How to change the notification sound for an app

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Is there a way to change notification sound for apps other than system apps such Mail, Text or Facebook etc. Because my iPhone by default plays Tri-Tone sound for all my push notifications from third party apps! And it's very hard to know from the notification as they all have the same sound. Help!

​[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Jan 23, 2017 2:34 PM

9 replies

Question marked as Helpful

May 27, 2017 9:34 PM in response to i_rina

That is not even close to what the person wanted. We don't want to turn the notification sound on and off, we want to make it play a different sound for different apps. There is no way to do that in Settings > Sounds. There used to be a way to set different sounds for different apps.

Question marked as Helpful

Jun 10, 2017 3:04 AM in response to i_rina

What kind of dumb answer is that? But no, iOS is so **** locked down you can't even change notification sound for every app, thought something like this would be added in iOS 11 but still the same locked OS. Why is Apple so scared of customization..?

Question marked as Helpful

May 2, 2017 9:15 AM in response to huzzihusain

This does not give me an option for different sounds. Just that I can turn it on and off. So I guess I have the same notification sound for a lot of my apps or can I customize this?

Question marked as Helpful

Nov 21, 2017 11:14 AM in response to huzzihusain

Yeah, this is nuts. I have the same notification sound for LinkedIn, Twitter, (and many others) as I do when my gate opens. My dogs lose it when they hear it so it's become entirely inconvenient. Apple should easily listen to its' customers and allow for custom notification sounds the same way phone numbers can have custom ringtones. What's the problem, Apple?

Jan 24, 2017 11:09 AM in response to huzzihusain

Hi huzzihusain,

I see that you're looking to customize your notification sounds for third party apps. I can see why you'd want it set up this way; that does sound very convenient.

Take a look at the following information, particularly the portion at the bottom that mentions "Sounds".

Change alert styles and settings for notifications

Customize your notifications with different alert styles so you can act quickly on emails, calendar invites, messages, and more. To add or change an alert style for a notification, go to Settings > Notifications and select an app.

Notifications from apps can have these alerts styles:

  • Banners: Banner alerts appear at the top of the screen and go away automatically. To reply, swipe down on the banner or swipe up to dismiss it. If you have an iPhone 6s or later, you can respond to a banner alert with 3D Touch. Just press deeply on a banner alert to respond.
  • Alerts: With Alerts, you need to act before you can move on. Depending on the app, you can dismiss the alert or reply to it.
  • Badges: A Badge is the red number that appears on an app icon and shows you how many notifications you have for that app.
  • Sounds: Have an app play a sound to alert you when you receive a notification.

Use Notifications on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Take care!

Question marked as Helpful

Oct 4, 2017 4:21 AM in response to lukegroves

Pathetic. Samsung Galaxy here I come asap. Apple have lost the plot.

Question marked as Helpful

Nov 23, 2017 9:05 AM in response to i_rina

Please answer this question correctly or escalate it.

The question is how to change the notification sounds for the third party apps, it’s not ato turn them off or on.

Question marked as Helpful

Jun 10, 2017 4:05 AM in response to huzzihusain

There is no way to customise the notification sound for 3rd party applications. However, if you wish to change the sound for apps built into the iPhone, you can do this by going to Settings > Sounds & Haptics.

Question marked as Helpful

Nov 30, 2017 6:57 PM in response to refbaptdude

If the app developer didn't build that functionality into their app, you can't.

20 replies

Jan 24, 2017 11:09 AM in response to huzzihusain

Hi huzzihusain,

I see that you're looking to customize your notification sounds for third party apps. I can see why you'd want it set up this way; that does sound very convenient.

Take a look at the following information, particularly the portion at the bottom that mentions "Sounds".

Change alert styles and settings for notifications

Customize your notifications with different alert styles so you can act quickly on emails, calendar invites, messages, and more. To add or change an alert style for a notification, go to Settings > Notifications and select an app.

Notifications from apps can have these alerts styles:

  • Banners: Banner alerts appear at the top of the screen and go away automatically. To reply, swipe down on the banner or swipe up to dismiss it. If you have an iPhone 6s or later, you can respond to a banner alert with 3D Touch. Just press deeply on a banner alert to respond.
  • Alerts: With Alerts, you need to act before you can move on. Depending on the app, you can dismiss the alert or reply to it.
  • Badges: A Badge is the red number that appears on an app icon and shows you how many notifications you have for that app.
  • Sounds: Have an app play a sound to alert you when you receive a notification.

Use Notifications on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch - Apple Support
Take care!

Question marked as Helpful

May 2, 2017 9:15 AM in response to huzzihusain

This does not give me an option for different sounds. Just that I can turn it on and off. So I guess I have the same notification sound for a lot of my apps or can I customize this?

Question marked as Helpful

May 27, 2017 9:34 PM in response to i_rina

That is not even close to what the person wanted. We don't want to turn the notification sound on and off, we want to make it play a different sound for different apps. There is no way to do that in Settings > Sounds. There used to be a way to set different sounds for different apps.

Question marked as Helpful

Jun 10, 2017 3:04 AM in response to i_rina

What kind of dumb answer is that? But no, iOS is so **** locked down you can't even change notification sound for every app, thought something like this would be added in iOS 11 but still the same locked OS. Why is Apple so scared of customization..?

Question marked as Helpful

Jun 10, 2017 4:05 AM in response to huzzihusain

There is no way to customise the notification sound for 3rd party applications. However, if you wish to change the sound for apps built into the iPhone, you can do this by going to Settings > Sounds & Haptics.

Question marked as Helpful

Oct 4, 2017 4:21 AM in response to lukegroves

Pathetic. Samsung Galaxy here I come asap. Apple have lost the plot.

Nov 17, 2017 12:52 PM in response to 742-xx

I really need this feature for my work. They are going to loose another one customer 😕

Question marked as Helpful

Nov 21, 2017 11:14 AM in response to huzzihusain

Yeah, this is nuts. I have the same notification sound for LinkedIn, Twitter, (and many others) as I do when my gate opens. My dogs lose it when they hear it so it's become entirely inconvenient. Apple should easily listen to its' customers and allow for custom notification sounds the same way phone numbers can have custom ringtones. What's the problem, Apple?

Question marked as Helpful

Nov 23, 2017 9:05 AM in response to i_rina

Please answer this question correctly or escalate it.

The question is how to change the notification sounds for the third party apps, it’s not ato turn them off or on.

Nov 30, 2017 6:50 PM in response to i_rina

How can you change the sound for third party apps?

Question marked as Helpful

Nov 30, 2017 6:57 PM in response to refbaptdude

If the app developer didn't build that functionality into their app, you can't.

Dec 20, 2017 10:18 AM in response to huzzihusain

There is an easy way. Get an android phone, life is so simple after that (out of personal experience) 😝

Dec 28, 2017 5:03 PM in response to atabaei

I am also looking for this option to customize sounds for third party apps.

Please escalate!

Dec 29, 2017 5:20 AM in response to huzzihusain

You can change the notification sound from the app itself settings. For example whatsup has options for that. Check the app in its settings

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How to change notification sounds on iPhone

How do I set different notification sounds for different apps?

Follow the steps below to set each notification sound..
Launch the Settings app and tap Apps..
Select the app you want to change a notification sound for and tap Notifications..
Tap General notifications..
Tap Sound..
Select your desired sound..

How do I set different notification sounds for different apps on my iphone?

Meanwhile, Apple's own apps, such as FaceTime, Mail, and Messages allow users to set their own custom notification sounds. To do this, go to 'Settings' > 'Notifications,' and then choose the target app. From here, tap on 'Sounds' and then select the notification sound from the available options.

Can you change alert tone for an app?

Android phones allow you to change notification sounds for each app individually. This is useful if you'd like a specific app notification sound for different apps (for example, the WhatsApp messenger or text messages app).

How do I change the sound of certain notifications?

Change your notification sound.
Open your phone's Settings app..
Tap Sound & vibration. Default notification sound..
Choose a sound..
Tap Save..