To change your WhatsApp message tone, open WhatsApp’s Settings > Notifications, then choose Notification tone on Android or Sound on iPhone under the message or group settings. Select a tone and tap Save. Private messages and groups have separate settings, so configure both to change both sounds. The Windows system steps below use Windows 11 menus.
The short version
- Android: Open the three-dot menu, then Settings > Notifications and choose Notification tone under Messages or Groups.
- iPhone: Open Settings > Notifications and choose Sound under Message notifications or Group notifications.
- Specific conversations: Android offers individual contact and group tones, while the iPhone group control is under Notifications, then Messages > Alert tone.
- Silent alerts: Sound permissions, notification volume, and mute controls affect whether you hear the selected tone.
| Place or option | What it changes | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Android default tones | Message and group sounds separately | WhatsApp Settings > Notifications |
| Android individual conversation | One contact or group tone | Conversation name > Notifications |
| Android conversation sounds | Sending and receiving sounds | Conversation tones |
| iPhone default tones | Message and group sounds separately | WhatsApp Settings > Notifications |
| iPhone individual group | One group’s alert tone | Group name > Notifications |
| iPhone in-app sounds | Audio alerts while using WhatsApp | In-app notifications |
| Pixel notification category | A message category’s sound | Phone App notifications |
| Galaxy notification category | A message category’s sound | WhatsApp’s Notification categories |
| Galaxy personal audio | An existing file as an alert | The app named My Files |
| Android system default | Alerts using the default sound | Sound & vibration |
| Android notification shortcut | Category controls and audibility | Touch and hold a notification |
| Windows incoming messages | The selected incoming tone | You > Notifications > Messages |
| Windows outgoing messages | Sound when sending | Play sound for outgoing messages |
| Mac message and group alerts | Default notification audio | WhatsApp Notifications |
| WhatsApp Web sounds | Incoming and outgoing audio | Settings > Notifications |
| iPhone sound permission | Whether WhatsApp audio plays | iPhone Notifications > WhatsApp |
| iPhone temporary mute | Alerts for a limited time | Notification Options |
| Windows 11 sound permission | System notification audio | System > Notifications |
| Mac sound permission | System notification audio | System Settings > Notifications |
| Android volume controls | Notification loudness or silence | Volume panel |
| iPhone silent controls | Phone-wide alert audibility | Silent mode hardware or settings |
| Community group muting | Community group message alerts | Group name > Mute notifications |
| Web channel notifications | Channel update alerts | Channel notification bell |
Change the default tone on Android
Open WhatsApp and tap the three-dot menu, then select Settings > Notifications. Under Messages, tap Notification tone, choose your preferred sound, and tap Save. This sets your default private-message alert.
For group messages, stay in Notifications and find Groups. Tap its Notification tone, choose a sound, and tap Save. You can select different sounds for the two sections to distinguish private messages from group activity.
Choose message and group sounds on iPhone
In WhatsApp, open Settings > Notifications. Under Message notifications, tap Sound, select a tone, and tap Save. Repeat under Group notifications to choose the sound for groups.
Choose the actual tone inside WhatsApp. The iPhone setting at Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp has a Sounds switch that controls whether audio alerts play. Turn it on to allow your selected WhatsApp sound, or off to disable audio alerts.
Give a conversation its own tone
On Android, open the contact or group conversation whose sound you want to change. Tap the contact or group name, then open Notifications > Notification tone. Choose a tone and tap Save.
For an individual group on iPhone, open the group and tap its name, then select Notifications. Under Messages, tap Alert tone, select a sound, and tap Save. This gives that group its own alert sound.
Adjust sounds while using WhatsApp
Android’s Conversation tones switch controls sounds associated with sending and receiving messages. To change it, tap WhatsApp’s three-dot menu and open Settings > Notifications. Turn Conversation tones on or off as preferred.
On iPhone, open WhatsApp’s Settings > Notifications > In-app notifications. Toggle Sounds to control audio alerts while using the app. This switch turns in-app sound on or off.
Use Android notification category settings
On a Pixel phone with the current notification interface, open the phone’s Settings > Notifications > App notifications > WhatsApp > Notification categories. Select the relevant message category, tap Sound, choose a sound, and tap Save. The categories available depend on WhatsApp; if the relevant category is missing, choose the message or group tone inside WhatsApp instead.
