliable and widely compatible options. OGG and WAV files also tend to work well on One UI devices. Avoid using formats like FLAC or AIFF, as these may not appear in the notification sound list even when placed in the correct Notifications folder.
Samsung's One UI updates occasionally reset certain sound preferences or change default settings as part of the update process. If your notification sound changed after an update, simply go back to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Notification sound and reselect your preferred tone. It's also worth checking individual app notification settings, since updates can sometimes reset per-app sound choices as well.
For phone calls, yes — you can assign a unique ringtone to a specific contact by opening the Contacts app, selecting the contact, tapping Edit, and choosing a ringtone from their contact details. For messages, this depends on your messaging app: Samsung's built-in Messages app does not natively support per-contact notification sounds, but third-party messaging apps like Textra do offer this feature if per-contact tones are important to you.
Samsung keeps notification volume separate from ringtone and media volume, so you can adjust it independently. Go to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Volume, then drag the Notification volume slider to your desired level without touching the other sliders. Alternatively, press the volume button on the side of your phone, tap the small expand icon that appears, and you'll see individual sliders for all volume types at once.
First, double-check that the file is placed directly inside the Notifications folder in your phone's internal storage — not inside a subfolder within it. Also confirm the file format is supported (MP3 or M4A are safest). If the file still doesn't appear, try restarting your phone, as this prompts the system to rescan the storage and refresh the available sound list.
Yes, this is a practical setup many users prefer. Set your default notification sound to None under Settings > Sounds and vibration > Notification sound, then go to Settings > Notifications, open each priority app individually, and assign a specific sound just to those apps. This way, your phone stays quiet for low-priority alerts while still playing a sound for the apps that matter most to you.
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.
