[GH-ISSUE #1441] Add additional "custom" sounds

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:32 +02:00

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Originally created by @wildernessfamily on GitHub (Sep 10, 2025).
Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/1441

Hi, I searched through all the open and closed issues and could not find a feature-request for custom sounds. The only one I ran across was issue #950, but, it didn't seem to really fit.

I have different topics for work, business, IoT sensors, etc. I use Pushover.net quite a bit as they have extensive sounds to choose from. They also have short and long sounds. With my IoT sensors, if I have a high priority notification, I can have it play a long alert sound. I was thinking if it was possible, the ability to add custom sounds to NTFY sound library which could be synced across all devices (iOS, Android, and Desktop). I have subscriptions to Envato Elements and Adobe Stock. They have some amazing alert sounds. I thought I could add a few distinctive alerts to my NTFY server for different type of notifications.

💻 Target components
Where should this feature/enhancement be added?

ntfy server,
Android app,
iOS app,
web app

Originally created by @wildernessfamily on GitHub (Sep 10, 2025). Original GitHub issue: https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/1441 Hi, I searched through all the open and closed issues and could not find a feature-request for custom sounds. The only one I ran across was issue #950, but, it didn't seem to really fit. I have different topics for work, business, IoT sensors, etc. I use Pushover.net quite a bit as they have extensive sounds to choose from. They also have short and long sounds. With my IoT sensors, if I have a high priority notification, I can have it play a long alert sound. I was thinking if it was possible, the ability to add custom sounds to NTFY sound library which could be synced across all devices (iOS, Android, and Desktop). I have subscriptions to Envato Elements and Adobe Stock. They have some amazing alert sounds. I thought I could add a few distinctive alerts to my NTFY server for different type of notifications. :computer: **Target components** **Where should this feature/enhancement be added?** - ntfy server, - Android app, - iOS app, - web app

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2026-05-07 00:29:32 +02:00

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:33 +02:00

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@JuDa-FR commented on GitHub (Jan 13, 2026):

+1 for this feature request.

Building on this idea, it would be extremely useful to have conditional sound assignment based on String/pattern matching : trigger different sounds based on keywords or patterns found in the notification body or title

Use case — Monitoring/Alerting systems:

I use ntfy to receive alerts from Zabbix. Currently, all notifications sound the same, whether it's a critical "PROBLEM" alert or a "RESOLVED" recovery message. Being able to configure something like:

PROBLEM or DOWN → urgent/alarm sound
RESOLVED or OK → soft/positive chime

...would provide instant audio feedback about the nature of the alert without even looking at the screen. This is particularly valuable for on-call scenarios.
This could be implemented as client-side rules (in the Android/iOS/Desktop apps) to keep the server lightweight, with a simple configuration like topic + regex/wildcard → sound mapping.

@JuDa-FR commented on GitHub (Jan 13, 2026): +1 for this feature request. Building on this idea, it would be extremely useful to have **conditional sound assignment** based on **String/pattern matching** : trigger different sounds based on keywords or patterns found in the notification body or title ### Use case — Monitoring/Alerting systems: I use ntfy to receive alerts from Zabbix. Currently, all notifications sound the same, whether it's a critical "PROBLEM" alert or a "RESOLVED" recovery message. Being able to configure something like: *PROBLEM* or *DOWN* → urgent/alarm sound *RESOLVED* or *OK* → soft/positive chime ...would provide instant audio feedback about the nature of the alert without even looking at the screen. This is particularly valuable for on-call scenarios. This could be implemented as client-side rules (in the Android/iOS/Desktop apps) to keep the server lightweight, with a simple configuration like topic + regex/wildcard → sound mapping.

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:33 +02:00

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@miki-bgd-011 commented on GitHub (Jan 25, 2026):

+1

How was this not implemented earlier?

@miki-bgd-011 commented on GitHub (Jan 25, 2026): +1 How was this not implemented earlier?

