WhatsApp allows users to set custom notification sounds and ringtones for individual chats and groups. This means you can set a special ringtone for your best friend, a different sound for your family group chat, and mute work conversations after hours. With over 2 billion users worldwide, WhatsApp is the most popular messaging app globally. Setting custom WhatsApp ringtones and notification sounds can help you identify who is contacting you without having to check your phone. It’s a useful feature that allows you to customize and personalize your WhatsApp experience. In this 5000 word guide, we will walk through the step-by-step process to change notification sounds on WhatsApp for both iOS and Android devices.
Prerequisites
Before you can set custom ringtones and notification sounds in WhatsApp, there are a few requirements:
– You need to have the latest version of WhatsApp installed on your device. Make sure to update to the newest version from the App Store or Google Play Store.
– Your phone needs to be running iOS 10 or later for iPhones, or Android 5 or later for Android devices. WhatsApp will not work properly on earlier operating systems.
– You need to have downloaded and saved the ringtone or notification sound files you want to use on your phone. These audio files can be MP3, WAV, or other formats.
– Custom ringtones and notification sounds only work if you allow WhatsApp access to your phone’s storage. This allows it to access your audio files.
– You need to have the contacts or groups you want to set custom sounds for already added in your WhatsApp.
As long as your device meets these requirements, you are ready to customize ringtones and sounds in WhatsApp!
How to Change Notification Sounds on WhatsApp for iPhone
Here are the steps to change the notification sound for an individual chat or an entire group on WhatsApp for iOS:
1. Open WhatsApp and go to the chat for which you want to change the notification sound.
2. Tap on the contact’s name at the top of the screen to open their contact info.
3. Scroll down and tap ‘Custom Notifications’.
4. Toggle on the ‘Use custom notifications’ option.
5. Tap on the ‘Sound’ option.
6. This will open your phone’s sound picker. Navigate to the ringtone or audio file you want to set and select it.
7. Your selected sound will now play as a preview. Tap ‘Save’ to confirm.
8. A popup will show confirming the custom notification sound was set for that contact.
To set a custom notification sound for a WhatsApp group:
1. Open the WhatsApp group chat.
2. Tap on the group name at the top to open the Group Info screen.
3. Scroll down and tap ‘Custom Notifications’.
4. Toggle on the ‘Use custom notifications’ option.
5. Select the sound file you want under the ‘Sound’ option.
6. Tap ‘Save’ to set the custom notification sound for the group.
And that’s it! Now this contact or group will play the special ringtone you selected. You can customize sounds for all your important WhatsApp chats using these steps.
How to Change Notification Sounds on WhatsApp for Android
The process is very similar for changing notification sounds in WhatsApp for Android devices:
1. Open the individual or group chat in WhatsApp for which you want a custom sound.
2. Tap the three dot menu icon in the top right corner.
3. Select ‘More’ and then ‘Custom notifications’.
4. Toggle on ‘Use custom notifications’ to enable it.
5. Tap on ‘Select notification tone’ under Sound.
6. Browse and select the audio file you want from your phone’s storage or downloads.
7. Tap OK to set the custom sound.
8. A confirmation message will show that your ringtone was set.
These steps can be repeated for each individual contact or group. For Android devices that run OS 10 and above, you can also:
1. Long press on the chat you want to customize.
2. Tap the info icon that appears.
3. Tap ‘Custom notifications’ and proceed to set a custom tone as above.
Setting custom WhatsApp ringtones and notification sounds gives you more control and personalization over how you communicate. It helps avoid confusion over who is contacting you, and allows you to mute chats so you’re not disturbed.
Troubleshooting Tips
If you are unable to set a custom notification sound on WhatsApp, here are some troubleshooting tips:
– Confirm WhatsApp has permission to access your phone’s storage and audio files. Enable this in your phone’s app permissions settings.
– The ringtone or sound file must be under 30 seconds long. Longer audio cannot be set.
– Try restarting your phone and WhatsApp to clear any glitches.
– Make sure the ringtone or audio file is a supported format like MP3, WAV, AAC. Other formats may not work.
– If you cannot hear the ringtone preview, check your phone’s volume settings and make sure the sound file itself is not corrupted.
– Update WhatsApp to the latest version if you are on an older unsupported release.
– On iOS, check that you have allowed custom sounds under Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp.
– On Android, make sure you have allowed custom notifications for WhatsApp under Settings > Apps & Notifications.
– As a last resort, uninstall and reinstall WhatsApp to wipe any problematic app data.
Following these tips should help get custom ringtones and notification sounds working properly on both iOS and Android devices.
Adding Your Own Ringtones and Notification Sounds
To set a custom alert sound in WhatsApp, you need to first have the audio file downloaded and saved on your device. Here are some ways to get your own ringtones and notification sounds:
– Purchase and download ringtones, music clips, sound effects, etc from apps like iTunes Store, Google Play store, Amazon Music, and more. Make sure to save them to your phone storage.
– Extract audio from videos using free tools and apps like Audacity, File Converter, Freemake Video Converter, etc. Export clips in MP3 format.
– Convert audio tracks from streaming sites like YouTube using online YouTube to MP3 converters or apps.
– Record your own notification sounds, alarms, and ringtones using your phone’s voice recorder or audio editing apps.
– Ask friends to send you unique sound bites and snippets to use.
– Search free sound effect libraries online to download funky noises.
– On iPhone, you can create ringtones in iTunes by trimming longer audio tracks.
Once you build up a library of custom sounds, you’ll be able to assign them as alerts in WhatsApp and give your chats a personal touch. Get creative and set noises like dog barks, car horns, meme sounds, music riffs, or just an “Oi!” to catch your attention.
Best Practices when Using Custom Ringtones
When setting up your own custom WhatsApp ringtones and notification sounds, keep these best practices in mind:
– Pick distinct sounds that you can recognize easily for important contacts so you know right away who is calling.
– Use shorter sounds less than 30 seconds so they do not get cut off.
– Adjust the volume so notifications are loud enough to hear but not disruptive.
– Make sure downloaded or recorded sounds are good quality, not corrupted files.
– Set a consistent default ringtone for unknown numbers or less priority chats.
– Remember to mute conversations when needed so unwanted pings don’t disturb you.
– Change ringtones periodically so the sounds don’t get repetitive and annoying.
– Don’t overdo custom sounds for every single chat; just important ones.
– Keep access to notifications disabled for work chats after regular hours.
– Set vibrate instead of sound when you need to be discreet receiving messages.
Following these tips will let you take full advantage of custom WhatsApp sounds while keeping notifications useful instead of intrusive. Test different ringtones to see what works best for your lifestyle.
Conclusion
Setting custom ringtones and notification sounds for WhatsApp chats is easy on both iPhones and Android phones once you know the steps. Take a few minutes to assign special alert tones to your frequently contacted friends and family groups to add personalization to your WhatsApp experience. With users spending over 195 billion minutes on WhatsApp daily, these customized sounds can help make communicating more fun and engaging. Experiment with crazy sounds or sentimental music clips that have special meaning in your relationships. Custom WhatsApp ringtones and notification alerts are an underutilized feature that can make your chats stand out.