Where to find the notification sound setting

Open the Ring app on your phone and tap the three horizontal lines (menu) in the bottom right corner. Select Devices, then tap the doorbell or camera you want to adjust. Scroll down until you see Notification Settings or Alert Tone — the exact label depends on which Ring device you own and which version of the app you have installed.

Once you tap into that section, you will see a list of available sounds. Ring offers a standard doorbell chime, a digital bell tone, a buzzer, and several musical options. Tap any sound to hear a preview before you save it. The change takes effect when ready on your phone.

Key Takeaways

  • The notification sound setting lives in the Ring app under Devices, then your specific doorbell or camera, then Notification Settings.
  • You can preview each sound before saving it, so you do not have to guess which one you prefer.
  • The sound you choose applies only to your phone — other household members using the Ring app will still hear their own default sound unless they change it separately.
  • If you turn off notifications entirely in your phone's system settings, the Ring app cannot override that, even if you have selected a custom sound in the Ring app itself.

Why you might want to change the sound

The default Ring notification sound is a generic digital chime that can be hard to hear in a noisy room or straightforward to miss if you are focused on something else. Changing it to a louder or more distinctive tone means you are less likely to miss a delivery, a visitor, or a motion alert while you are cooking, on a call, or in another part of your home.

A secondary reason is control: if you share your home with other people, each person can set a different sound on their own phone. This way, you know whose phone is ringing and can respond accordingly without checking the app.

What happens if you have multiple Ring devices

Each Ring device — doorbell, outdoor camera, indoor camera, floodlight — has its own notification sound setting. You can set your front doorbell to a loud chime, your back camera to a quieter tone, and your indoor camera to vibrate only. This separation is useful if you want to know which part of your home triggered the alert without opening the app.

The Ring app does not let you set one sound for all devices at once. You have to change each one individually by going to Devices, selecting that device, and adjusting its Notification Settings. If you have four Ring products, you will repeat this step four times.

How your phone's system settings override the Ring app

Your phone has its own notification controls that sit above the Ring app. If you have silenced your phone, turned on Do Not Disturb, or muted notifications for the Ring app in your phone's system settings, the Ring app cannot make a sound no matter what you choose in the app itself.

To check this on an iPhone, go to Settings, then Notifications, then Ring. Make sure Allow Notifications is turned on and Sounds is enabled. On Android, go to Settings, then Apps, then Ring, then Notifications, and confirm that notifications are not blocked or muted. If your phone is in Do Not Disturb mode, Ring notifications will be silent until you turn that mode off.

Changing notification sounds on a shared account

If you share a Ring account with a partner, family member, or roommate, each person can read the Ring app on their own phone and set different notification sounds. The account itself does not have a single "master" sound — the sound depends on whose phone is receiving the notification.

This means if your partner sets the doorbell to a loud chime and you set it to a quiet beep, you will each hear your own choice when someone rings the bell. There is no way to force everyone on the account to hear the same sound from the Ring app side. The only way to sync sounds across devices is if everyone manually chooses the same option.

Troubleshooting when the sound does not change

If you select a new notification sound in the Ring app but your phone still plays the old sound, first check that you actually tapped the save or confirm button. Some versions of the Ring app require you to tap a checkmark or confirm button after selecting a sound; straightforward tapping the sound itself is not enough.

Second, force-close the Ring app completely and reopen it. This clears any temporary glitches that might prevent the new setting from taking effect. On iPhone, swipe up from the bottom of the screen and swipe the Ring app away. On Android, go to Settings, Apps, Ring, and tap Force Stop. Then reopen the app and test the notification by triggering a motion alert or asking someone to ring the doorbell.

If the sound still does not play, check your phone's Do Not Disturb settings and your notification permissions for the Ring app, as described in the section above. Many people discover their phone is in a silent mode they forgot about.

When to use vibration instead of sound

The Ring app also lets you set notifications to vibrate only, with no sound. This is useful if you are in a meeting, at work, or in a situation where a doorbell chime would be disruptive. You can keep your phone in your pocket and feel the vibration without alerting everyone around you.

To set vibration-only alerts, go to your phone's system settings (not the Ring app) and turn off the sound for Ring notifications while keeping notifications themselves turned on. Your phone will vibrate when someone rings the doorbell or triggers motion, but no sound will play.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set different notification sounds for motion alerts and doorbell rings?

No. The Ring app assigns one notification sound to each device, and that sound plays for all types of alerts from that device — motion, doorbell press, package detection, and person detection all use the same tone. You cannot split them into separate sounds within the Ring app.

Will my notification sound change if I update the Ring app?

No. Your custom notification sound choice is saved to your account and will remain the same after an app update. However, if Ring adds new sounds in a future update, you will see them as options the next time you open Notification Settings.

What if I want the Ring doorbell to make a sound inside my house, not just on my phone?

That is a different feature called a chime or indoor speaker. Some Ring doorbells work with a separate Ring Chime device that plugs into a wall outlet and plays a sound in your home when someone rings. That is separate from the phone notification sound and requires a different setup.

Can I upload my own custom sound instead of using Ring's preset options?

No. The Ring app only offers the sounds that Ring has built in. You cannot upload an MP3 file or use a sound from your phone's library as a Ring notification sound. You are limited to the options Ring provides in the Notification Settings menu.

Why does my notification sound play even though my phone is on silent?

Your phone's Do Not Disturb or Focus mode may be set to allow notifications from certain apps. Check your phone's system settings to see if Ring is on the allowed list. If it is, either remove it from that list or turn off the sound permission for Ring in your notification settings.