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:33 +02:00

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@YeeetSK commented on GitHub (Jan 29, 2026):

+1
this would be great please, not changeable in ipone settings it is app based

@YeeetSK commented on GitHub (Jan 29, 2026): +1 this would be great please, not changeable in ipone settings it is app based

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:34 +02:00

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@premekj commented on GitHub (Feb 14, 2026):

+1
Various notification sounds are missing, making usage confusing (Samsung S24)

@premekj commented on GitHub (Feb 14, 2026): +1 Various notification sounds are missing, making usage confusing (Samsung S24)

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:34 +02:00

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@miki-bgd-011 commented on GitHub (Feb 14, 2026):

+1 Various notification sounds are missing, making usage confusing (Samsung S24)

It's doable on Samsung but not on web app.

@miki-bgd-011 commented on GitHub (Feb 14, 2026): > +1 Various notification sounds are missing, making usage confusing (Samsung S24) It's doable on Samsung but not on web app.

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:34 +02:00

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@dayt47 commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026):

+1

@dayt47 commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026): +1

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:34 +02:00

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@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026):

I truly don't understand what this is about. You can give each notification channel on Android different custom sounds. So you can already define different sounds for each priority, and you can even create topic specific channels that allow you to override sounds and DND per topic and priority.

What is it that people are asking for here? Can somebody outline it, as it appears to be clear to everyone else.

@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026): I truly don't understand what this is about. You can give each notification channel on Android different custom sounds. So you can already define different sounds for each priority, and you can even create topic specific channels that allow you to override sounds and DND per topic and priority. What is it that people are asking for here? Can somebody outline it, as it appears to be clear to everyone else.

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:34 +02:00

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@dayt47 commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026):

I truly don't understand what this is about. You can give each notification channel on Android different custom sounds. So you can already define different sounds for each priority, and you can even create topic specific channels that allow you to override sounds and DND per topic and priority.

What is it that people are asking for here? Can somebody outline it, as it appears to be clear to everyone else.

You can upload specific sounds to pushover and then play these sounds on all devices. For example you upload bell-ring.wav to pushover and it pushes a message to your smartphone together with this sound. You can of course use other parameters in parallel i.e. "priority: 1" to override DND and it forces to play this sound even if DND is active.

So for example you have an automation if someone rings the door, then you can automate this via Home Assistant and send a push notification with this bell sound. Or if someone enters the house you can play a custom welcome-sound.mp3

@dayt47 commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026): > I truly don't understand what this is about. You can give each notification channel on Android different custom sounds. So you can already define different sounds for each priority, and you can even create topic specific channels that allow you to override sounds and DND per topic and priority. > > What is it that people are asking for here? Can somebody outline it, as it appears to be clear to everyone else. You can upload specific sounds to pushover and then play these sounds on all devices. For example you upload _bell-ring.wav_ to pushover and it pushes a message to your smartphone together with this sound. You can of course use other parameters in parallel i.e. "priority: 1" to override DND and it forces to play this sound even if DND is active. So for example you have an automation if someone rings the door, then you can automate this via Home Assistant and send a push notification with this bell sound. Or if someone enters the house you can play a custom _welcome-sound.mp3_

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:34 +02:00

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@miki-bgd-011 commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026):

I truly don't understand what this is about. You can give each notification channel on Android different custom sounds. So you can already define different sounds for each priority, and you can even create topic specific channels that allow you to override sounds and DND per topic and priority.

What is it that people are asking for here? Can somebody outline it, as it appears to be clear to everyone else.

Yes it can be done on Android but not on web app.

@miki-bgd-011 commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026): > I truly don't understand what this is about. You can give each notification channel on Android different custom sounds. So you can already define different sounds for each priority, and you can even create topic specific channels that allow you to override sounds and DND per topic and priority. > > What is it that people are asking for here? Can somebody outline it, as it appears to be clear to everyone else. Yes it can be done on Android but not on web app. <img width="962" height="460" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/edf5c1ab-1588-4309-8d3a-7f1813172b39" />

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:34 +02:00

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@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026):

I'm wondering if this should just be another header Sound: taylor-swift. And you can add sounds to the web app and Android and then it'll play the custom sound if one is set, or the default one if none is set. Having people upload sounds would probably be another pro feature (or selfhosters), because I don't want to have DCMA problems with music studios lol.

Would that solve it?

