Apple will finally let you change your iPhone’s default notification sound

If you don’t like the default notification sound on your iPhone, tough luck. Apple hasn’t provided any means of changing it going back as far as we can remember–the iPhone’s ascending three-note sound has become somewhat synonymous with smartphone notifications.

Of course, Apple has always let you change the notification sound for certain apps such as Messages Mail and even sometimes for specific types of notifications (like your Ring doorbell), but if it doesn’t, you get what Apple gives you which, until iOS 17 was called Tri-tone. When iOS 17 launched, Apple updated a bunch of tones and sounds, changing the default alert from Tri-tone to Rebound. It’s a less harsh sound, but some complain it’s also less noticeable and perhaps quieter, and they want to go back. Until now, they couldn’t.

With iOS 17.2, Apple’s going to do you one better: Not only can you restore the sound to Tri-tone, you can finally change the default notification sound and haptics to whatever you want.

First spotted in iOS 17.2 beta 4, all you have to do is open the Settings app, tap Sound & Haptics, and look for the new Default Alerts setting. Tap that and you can restore the notification sound to Tri-tone (you’ll find that within Classic), or use any other alert sound you wish. You can also change the haptics for your default sound.

It’s an overdue change, to say the least. Couples everywhere will no longer need to ask “Was that my phone or yours?” when an alert comes in. Thank you, Apple.