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Set a Different Google Messages Tone for Every Text—or Just One Chat

Set a sound for all incoming Google Messages notifications, customize one conversation, or change Android’s phone-wide default notification tone.
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To change the sound for incoming texts across Google Messages, open your phone’s Settings, find Google Messages under Apps or Notifications, open its notification controls, choose Incoming messages, then select Sound. To change just one chat, adjust its sound from that conversation’s settings instead. Android menus vary by device and version.

Change the sound for all Google Messages conversations

  1. Open your phone’s Settings.
  2. Tap Apps or Notifications, then find Google Messages. It may appear as Messages or Messages by Google.
  3. Open Notifications or App notifications.
  4. Tap Incoming messages. If notification categories appear as rows, tap the category name to open its controls.
  5. Tap Sound and choose a tone.

This changes the sound for the app’s incoming-message notification category, rather than setting a separate tone for each conversation. The precise path and available controls depend on your Android version and device maker’s software.

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Set a different sound for one conversation

  1. Open the conversation in Google Messages.
  2. Tap the name and picture at the top of the conversation.
  3. Tap Notifications, then Sound.
  4. Choose a tone.

These controls apply to that conversation. Google’s Messages Community guidance gives the same route for choosing a different conversation sound.

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Change the phone’s default notification sound

For the device-wide default, open Settings > Sound & vibration > Default notification sound, choose a tone, and tap Save if that button appears. This is a system setting, not a Google Messages-only setting, so other apps that use the default notification sound may also be affected.

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If you can’t find the sound option

  • Check that the Incoming messages notification category is enabled.
  • Check whether the category is set to alert rather than silent; some devices expose sound controls only within an alerting category.
  • Look for category rows under the app’s notification settings and tap Incoming messages to reveal its options.
  • If the labels or controls differ, consult the phone manufacturer’s instructions. Google notes that steps can vary on customized Android versions, so the same menu path is not guaranteed on every device.

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