Change Android Calendar Notification Sound

How to Change Calendar Notification Sound on Android Devices.

Learn how to change the calendar notification sound on your Android phone. If you want to know right away when a calendar alert pops up without looking at your screen, setting a unique sound helps. You’ll hear the sound and think “”that’s my calendar”” instead of checking every buzz.

I’ll show you this on a Sony Xperia 1V running Android 15 using Google Calendar. If you use Samsung Calendar or another app, the steps will be similar but the menu names might be slightly different.

Why change your calendar notification sound?

By default, most calendar apps use your phone’s standard notification sound. That means every app sounds the same – texts, emails, calendar reminders, and app alerts all make the same noise.

When you give your calendar a unique sound, you know immediately that a reminder is going off. No more guessing. You can decide if you need to check it now or ignore it.

Which calendar app are you using?

This guide covers Google Calendar, which is the most common calendar app on Android. If you’re using:

• Google Calendar – Follow the steps below
• Samsung Calendar – Similar steps, but look for settings inside the Samsung Calendar app
• Microsoft Outlook – Settings are inside the Outlook app under Notifications
• Another calendar app – Look for a gear or settings icon inside that specific app

How to change Google Calendar notification sound step by step

Step 1: Open the Google Calendar app
Find the Calendar app on your home screen or in your app drawer. Tap to open it.

Step 2: Open the menu
Look for the hamburger menu icon (three horizontal lines ?) in the top left corner of the screen. Tap it.

Step 3: Scroll down and tap Settings
Keep scrolling down the menu until you see “”Settings”” near the bottom. Tap it.

Step 4: Tap General
On the Settings page, look for “”General”” and tap it.

Step 5: Scroll to Notifications
Scroll down until you see the “”Notifications”” section.

You’ll see several options:

• Calendar notifications
• Task notifications
• Task overdue notifications

Step 6: Tap Calendar notifications
This is the main setting for event reminders. Tap it.

Step 7: Make sure notifications are on
At the top, you should see a switch to enable or disable notifications. Make sure it’s turned on (blue or colored, not gray).

Step 8: Tap Sound
Look for “”Sound”” in the list. Tap it.

Step 9: Pick your new sound
You’ll see a list of available sounds. Tap any sound to preview it. Your phone will play a sample so you can hear what it sounds like.

Step 10: Confirm your choice
Once you find a sound you like, tap “”OK”” or “”Save”” at the bottom. Some phones save automatically when you tap the sound.

Step 11: Go back
Press the back button until you exit settings. Your new calendar sound is now active.

How to set different sounds for tasks

If you use Google Tasks (to-do lists) along with your calendar, you can set separate sounds.

Step 1: Follow steps 1-5 above

Step 2: Tap “”Task notifications”” instead of Calendar notifications

Step 3: Follow the same steps to pick a different sound

Step 4: Do the same for “”Task overdue notifications”” if you want

This way, you can have one sound for calendar events, another sound for regular tasks, and a third sound for overdue tasks. You’ll know exactly what kind of reminder you’re getting without looking.

How to change Samsung Calendar notification sound

If you have a Samsung phone and use the built-in Samsung Calendar:

Step 1: Open the Samsung Calendar app

Step 2: Tap the three lines (?) in the top left

Step 3: Tap the gear icon (??) for Settings

Step 4: Tap “”Notifications””

Step 5: Tap “”Calendar notifications”” or “”Events””

Step 6: Tap “”Sound”” and pick your new tone

Step 7: Tap Save or OK

How to use a custom sound for calendar notifications

Want to use your own audio file as a calendar sound?

Step 1: First, get your audio file on your phone (MP3, M4A, or OGG format)

Step 2: Follow the steps above until you reach the sound selection screen

Step 3: Look for an “”Add”” button or a plus icon (+)

Step 4: Navigate to where your audio file is stored

Step 5: Tap the file to select it

Step 6: Your custom sound will now appear in the list for future use

What if the sound setting is greyed out or missing?

If you can’t change the calendar sound, check these things:

Notifications are turned off at the system level
Go to Settings > Notifications > App notifications > Calendar. Make sure notifications are allowed.

Do Not Disturb is on
Do Not Disturb silences all sounds. Turn it off in Quick Settings.

Your calendar app is outdated
Go to the Play Store and check for updates to Google Calendar or your calendar app.

Using a different calendar app
Some third-party calendar apps don’t allow custom sounds. Try Google Calendar instead.

How to test your new calendar sound

After changing the sound, create a test event:

Step 1: Open Google Calendar
Step 2: Tap the plus icon (+) to add an event
Step 3: Set the event time for 2-3 minutes from now
Step 4: Add a notification reminder (like “”5 minutes before”” or “”at time of event””)
Step 5: Save the event
Step 6: Wait for the notification to appear

You should hear your new sound when the reminder pops up.

Can you set different sounds for different calendars?

If you have multiple calendars (like Work, Personal, Family), Google Calendar does not let you set different sounds for each. The sound setting applies to all calendars in the app.

However, if you use separate calendar apps (like one for work and one for personal), each app can have its own sound.

What about vibration?

In the same notification settings screen, you can also control vibration:

• Vibrate – Turn on or off vibration for calendar notifications
• Vibration pattern – Some phones let you pick different vibration patterns

Quick summary

To change Google Calendar notification sound:

1. Open Google Calendar
2. Tap the hamburger menu (?) in top left
3. Scroll down and tap Settings
4. Tap General
5. Scroll to Notifications
6. Tap Calendar notifications
7. Make sure notifications are enabled
8. Tap Sound
9. Pick a new sound from the list
10. Tap OK or Save

To use different sounds for tasks:
Follow the same steps but tap “”Task notifications”” or “”Task overdue notifications”” instead.

To use a custom sound:
Look for an Add button (+) in the sound selection screen and pick your own audio file.

Once set up, you’ll hear your calendar reminders loud and clear with a sound you actually notice. No more mixing up calendar alerts with text messages or email pings.