You can use one audio file to make two different sounds for your Android phone: a ringtone for incoming calls and a shorter notification tone. Select the part you want, preview it, save your ringtone, then return to the original audio and make a brief second clip.
This guide uses Ringtone Maker: MP3 Cutter, developed by UNIQMOB. The app steps follow the saved recording for our first tutorial. Screen labels can vary with the installed version; the Samsung and Pixel settings below come from their official support guidance.
Watch the ringtone and notification tutorial
The workflow starts with an audio file already on the phone. If your starting point is a video, use the separate guide to extracting audio from a video on Android.
Before you start
Have a local audio file you can open on your phone. Use your own recording or audio you have permission to edit and use for this purpose. Keep a separate copy of the source file so you can return to it while making both clips.
Choose a recognizable passage for the ringtone and a brief moment for the notification. A short note, beat or spoken cue is a useful starting point for an alert. Aim for a quick sound you would be comfortable hearing repeatedly; there is no single duration that suits every sound.
A ringtone and a notification sound have separate settings. Changing one does not mean the other has changed, and individual apps may use their own notification sounds.
Make a ringtone from your song or audio
Open Ringtone Maker. In the recorded interface, choose Pick Audio, open Audio Library and select the source audio.
Preview the original sound to find the section you want.
Move the start and end handles around that passage. Preview the selection and adjust the edges until it starts and ends where you expect.
If you want a gentler beginning or ending, try the fade controls shown in the tutorial, then preview again. Fades are optional.
Choose Save Clip. On the saved-clip screen, preview the result and give it a recognizable name, such as “My sound ringtone,” using Rename.
Choose Set as Ringtone. If your phone presents a permission or settings screen, read it and complete the required action before checking the result.
The recording shows an in-app success message after this action. Check the selected ringtone in your own phone’s sound settings and try an incoming call to confirm what actually plays.
Make a shorter notification sound from the same audio
Return to the original audio so you can choose the best brief moment for the alert. The recorded shortcut is Edit, then Start Again from Original. You can also return to audio selection and choose the source file again if that shortcut is absent in your version.
Bring the trim handles closer together, preview the selection, and refine it. The saved recording demonstrates a selection around one second and uses zoom for finer adjustment. Treat that as an example, not a required length. Choose a moment that is recognizable without needing the whole passage.
An optional short fade-out can soften the ending. Listen after changing it so you can judge whether the alert still sounds clear.
Choose Save Clip, preview the saved result, and give the second clip a distinct name such as “My sound notification.” Check that both saved clips are available before deleting or replacing anything. The ringtone and notification should be easy to identify separately.
On the saved-clip screen, choose Notification to apply the shorter sound. Then check your phone’s notification setting. The recording shows a success message, but an app’s own notification settings can still determine the sound you hear.
Check your Android sound settings
Google’s general Android instructions place the ringtone under Settings → Sound & vibration → Ringtone, and the default alert under Sound & vibration → Default notification sound. Current Pixel guidance calls the latter menu Notification. Choose the intended sound and save the selection where prompted. Menu wording depends on the phone and software version. Android sound guidance · Pixel notification guidance.
Add a custom notification sound on Samsung Galaxy
If your saved alert is not available in Samsung’s notification picker, Samsung documents a file-based method:
Open My Files, find the saved audio and select it.
Copy it to Internal storage → Notifications. Create the Notifications folder if it is missing.
Open Settings → Sounds and vibration → Notification sound or Notification sounds, depending on your version.
Select your custom sound and go back to apply it.
This is a Samsung-documented fallback; the app’s exact export location still depends on its version. Start with the saved file you can actually locate. Samsung’s custom notification instructions.
For a custom ringtone, Samsung uses Settings → Sounds and vibration → Ringtone. Use the plus button to choose a local file, then finish with Done. If “Play selected highlights only” appears, switch it off to play from the start of your prepared clip. Samsung’s ringtone instructions.
Change the notification sound for one app
Setting a default notification sound does not force every app to use it. Some apps have separate categories, such as different types of alerts, and others manage sounds in their own settings.
On Pixel, Google documents Settings → Notifications → App notifications → your app → Notification categories → category → Sound. Choose a tone and save it. Pixel instructions.
On supported Samsung software, enable Manage notification categories for each app under Settings → Notifications → Advanced settings if necessary. Open the app under App notifications, select a category, and choose Sound. Notifications must be allowed and the category must use Alert rather than Silent. Samsung notes that some apps do not offer custom sounds or notification categories. Samsung app notification guidance.
If the sound is missing or silent
The custom file is not listed: Confirm that you can find and play the saved audio. On Galaxy, try the Notifications-folder method above for the notification clip. The ringtone picker and notification picker are separate.
The clip previews but alerts are silent: Check the phone’s sound mode and notification volume. Check whether Do Not Disturb or the app’s notification category is silencing the alert. Preview playback alone does not test notification playback.
One app still uses a different sound: Check that app’s category or in-app sound settings. Changing the system default may not replace its own choice.
The wrong part plays as a ringtone: Preview your saved clip and confirm that you selected it rather than the full source track. On Galaxy, also check the highlights option described above.
To switch back, reopen the same ringtone or notification menu and select a built-in tone. If you changed an individual app’s category, change it there too. Android sound and volume guidance.
Create your two sounds
Choose one passage for calls and one brief moment for alerts, then preview both saved clips before checking them in use. Get Ringtone Maker: MP3 Cutter on Google Play to trim your local audio and create your custom sounds.
For more tutorials, visit our Android audio guides.