How to set custom notification vibration patterns on Android

Remember when custom vibration patterns were a thing? Setting custom notification sounds along with vibrations offers the ultimate customizable experience for calls and messages. There’s also a relevant reason for custom vibration patterns if your phone is always on silent. you could use some of the preset vibration patterns included on someSamsung phones, but those options won’t get you far. To customize everything to do with yourAndroid phone’s notifications, from calls to texts and app alerts, use the BuzzKill app outlined in this guide.

Add special alerts for apps and messages

4

Install the BuzzKill app

Before you can make custom vibration patterns for your notifications, grab the BuzzKill app. It’s not free ($3.99). However, it gives you more control versus what stock can offer. It does this while keeping user privacy in mind. BuzzKill doesn’t have internet access, which means your personal data never leaves your device. If you’re not sold yet on BuzzKill or the idea of having tons of custom notification features, read on to learn more about it.

Set up the BuzzKill app

The BuzzKill app requires a few quick steps as a part of the setup process before you could use it. The app doesn’t have internet access, track you, or bother you with ads. However, it needs proper notification permissions to give you full control over them. To set up BuzzKill on your device, follow these steps:

Create your first notification rule in BuzzKill

To set up a custom notification for any installed app on your device, you’ll first define a few parameters. BuzzKill needs to know which apps you want to use and how to use them. As such, you control what your apps and notifications do from start to finish. In the example for this guide, we show how to set up a custom notification vibration pattern using theGoogle Messagesapp.

You can set up your first notification rule in BuzzKill by doing the following:

4

Set up a custom notification vibration pattern

It’s time to experiment with your own patterns by mixing different vibration lengths and gap durations. To set up your first custom vibration pattern for your notifications, follow these steps:

To get more creative, make interesting patterns from the music of your favorite movies, shows, or video games. Imagine setting your notifications to buzz to the Super Mario Bros. theme. The possibilities are endless.

A pattern of Vibrate vibration icons

You can also adjust theIntensitysetting to make the vibration pattern louder or quieter. When you finish, tap thePick Patternbutton at the bottom to save the settings. Tap thedefault soundsection to choose a unique sound for the selected contacts from earlier. In this case, you’ll likely want to set it to nothing and let it only vibrate when you get a notification.

Now, look at the notification rule settings to ensure it does what you want it to do. Tap theSave Rulebutton to finalize the changes. The new rule is activated and ready to go. The BuzzKill app automatically uses the custom vibration pattern you set earlier when the parameters are met. You can make changes to this rule, so feel free to swap out the vibration pattern or add other tweaks as needed.

A Notification icon graphic showing a bell with a one next it displayed an android phone

Consider backing up your notification rules, especially when making complicated custom vibration patterns. Go to theSettingstab, scroll down, then select theExport rulesoption to save a file that has all your rules in it. You can upload the file to a cloud-based storage solution later, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

This is only the basics of what’s possible while using the BuzzKill app for custom notifications. You can also check out theExploretab for pre-made rules to try. Tap theAdd To My Rulesbutton when you find one and adjust it to fit your needs.

A screenshot of the BuzzKill app’s setup page.

Do more with BuzzKill

While BuzzKill is a fantastic tool for creating custom vibration patterns for your notifications, that isn’t the end of the app’s capabilities. you’re able to use BuzzKill to speak notifications aloud, remind you to check a particular notification, and take your phone offsilent modewhen triggered by a custom action. Look at theExploretab to experiment or dive into the list on BuzzKill’s actions page. For more helpful app tips, check out our guide onhow to roll back to an older version of an app.

The note-taking app I should have used all along

Broader branding hints at wider paid-tier ambitions

It’s been a while

Your new browser chrome-panion

$135 is its lowest price in months

Get 14 ports for $170