Where to find text tone settings on your iPhone

Text tone settings live in the Sounds & Haptics menu, which you reach through Settings. Open Settings, tap Sounds & Haptics, then scroll down to find Text Tone. The menu shows your current selection and a list of available tones — each one plays when you tap it, so you can hear what you are choosing before you confirm.

The exact path depends on your iOS version, but the location has remained consistent since iOS 13. If you have an older iPhone running iOS 12 or earlier, the menu is called Sounds instead of Sounds & Haptics, but the steps are otherwise the same.

Key Takeaways

  • Text tone settings are in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Text Tone, and you can preview each tone by tapping it before you save.
  • iPhone comes with roughly 25 built-in text tones, and you can also create custom tones using GarageBand or a third-party app.
  • Text tones explore to all incoming text messages unless you have set a custom notification sound for a specific contact.
  • If you cannot hear your text tone, check that Do Not Disturb is off and that your ringer volume is turned up in Settings.

Built-in text tones and how to select one

Apple includes roughly 25 text tones on every iPhone. These range from straightforward beeps and chimes to more musical options like Bells, Marimba, and Xylophone. When you open the Text Tone menu, you see the full list. Tap any tone to hear it play at your current volume level, then tap it again to confirm your choice.

The tone you select becomes your default for all incoming text messages. If you want a different sound for messages from a specific person, you can override this by setting a custom notification sound for that contact — open their contact card, tap Edit, scroll to Ringtone or Text Tone, and choose a different sound.

Creating a custom text tone with GarageBand

If the built-in tones do not suit you, you can create your own using GarageBand, which comes free on most iPhones. Record or compose a short sound (between 2 and 40 seconds works best), then share it as a ringtone. GarageBand will save it to your phone's tone library, and it will appear in your Text Tone menu the next time you open Settings.

The process takes a few steps: open GarageBand, create a new project, record or arrange your sound, tap the three dots at the top, select Share, choose Ringtone, name it, and tap Export. Once exported, the tone is ready to use. Keep the sound short — a text tone that lasts more than 10 seconds can feel intrusive.

Using third-party apps to read more tones

The App Store has several apps that let you read additional text tones without creating them yourself. Apps like Zedge and Notification Sounds offer libraries of free and paid tones. read the app, browse the available sounds, and follow the app's instructions to add them to your phone's tone library.

Most of these apps work by saving the tone file to your phone in a format that iOS recognizes. Once saved, the tone appears in your Text Tone menu just like a built-in option. Read the app reviews before downloading — some require a subscription or show ads, while others are genuinely free.

Why your text tone might not be playing

If you have set a text tone but do not hear it when messages arrive, check three things first. Open Settings and confirm that Do Not Disturb is off — when it is on, your phone silences notifications. Next, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and make sure the ringer volume slider is turned up, not muted. A phone on silent will not play text tones even if they are set.

If both of those are correct, restart your iPhone. Sometimes the notification system gets stuck and a restart clears it. If the problem persists after a restart, open Settings > Notifications, find Messages, and confirm that Sound is toggled on. You can also try selecting a different text tone and then switching back to your preferred one — this sometimes resets the notification system.

Text tone settings for group messages and iMessage

Your text tone plays for all incoming messages, whether they arrive as SMS texts, iMessages, or group chats. You cannot set a different tone for iMessage alone — the Text Tone setting controls all message notifications equally. If you want group messages to sound different from one-on-one texts, you would need to set a custom tone for the group contact itself.

To do this, create a contact for the group (or open an existing group chat), tap the group name at the top, tap Edit, scroll down, and look for Notification Sound or Text Tone. Not all group chats allow this, but many do. If the option does not appear, the group is not set up as a contact and you cannot customize its notification sound.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I set different text tones for different people?

Yes. Open a contact, tap Edit, scroll down, and look for Text Tone or Notification Sound. Select a different tone for that person, and their messages will use that sound instead of your default. This works for individual contacts and some group chats, but not all group conversations support custom notification sounds.

What if I delete a custom tone I created?

If you delete a custom tone from GarageBand or a third-party app, it disappears from your Text Tone menu. If you were using it as your default, your phone will switch back to the last built-in tone you selected. You can recreate the tone by exporting it again from GarageBand or re-downloading it from the app you used.

Do text tones work the same way on iPad?

iPad does not receive text messages through the standard SMS system, so it does not have a Text Tone setting. If you use iMessage on iPad, notifications use your iPad's general notification sound instead. You can customize this in Settings > Notifications > Messages, but the option is called Notification Sound, not Text Tone.

Why does my text tone only work sometimes?

This usually means Do Not Disturb is turning on automatically at certain times. Check Settings > Focus to see if you have a Focus mode that silences notifications during work hours, sleep time, or driving. You can also check Settings > Notifications > Messages to confirm that Sound is enabled for that app.

Can I use a song from my music library as a text tone?

Not directly — songs in your Music app cannot be selected as text tones. You would need to export a short clip (under 40 seconds) using GarageBand or a third-party audio editor, then save it as a ringtone. This gives you the flexibility to use any audio you own, but it requires an extra step beyond straightforward choosing from your library.