---
key: add-a-custom-ringtone-or-alert-sound
title: Add a custom ringtone or alert sound
audience: staff
section: settings/communications
routes: ["/settings/communications/attention"]
permissions: ["communications.attention.settings.read"]
features: ["communications.attention"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: Upload a ringtone or chime, build a profile for calls, texts, emails and voicemail, and choose sounds for your browser and Android app.
keywords: [ringtone, notification sound, chime, upload mp3, incoming call sound, text alert sound, mute email sound, volume, browser sounds]
related: [give-a-customer-their-own-ringtone, set-up-a-phone-line, review-calls-and-voicemails]
---

In the sidebar, open **Settings**, then choose **Ringtones** under **Communications**. The page address is `/settings/communications/attention`, and its title reads **Attention Audio**.

## Before you start

- These profiles choose sounds when a call rings, a text or email arrives, or a voicemail lands in your browser or Android app. Each teammate's browser has to allow sound; Android also uses the phone's notification settings.
- Custom uploads and per-customer sounds are plan features. The **Custom sounds** and **Assignments** tiles at the top say whether each is enabled for your workspace.
- Your role needs permission to read attention settings to open the page; uploading sounds and saving profiles need the upload and profile permissions. The permission grid near the top shows **Allowed** or **Blocked** for each.

## Steps

To test what plays today:

1. Under **Browser test events**, press **Test incoming call**, **Test text**, **Test email** or **Test voicemail**. The sound plays in your own browser, using the current defaults. **Test browser ring** at the top plays the incoming-call ring.

To upload a sound:

1. Under **Sound assets**, find **Upload custom sound**.
2. Choose an MP3 or WAV as the **Audio file**, type a **Label** such as VIP customer ring, and pick a **Category**: **General** for any event, or one of **Incoming calls**, **Text messages**, **Emails** or **Voicemail**.
3. Press **Upload**. Nova checks the file before it can be used; its card says so while it waits, and **Preview** turns on once it is ready.

To build a profile:

1. Under **Reusable profiles**, press **Use as template** on a built-in profile to start from a copy of it, or press **New profile** at the top of the editor beside the list to start blank. **Edit** opens one of your own profiles.
2. Give it a **Label** and a **Description**, and leave **Profile active** on.
3. For each of **Incoming calls**, **Text messages**, **Emails** and **Voicemail**: switch it to **Enabled** or **Muted**, pick a **Sound** or keep **Use default system sound**, set the **Volume**, and choose **Loop** (rings until answered) or **Play once**. **Preview** plays your choice.
4. Press **Save Profile**. It joins the list under **Reusable profiles**.

## What you see

- **Sound assets** lists the built-in sound packs and your uploads, each with **Preview** (and **Download** when the sound is a file). Pick a pack under **Sound packs** to narrow the list. Built-in sounds cannot be deleted; an upload has a bin button if your role can delete sounds.
- A profile with no assignment does nothing yet. To make it the organization's default or give it to one customer, see [[give-a-customer-their-own-ringtone]].
- **Ensure defaults** at the top (shown when your role can change these settings) adds Nova's built-in sounds and profile, and an organization-wide default rule if the workspace has none.
- On Android, open Phone, choose Calls and press the sound settings button. Under Sounds & ringtones, choose Sound profile for your personal default or Workspace default to inherit. Customer and phone-line rules still apply. Set personal volume, event mutes and quiet hours there too.
- Under Phone sounds, choose a category to change its Android sound and vibration. Android choices take priority over Nova profiles. Calls ring until answered or ended; messages play once. Ongoing-call and background status stay quiet. These Android controls also work without custom profiles.

## If something looks different

- The test and **Preview** buttons are greyed out: browser playback is off for your workspace by plan. Previews cannot run, and Nova plays no browser sounds until it is back on.
- **Upload** is greyed out: custom sounds are not part of your plan. **Upload custom sound** is missing altogether: your role cannot upload sounds.
- A sound card says NovaScan could not approve it: the file was rejected. Upload a different file.
- **Save Profile** refuses with a message about the label: give the profile a **Label** first.
- Android shows a category as silent: open that category under Phone sounds and choose an audible sound. Also check the phone's volume, Silent mode and Do Not Disturb. A Nova volume of zero, a muted event or active quiet hours keeps that event silent.

[[route:/settings/communications/attention|Open Attention Audio]]