Why is my phone not making a noise when I get a message?

Your Samsung phone is not making a noise when you get a message most likely because the notification sound has been muted, turned down, or disabled for that specific app. This can happen after accidentally silencing your device, adjusting volume settings, or enabling a feature like Do Not Disturb. The good news is that fixing it is straightforward once you know where to look, and the sections below walk through every common cause.

How do I check if my notification sounds are turned off?

Start by checking your notification volume, which is a separate slider from your ringtone or media volume on Samsung phones. Pull down the quick settings panel from the top of your screen and look for a sound or volume icon. If your phone shows a bell with a line through it, or a crescent moon icon, your sounds may be silenced at the system level.

To check and adjust notification volume properly, press the physical volume button on the side of your phone. A small panel will appear on screen. Tap the downward arrow next to it to expand all volume sliders. You will see separate sliders for ringtone, media, notifications, and system sounds. Make sure the notifications slider is not all the way to the left. Even if your ringtone volume is high, a separate low notification volume will prevent message sounds from playing.

You can also go to Settings, then Sounds and vibration, then Volume to find these sliders. While you are there, check the Notification sound option to confirm a sound is actually selected and has not been set to silent by mistake.

Why is my Samsung phone silent only for certain apps?

If your Samsung phone makes sounds for some apps but not others, the notification sound has likely been turned off specifically for that app. Android and One UI allow each app to have its own notification settings, completely independent of your main volume level. So your phone could be fully audible for calls but completely silent for messages from one particular app.

To check this, go to Settings, then Notifications, then App notifications. Find the app that is not making a sound, such as Messages, WhatsApp, or any other messaging app you use. Tap on it and look for a sound or alert type setting. Make sure it is not set to silent or set to deliver notifications quietly without sound.

Within some apps, you may also find notification categories. For example, the Samsung Messages app might have separate settings for individual message alerts versus group message alerts. Each category can have its own sound setting, so it is worth tapping into each one to confirm they all have an audible sound selected. If the notification sound is set to “None” for that category, your phone will stay silent even when a message arrives.

What does Do Not Disturb do to message alerts?

Do Not Disturb is a Samsung feature that silences all incoming sounds and vibrations, including message notification sounds, so your phone does not interrupt you during sleep, meetings, or focused time. When Do Not Disturb is active, messages still arrive and appear on your screen, but your phone will not make any noise or buzz to alert you.

You can check whether Do Not Disturb is on by pulling down the quick settings panel from the top of your screen. If the Do Not Disturb tile is highlighted or active, tap it to turn it off. You can also go to Settings, then Sounds and vibration, then Do Not Disturb to see whether it is enabled and to review any scheduled times it might be switching on automatically.

One thing that catches many people off guard is the Do Not Disturb schedule. Samsung lets you set Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically at certain times, such as overnight or during work hours. If your phone goes silent at the same time each day, a scheduled Do Not Disturb rule is almost certainly the reason. Check the schedule settings and delete or adjust any rules that are activating at the wrong times. You can also set exceptions so that calls or messages from specific contacts still make a sound even when Do Not Disturb is on.

Could a Samsung software update have changed my sound settings?

A Samsung software update can occasionally reset or alter notification settings, particularly after a major One UI update. This does not happen with every update, but it is a known cause of sudden changes in how your phone handles sounds and alerts. If your notification sound stopped working shortly after your phone installed an update, the update is a reasonable suspect.

After any significant One UI update, it is worth doing a quick check of your notification settings to make sure everything is still configured the way you had it. Go to Settings, then Notifications, and review both your general notification preferences and the settings for your most-used messaging apps. Pay particular attention to whether notification sounds are still selected and whether Do Not Disturb schedules remain as you set them.

Updates can also introduce new notification features or reorganize where settings live in the menus, which can make it harder to find the right toggle. We cover One UI updates regularly, so if a recent update has caused widespread sound issues for Samsung users, you will find information about it and any fixes on SamMobile.

How do I fix my Samsung message sound if nothing else has worked?

If you have checked your volume, app notification settings, and Do Not Disturb and your Samsung phone still makes no sound for messages, there are a few deeper fixes worth trying. Start with a simple restart, as this clears temporary software glitches that can interfere with sound delivery without changing any of your settings.

If a restart does not help, work through these steps in order:

1. Clear the cache for the Messages app. Go to Settings, then Apps, find your messaging app, tap Storage, and select Clear cache. This removes temporary files that can sometimes cause app behavior to become unreliable.
2. Check your phone case or physical buttons. Some phone cases can press against the volume buttons and gradually lower your notification volume without you realising it. Check that the volume buttons move freely and that no case is keeping them depressed.
3. Check for a Bluetooth connection. If your phone is connected to a Bluetooth speaker, headphones, or a car system, notification sounds may be routing to that device instead of your phone's speaker. Disconnect Bluetooth temporarily and test whether sounds return.
4. Reset app preferences. Go to Settings, then General management, then Reset, then Reset app preferences. This restores default notification settings for all apps without deleting any data, and it often resolves stubborn sound issues.
5. Check for a software update. Occasionally a bug introduced in one update is fixed in the next. Go to Settings, then Software update, and install any available updates.

If none of these steps restore your notification sound, the issue may be hardware-related, such as a damaged speaker. In that case, contacting Samsung Support or visiting a Samsung service centre is the best next step to get your phone properly assessed.