@binwiederhier commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026): I'm wondering if this should just be another header `Sound: taylor-swift`. And you can add sounds to the web app and Android and then it'll play the custom sound if one is set, or the default one if none is set. Having people upload sounds would probably be another pro feature (or selfhosters), because I don't want to have DCMA problems with music studios lol. Would that solve it?

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:35 +02:00

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@dayt47 commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026):

I think this should work but let me visualize it. In the pushover website you can upload an audio file:

I have uploaded 4 sounds for example:

Then you can push a message and pick one of your uploaded sounds. They don't have to be transferred to the smartphone first, you only have to upload the sound file via pushover website and then it get's played on the smartphone.

@dayt47 commented on GitHub (Feb 15, 2026): I think this should work but let me visualize it. In the pushover website you can upload an audio file: <img width="1279" height="673" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ef268e0c-c371-4800-bf07-2fc775cc3524" /> I have uploaded 4 sounds for example: <img width="548" height="280" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/7aadfbf0-98c3-4670-9c9a-f8122908bbb4" /> Then you can push a message and pick one of your uploaded sounds. They **don't** have to be transferred to the smartphone first, you only have to upload the sound file via pushover website and then it get's played on the smartphone. <img width="620" height="535" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/3efa0d91-4510-4040-8dec-675532b726c5" />

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:35 +02:00

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@youzer-name commented on GitHub (Feb 21, 2026):

and you can even create topic specific channels that allow you to override sounds and DND per topic and priority.

I had searched through the ntfy docs for exactly this (without success) when I decided to see what I could find here and found this thread. After reading your comment, I went back to the docs to try again and only figured it out when I searched 'sounds' and found the release notes for version 1.16.0 from 2022 which mention this feature being added. When I search the docs for "per-subscription notification", which is a phrase found in that release note, I didn't see anything related in the docs. I'm not sure this feature exactly solves everyone's use case in this thread, but it's exactly what I was looking for.

@youzer-name commented on GitHub (Feb 21, 2026): > and you can even create topic specific channels that allow you to override sounds and DND per topic and priority. I had searched through the ntfy docs for exactly this (without success) when I decided to see what I could find here and found this thread. After reading your comment, I went back to the docs to try again and only figured it out when I searched 'sounds' and found the release notes for version 1.16.0 from 2022 which mention this feature being added. When I search the docs for "per-subscription notification", which is a phrase found in that release note, I didn't see anything related in the docs. I'm not sure this feature exactly solves everyone's use case in this thread, but it's exactly what I was looking for.

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:35 +02:00

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@wildernessfamily commented on GitHub (Feb 24, 2026):

+1

How was this not implemented earlier?
@miki-bgd-011
last month
Because, as a senior developer, you can't add EVERY feature to an app right from the get-go. Instead, you are respectful to the developers who have put in their precious time and energy into building an app that's free for all of us to use! You request POLITELY if this can be a feature that can be added. If possible, you can help or at least support the project if you don't have the programming skills, instead of being disrespectful and demeaning in saying, "How was this not implemented earlier?" Next time, try using the words "please" and "thank you" to all the developers who have been working on this project, which is free to use because of developers giving up their own time and energy to build this amazing app!

@wildernessfamily commented on GitHub (Feb 24, 2026): > +1 > > How was this not implemented earlier? @miki-bgd-011 [last month](https://github.com/binwiederhier/ntfy/issues/1441#issuecomment-3797081007) Because, as a senior developer, you can't add EVERY feature to an app right from the get-go. Instead, you are respectful to the developers who have put in their precious time and energy into building an app that's free for all of us to use! You request POLITELY if this can be a feature that can be added. If possible, you can help or at least support the project if you don't have the programming skills, instead of being disrespectful and demeaning in saying, "How was this not implemented earlier?" Next time, try using the words "please" and "thank you" to all the developers who have been working on this project, which is free to use because of developers giving up their own time and energy to build this amazing app!