On Samsung Galaxy, first open Settings > Notifications > Advanced settings and enable Manage notification categories for each app. Then open Settings > Apps > WhatsApp > Notifications > Notification categories. Select the relevant message category, select Alert, then tap Sound, choose a sound, and tap the Back button.
Galaxy labels and categories vary by One UI version and app. If the category controls are missing, use WhatsApp’s own Settings > Notifications path. For another Android shortcut, swipe down to reveal a WhatsApp notification, touch and hold it, and tap Settings. Open the relevant notification category to adjust its available controls, which vary by manufacturer.
To change the system default on Android devices with this setting, open Settings > Sound & vibration > Default notification sound, choose a sound, and tap Save. On the newer Pixel interface, open Settings > Sound & vibration > Notification, choose a sound, and tap Save. This affects WhatsApp only when the applicable notification setting uses the system default; an explicit app or chat tone can override it.
Use a personal audio file on Galaxy
On a Galaxy device whose sound picker exposes copied audio files, you can use an existing file as your notification sound. Open My Files > Audio, touch and hold the file you want, and tap Copy. Return to the home screen of the app named My Files.
Open Internal storage, change the filter from Essentials to All, then open Notifications and tap Copy here. Return to WhatsApp’s notification-category Sound setting in Galaxy settings and select the copied file. If the sound picker does not expose that file, choose one of the sounds it lists.
Set sounds on Windows Mac and the web
In WhatsApp for Windows with the You interface, open You > Notifications > Messages. Enable Show notifications, then select a sound under Notification tone. Selecting None (silent) suppresses the incoming sound. To control the sending sound separately, open You > Notifications and toggle Play sound for outgoing messages.
On Mac, click WhatsApp’s settings gear and open Notifications. Under Message notifications or Group notifications, enable Show notifications, then open Sound > Alert Tones. Choose Default notification sound and click Save. Configure the message and group sections separately.
For WhatsApp Web, open Settings > Notifications. Check Incoming sounds and Outgoing sounds to enable the corresponding audio, or uncheck either to disable it. These controls turn sounds on or off rather than select another tone.
Fix alerts that stay silent
If you selected a tone but still hear nothing, check the sound permission or category. On iPhone, enable Sounds under the phone’s Settings > Notifications > WhatsApp. On current Pixel phones, touch and hold a WhatsApp notification and select Default instead of Silent; on Galaxy, select Alert in the relevant category.
On Android devices with Google’s volume controls, press a Volume button and open the volume panel’s menu. Adjust Notification volume to change the alert loudness. To silence alerts instead, press a Volume button, tap the Ring icon, then select Vibrate or Mute. These controls vary by device, and some require Android 12 or later.
On an iPhone with a Ring/Silent switch, move the switch toward the front to restore audible alerts or toward the back to silence them. If your Action button is assigned to Silent mode, press and hold it to toggle silence. Action-button models also let you control Silent mode under Settings > Sounds & Haptics. These controls affect phone-wide alerts.
On Windows 11, open Start > Settings > System > Notifications, then select WhatsApp under Notifications from apps and other senders. Turn on Play a sound to enable system notification audio, or turn it off to silence that audio. Choose the incoming-message tone inside WhatsApp.
On Mac, open the Apple menu > System Settings > Notifications and select WhatsApp. Turn on Play sound for notification to enable audio, or turn it off to silence it. The available notification options vary by app.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use a personal audio file as a WhatsApp message tone on iPhone?
WhatsApp says iPhone tone selection is limited to the tones available within WhatsApp. Choose from that selection when setting your message or group sound.
How can you temporarily silence WhatsApp alerts on iPhone?
On the Lock Screen or in Notification Center, swipe left over a WhatsApp alert and tap Options. Select Mute for 1 Hour or Mute for Today. Select View Settings to open the app’s notification settings.
Can you mute a community group without leaving it?
You can mute a community group while remaining a member on WhatsApp Web or Desktop. Open the community and its group, click the group name, select Mute notifications, choose a duration, and click Mute notifications again. For announcements, open Announcement group and repeat the process. Mentions may still notify you.
Why is a WhatsApp channel silent on the web?
Channels start muted on WhatsApp Web. Open the channel and click its notification bell to enable notifications, or click it again to silence them. Enabled channel alerts use the same notification behavior as personal messages.