Where to find Google notification sound settings

Google notifications on Android come from several different apps — Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Assistant, and others. Each one has its own sound setting, so you need to know which app is making the noise before you can silence it. The fastest way is to press and hold the notification itself when it arrives, which shows you exactly which app sent it and takes you straight to its settings.

If you do not have a notification in front of you right now, open your Settings app, scroll down to Apps or Application Manager (the name varies by phone brand), and search for the Google app that is bothering you. Tap it, then tap Notifications. From here, you can turn off all notifications from that app, or dig deeper to silence just the sound while keeping the visual alerts.

Key Takeaways

  • Each Google app (Gmail, Calendar, Maps, etc.) has separate notification sound settings, so you must adjust them individually.
  • The quickest route is to press and hold an incoming notification, which shows you which app sent it and opens its settings directly.
  • You can silence notification sounds while keeping visual alerts on, or turn off notifications from that app entirely.
  • If you want to keep notifications but remove all sounds across your phone, your system-wide Do Not Disturb settings override individual app settings.

Silencing notifications from Gmail

Gmail notifications are usually the most frequent, and they are also the easiest to control. Open the Gmail app, tap your profile picture in the top right corner, then tap Manage your Google Account. Go to the Notifications tab, then find Gmail in the list. Tap it and you will see options for Notification sound — tap that dropdown and select None.

If you want finer control, go back to your phone's main Settings app instead. Tap Apps, search for Gmail, tap Notifications, then tap All Gmail notifications. Here you can toggle Sound off while leaving the visual notification badge on. Some phones also let you choose a different sound from this same menu if you want to keep notifications but make them quieter.

Turning off sounds for Google Calendar and other apps

Google Calendar, Google Maps, Google Drive, and other Google apps follow the same pattern. Open Settings, tap Apps, search for the specific app, tap Notifications, then look for a Sound toggle or dropdown. Tap it and select None or Silent.

Some Google apps nest their notification settings deeper. For example, Google Calendar may require you to tap Notifications, then Calendar notifications, then Sound. If you cannot find the sound setting in the main Notifications menu, tap through the submenus — the option is usually there, just one level down. If an app does not show a sound option at all, it means that app does not send notification sounds on your phone.

Using Do Not Disturb to silence all notifications at once

If you want to stop all notification sounds without turning off individual apps, use your phone's Do Not Disturb mode. Swipe down from the top of your screen twice to open the full Quick Settings panel, find Do Not Disturb, and tap it. This silences all notifications system-wide while still showing visual alerts on your lock screen and in your notification panel.

You can schedule Do Not Disturb to turn on automatically at certain times — for example, every night at 10 p.m. Open Settings, search for Do Not Disturb, tap Schedules, then tap Add a schedule. Set the days and times you want it active, and your phone will silence all notification sounds during those windows without you having to remember to turn it on.

Stopping Google Assistant notifications

Google Assistant sends notifications for reminders, alarms, and routine suggestions. To silence these, open the Google Assistant app (or say "Hey Google, open Assistant settings"), tap your profile picture, then go to Notifications. You will see separate toggles for different notification types — turn off the ones you do not want, or tap Sound and select None to keep them silent.

If you use Google Assistant on your lock screen or home screen, it may send notifications through your system notification settings instead. In that case, go to Settings, tap Apps, search for Google (the main Google app, not Google Assistant), tap Notifications, and adjust the sound there. You may need to check both places if Assistant notifications are still coming through.

What to do if notification sounds keep coming back

Sometimes after you turn off a notification sound, it reappears after a system update or when you sign back into your Google account. This happens because Google occasionally resets notification settings to their defaults. If this occurs, the fix is the same: go back to Settings, find the app, and turn off the sound again.

If you find yourself doing this repeatedly for the same app, consider turning off all notifications from that app instead of just the sound. Open Settings, tap Apps, find the app, tap Notifications, then toggle Allow notifications to off. You will no longer see or hear anything from that app, but you can always turn it back on later if you change your mind.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I silence Google notifications but keep notifications from other apps loud?

Yes. Each app has its own sound setting, so you can turn off sound for Gmail and Calendar while keeping sound on for text messages, calls, and other apps. Go to Settings, tap Apps, find each Google app individually, tap Notifications, and adjust the Sound toggle for each one.

Why do my Google notifications still make noise even though I turned off the sound?

You may have turned off the sound in the wrong place. Check both your phone's main Settings app (Apps > [App Name] > Notifications > Sound) and the app's own settings menu (usually in the app's menu or settings icon). Also check that Do Not Disturb is not accidentally turned on, which would silence everything.

Will turning off notification sounds also turn off the visual badge on my app icon?

No. Turning off sound and turning off the visual badge are separate settings. You can silence the sound while keeping the red notification dot on your app icon, or vice versa. Look for a toggle called "Badge" or "Show notification badge" in the same Notifications menu where you control sound.

How do I know which Google app is sending a notification if I have multiple ones installed?

Press and hold the notification when it arrives. Your phone will show you the app name and give you a quick option to turn off notifications from that app or open its full settings. This is faster than guessing which app to check in Settings.

Does turning off Google notification sounds affect my alarms or timers?

No. Notification sound settings only affect notifications. Your alarms, timers, and phone calls will still make noise. Do Not Disturb mode does silence alarms, so if you use that feature, make sure to check your schedule settings so alarms are not accidentally silenced when you need them.