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:35 +02:00

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@wildernessfamily commented on GitHub (Feb 24, 2026):

@dayt47 Thank you! I haven't had a lot of time to keep up-to-date on this issue that I created. That is exactly what I was thinking.
binwiederhier First, thank you for this amazing app. Especially to you and all the developers who have worked to bring us NTFY. As is, it's a feature-rich and amazing piece of software.
Yes, currently there are sounds that you can choose for different notifications. However, lol, they don't do a great job at waking me up in the middle of the night. :)
I use Pushover.net quite a bit. And they have included sounds that are "short" and "long", and as @dayt47 has taken screenshots to show where you can upload your own sounds.
I build microcontrollers and IoT devices. I have an off-grid location that is solar powered. If the batteries run low, I receive a notification on Pushover. I have a specific sound set for that. It's a very loud, sorta like a Star Trek Red Alert sound. It can wake the dead. Wakes me right up from a dead sleep. This alert lets me know that I need to turn on the generator to recharge the batteries.
I own multiple companies. With Pushover.net, I have specific sounds that I use for each company and sometimes department, too.
Yes, the app does come with sounds that you can choose. But, for someone like myself, it would be very beneficial to be able to upload and sync across all the devices and server our own sounds.
For example, I could go on Envato and purchase a red alert sound. I can make a water detector using an ESP8266 controller. Write a simple script that has a webhook that sends an alert to NTFY if water is detected under the sink. All my devices would play the red-alert sound, let me know I need to take action now.
I hope that provides a bit more clarity.
Again, to @binwiederhier and all the developers; Thank you for all your hard work and time on creating NTFY and providing it as an open source software. I know time is precious, and all the work you all have done is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

@wildernessfamily commented on GitHub (Feb 24, 2026): @dayt47 Thank you! I haven't had a lot of time to keep up-to-date on this issue that I created. That is exactly what I was thinking. binwiederhier First, thank you for this amazing app. Especially to you and all the developers who have worked to bring us NTFY. As is, it's a feature-rich and amazing piece of software. Yes, currently there are sounds that you can choose for different notifications. However, lol, they don't do a great job at waking me up in the middle of the night. :) I use Pushover.net quite a bit. And they have included sounds that are "short" and "long", and as @dayt47 has taken screenshots to show where you can upload your own sounds. I build microcontrollers and IoT devices. I have an off-grid location that is solar powered. If the batteries run low, I receive a notification on Pushover. I have a specific sound set for that. It's a very loud, sorta like a Star Trek Red Alert sound. It can wake the dead. Wakes me right up from a dead sleep. This alert lets me know that I need to turn on the generator to recharge the batteries. I own multiple companies. With Pushover.net, I have specific sounds that I use for each company and sometimes department, too. Yes, the app does come with sounds that you can choose. But, for someone like myself, it would be very beneficial to be able to upload and sync across all the devices and server our own sounds. For example, I could go on Envato and purchase a red alert sound. I can make a water detector using an ESP8266 controller. Write a simple script that has a webhook that sends an alert to NTFY if water is detected under the sink. All my devices would play the red-alert sound, let me know I need to take action now. I hope that provides a bit more clarity. Again, to @binwiederhier and all the developers; Thank you for all your hard work and time on creating NTFY and providing it as an open source software. I know time is precious, and all the work you all have done is greatly appreciated! Thank you!

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:35 +02:00

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@youzer-name commented on GitHub (Feb 24, 2026):

@wildernessfamily - I know your OP mentions that this should be added for Android, iOS and web, but it seems like this is already solved for Android. Select the subscription -> 3-dot menu -> Subscription settings -> toggle on Custom notification settings. Once that is enabled you can set the sound, vibration, lock screen notification, notification dot, and 'override do not disturb' settings for each priority level of that topic. That isn't exactly the way Pushover does it, where the sounds are pushed out from the server, but it pretty much achieves the same result - you can have one topic override DND and use a red alert sound and another topic (or another priority of the same topic) play a different sound or be silent when DND is active.

@youzer-name commented on GitHub (Feb 24, 2026): @wildernessfamily - I know your OP mentions that this should be added for Android, iOS and web, but it seems like this is already solved for Android. Select the subscription -> 3-dot menu -> Subscription settings -> toggle on Custom notification settings. Once that is enabled you can set the sound, vibration, lock screen notification, notification dot, and 'override do not disturb' settings for each priority level of that topic. That isn't exactly the way Pushover does it, where the sounds are pushed out from the server, but it pretty much achieves the same result - you can have one topic override DND and use a red alert sound and another topic (or another priority of the same topic) play a different sound or be silent when DND is active.

