Change your SMS notification sound in Settings

To change the sound your iPhone makes when you receive a text message, open Settings and tap Sounds & Haptics (or Sounds on older models). Scroll down to the Sounds and Vibration Patterns section and tap Text Tone. You'll see a list of built-in sounds — tap any one to hear a preview, then tap it again to select it. The change takes effect immediately.

If you don't see Sounds & Haptics in your main Settings menu, your phone may be set to Silent mode. Check the physical mute switch on the left side of your iPhone — if it's pushed down toward the back, your phone is silenced and won't play notification sounds. Flip it up to enable sounds again, then return to Settings to choose your tone.

The same Text Tone menu controls the sound for all incoming text messages from any contact. If you want different sounds for different people, you'll need to set custom notifications per contact instead of changing the global SMS tone.

Key Takeaways

  • Go to Settings, then Sounds & Haptics, then Text Tone to pick from built-in notification sounds.
  • Tap a sound to preview it, then tap it again to make it your default text message tone.
  • If you don't hear anything, check the physical mute switch on the side of your iPhone — it may be in Silent mode.
  • To give different people different notification sounds, you set that in each contact's details, not in the global SMS tone settings.
  • The Text Tone setting applies to all text messages unless you've customized individual contacts.

Set a custom notification sound for one contact

If you want your best friend's texts to sound different from everyone else's, you can set a custom notification tone for that specific person. Open the Contacts app, find the person's name, and tap Edit in the top right. Scroll down and tap Text Tone, then choose a sound from the list. Tap Done to save.

When that contact texts you, their message will use the custom sound you picked instead of your default text tone. You can set different sounds for as many contacts as you want — each one remembers its own notification sound. If you later change your default text tone in Settings, the custom sounds you've set for individual contacts won't change.

Use a song or voice memo as your text notification sound

The built-in tones are limited, but you can create a custom notification sound from a song in your Music library or a voice memo you've recorded. The process requires using a computer and iTunes or Finder, and the sound file must be shorter than 40 seconds and in a specific format.

On a Mac, open Finder and locate the audio file you want to use. Right-click it and select Get Info, then note the exact length in seconds. Open iTunes (or use Finder if you're on macOS Catalina or newer), find the song, right-click it, and select Song Info. Go to the Options tab and set a start and stop time so the total length is under 40 seconds. Save the changes.

Next, right-click the song again and select Create AAC Version. When the shortened version appears in your library, right-click it and select Show in Finder. Rename the file so it ends in .m4r instead of .m4a. Connect your iPhone to your computer, open Finder, click your iPhone's name, go to Files, drag the .m4r file into the window, then disconnect. The sound will now appear in your Text Tone list on the phone.

On Windows, the steps are similar but use iTunes instead of Finder. Create the shortened version, export it as an .m4a file, rename it to .m4r, then drag it into iTunes and sync it to your iPhone through the device settings.

Troubleshoot when you can't hear text notifications

If you've set a text tone but don't hear it when messages arrive, check these things in order. First, flip the mute switch on the left side of your iPhone to the up position — this is the most common reason notifications are silent. Second, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and make sure Change with Buttons is turned on; if it's off, your volume buttons won't adjust notification volume and the sound may be too quiet to hear.

Third, check that Do Not Disturb is not turned on. Open Control Center by swiping down from the top right of your screen (or up from the bottom on older models) and look for the moon icon. If it's highlighted, tap it to turn Do Not Disturb off. While this mode is active, text notifications are usually silent.

Fourth, go back to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and tap Text Tone again. If you see a sound with a checkmark next to it, that's your current tone. Tap a different sound, listen to the preview, and tap it again to confirm. Sometimes a tone gets corrupted and won't play — switching to a different one fixes it.

Understand the difference between Text Tone and other notification sounds

Your iPhone has separate notification sounds for different types of messages. Text Tone is specifically for SMS text messages and iMessages from the Messages app. If you use other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, or Facebook Messenger, those apps have their own notification settings that override your iPhone's text tone.

To change notifications for a third-party app, open that app's settings (usually found by tapping a gear icon or your profile picture), look for Notifications or Sounds, and choose a tone from there. Each app manages its own notification sound separately from your iPhone's global settings.

Your iPhone also has separate tones for calls, voicemails, emails, and calendar alerts. If you want to change those, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and look for Ringtone, Voicemail, Mail, or Calendar Alerts depending on what you want to adjust.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can't I hear my text notification sound even though I set one?

The most common reason is the mute switch on the left side of your iPhone is in the down position. Flip it up to enable sounds. Also check that Do Not Disturb is not turned on in Control Center — while active, notifications are usually silent. If both of those are fine, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and try selecting a different text tone, as the current one may not be working properly.

Can I set different text tones for different people?

Yes. Open Contacts, find the person's name, tap Edit, scroll to Text Tone, and pick a sound. That person's texts will use their custom tone instead of your default. You can do this for as many contacts as you want, and each one remembers its own sound.

Can I use a song from Spotify or Apple Music as my text tone?

No. Streaming apps like Spotify and Apple Music don't let you export songs for use as notification sounds. You can only use songs you own in your Music library, voice memos you've recorded, or the built-in tones. If you own a song file on your computer, you can convert it to a custom notification sound using iTunes or Finder.

What happens to my text tone if I update my iPhone?

Your chosen text tone stays the same after an update. If you created a custom notification sound from a song or voice memo, that sound will also remain on your phone as long as the file wasn't deleted. Built-in tones never disappear.

Do text tones work the same way on older iPhones?

The basic process is the same on all iPhones — go to Settings, find Sounds, and tap Text Tone. On very old models, the menu might be called Sounds instead of Sounds & Haptics, but the option to change your text notification sound is there. Custom notification sounds from files work on iPhones running iOS 5 and newer.