WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app worldwide, with over 2 billion users. One of the great features it offers is the ability to customize your notification sounds and alert tones. If you’re tired of the default tones, you can easily add custom sounds to make your WhatsApp chats more fun and personalized.
Why customize WhatsApp tones?
Here are some of the main reasons you may want to use custom alert tones in WhatsApp:
- Stand out from default tones – The default WhatsApp tones can get repetitive and boring over time. Custom tones help your notifications stand out.
- Personalize chats – You can set unique tones for different chats and contacts. This makes it easier to identify who is messaging without having to check your phone.
- Reflect personality – Choose tones that represent your style, mood, sense of humor etc. It’s a fun way to express yourself.
- Notify urgency – Pick distinct tones for time sensitive messages or important contacts.
- Avoid confusion – If you have multiple chat apps, custom tones prevent mixups if notifications sound alike.
The ability to add custom alert tones is available for both Android and iOS devices. Here’s how to do it on each platform.
Customizing Android alert tones
For Android smartphones and tablets, WhatsApp uses your ringtones or notifications sounds by default. Here are the steps to change these tones in WhatsApp:
- Open WhatsApp and tap the 3-dot menu in the top right.
- Go to Settings > Notifications > Sound.
- Tap the option for New messages and select your desired tone.
- You can also choose a tone for Group notifications.
- Tap OK to confirm.
This will set the notification tones for all chats and contacts. To customize alerts for specific chats do the following:
- Open the chat you want to change the tone for.
- Tap the name or number at the top and select Custom notifications.
- Choose the sound you want.
- Make sure you toggle on Use custom notifications.
The steps are similar when customizing tones for WhatsApp calls. Just go to Settings > Notifications > Call sound. Some Android devices may not have a dedicated menu for custom chat tones. In that case, you can still set unique ringtones which WhatsApp will use.
Getting new ringtone files
To add totally new sounds that aren’t already on your Android device:
- Download the ringtone files (.mp3 or .ogg) from websites or create your own.
- Connect your phone to a computer and copy the files to the Ringtones folder.
- Disconnect and open Sounds app in your Android settings.
- Tap Add ringtone, select the files and tap OK.
- The tones will now show up in your notification sound options for WhatsApp.
Adding custom tones on iPhone
The process for changing notification sounds in WhatsApp for iPhone is very similar:
- Open WhatsApp Settings > Notifications > Sounds and vibrate patterns.
- Tap New Messages to change the default tone.
- You can also select a sound for Group Notifications.
To set custom tones for specific chats:
- Go to the chat and tap the contact’s name.
- Tap Custom Tone and select the sound to use.
For calls, go to WhatsApp Settings > Sounds and vibrate patterns > Call ringtone. However, remember that WhatsApp calls on iPhone use the default Phone app tones.
Adding new ringtone files
Getting fresh new sounds onto your iPhone requires a few extra steps:
- Get the ringtone files from the internet in .m4r format.
- Connect the iPhone to your computer and open iTunes.
- In iTunes, select your device and go to Tones > Add.
- Select the .m4r files and sync the tones to your iPhone.
- You can now find these tones in the Sounds settings for WhatsApp.
Best practices for custom tones
Here are some tips to use custom notification tones effectively in WhatsApp:
- Choose tones that are distinct so you can differentiate between chats.
- Make sure tones are short enough to convey the alert.
- Set urgent-priority contacts to have unique tones.
- Use tones suited to the contact’s personality – fun, quirky etc.
- Keep critical group/work chats to concise professional tones.
- Change tones occasionally if you get bored of the same sounds.
- Use tones that you can hear easily in noisy environments.
- Make sure tones are not jarring or unpleasant for people around you.
- Try to avoid clipping or distorting when creating custom tones.
With great responsibility comes great customization power! Don’t overdo it and set reasonable tones depending on who you’re conversing with on WhatsApp.
Troubleshooting tips
While setting custom notification tones is usually straightforward, here are some troubleshooting tips just in case:
Problem: Tones not changing in WhatsApp
- Confirm the tones are formatted correctly as .mp3/.ogg for Android, and .m4r for iOS.
- Double check that tones are copied to the correct Ringtones or Tones folder.
- Try restarting your phone and WhatsApp after adding new tones.
- Make sure WhatsApp has permission to access your media and files.
Issue: Can’t find option for custom chat tones
- Go to the contact’s info itself and look for Custom Tone or notifications.
- Update WhatsApp to the latest version from your app/play store.
- On Android, open system Settings > Sound to directly change ringtones.
Problem: Added custom tones not showing in WhatsApp
- Resync ringtones in iTunes if on iPhone.
- On Android, restart media scanner using an app like Ringtone Maker.
- Check if WhatsApp has storage permission to read media files.
Conclusion
Personalizing your WhatsApp alert tones is a great way to customize your messaging experience. Follow the steps outlined above carefully, and troubleshoot issues if your custom tones don’t appear correctly. With so many chatting on WhatsApp daily, using distinct tones helps avoid mixups and makes your notifications more interesting.
So be bold and express yourself, be functional and set priority tones, or just be silly and set funny tones for your friends. Custom tones are part of what makes WhatsApp so versatile for all kinds of chats and groups. Change your tune today!
| Platform | Steps to Change Tones |
|---|---|
| Android |
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| iPhone |
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