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:35 +02:00

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@wildernessfamily commented on GitHub (Feb 24, 2026):

@youzer-name, thanks for the input, but that misses the core of this feature request.

The actual goal is to add custom sounds directly to the NTFY server and have them automatically sync across all devices not just one particular brand of device. Localized workarounds don't solve the problem for mixed-device environments.

Here is exactly why a server-side solution is needed:

Device Parity: I use a mix of Android and Apple devices. If an alert comes in, I need the exact same sound to play on my iPad, iPhone, and Android phones so I instantly know the urgency without having to look at a screen.
Topic Consistency: We want the ability to force a specific sound for a topic. This way, if family or employees are subscribed to an alert, everyone instantly recognizes what that specific sound means.

Again, I appreciate your input, but that's not what my feature request is asking. That's just a quick band-aid to the full feature request.

@wildernessfamily commented on GitHub (Feb 24, 2026): @youzer-name, thanks for the input, but that misses the core of this feature request. The actual goal is to add custom sounds directly to the NTFY server and have them automatically sync across `all` devices not just one particular brand of device. Localized workarounds don't solve the problem for mixed-device environments. Here is exactly why a server-side solution is needed: * **Device Parity:** I use a mix of Android and Apple devices. If an alert comes in, I need the exact same sound to play on my iPad, iPhone, and Android phones so I instantly know the urgency without having to look at a screen. * **Topic Consistency:** We want the ability to force a specific sound for a topic. This way, if family or employees are subscribed to an alert, everyone instantly recognizes what that specific sound means. Again, I appreciate your input, but that's not what my feature request is asking. That's just a quick band-aid to the full feature request.

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:35 +02:00

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@abrookbanks commented on GitHub (Mar 25, 2026):

+1 on iPhone I can only choose the standard app notification sound. I use Ntfy for notifications of critical support issues out of hours. I need to assign a noise that will wake me up. On call 24x7 FML.

I can't have a crazy notification for all alerts.

Thanks for the great software. 🙏🏼

@abrookbanks commented on GitHub (Mar 25, 2026): +1 on iPhone I can only choose the standard app notification sound. I use Ntfy for notifications of critical support issues out of hours. I need to assign a noise that will wake me up. On call 24x7 FML. I can't have a crazy notification for all alerts. Thanks for the great software. 🙏🏼

BreizhHardware commented

2026-05-07 00:29:36 +02:00

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@Enlargee commented on GitHub (Apr 2, 2026):

Adding my vote for this feature.

I already have 5 different sounds set for each priority. For example, highest/5 will play the alarm sound from half-life.

For those that wonder why this would be helpful:
I have several different events categorised as normal or low priority. If there's motion detected in a particular area, that's a low priority. If I have a known connection to my SSH server, that's a low priority. They sound the same.

Instead, I could have a different sound for motion detection (eg. I seeeee youuuuu) or whatever really. Synced across multiple devices would be chef's kiss, using attachments as the mechanism for sending/receiving would be very clever, but I'd be well rapt with just the option of setting an audio tag, something like: tags:audio-<filename.wav>,rotating_light

@Enlargee commented on GitHub (Apr 2, 2026): Adding my vote for this feature. I already have 5 different sounds set for each priority. For example, highest/5 will play the alarm sound from half-life. For those that wonder why this would be helpful: I have several different events categorised as normal or low priority. If there's motion detected in a particular area, that's a low priority. If I have a _known_ connection to my SSH server, that's a low priority. They sound the same. Instead, I could have a different sound for motion detection (eg. I seeeee youuuuu) or whatever really. Synced across multiple devices would be *chef's kiss*, using attachments as the mechanism for sending/receiving would be very clever, but I'd be well rapt with just the option of setting an audio tag, something like: tags:**audio-<filename.wav>**,rotating_light

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[GH-ISSUE #1441] Add additional "custom" sounds #1012

Use case — Monitoring/Alerting systems: