This article explains how Everbridge 360 and Everbridge Mobile (EMA) use notification sounds on iPhone and Android, how to customize tones where supported, and what to check if sounds are not playing as expected.
Overview
Everbridge apps use different mechanisms for notification sounds depending on the platform and app:
- Everbridge 360 on iOS manages its own notification sounds inside the app.
- Everbridge Mobile (EMA) on iOS uses a built-in alert tone and does not support custom sounds.
- Everbridge 360 and EMA on Android use Android system notification channels for sounds.
This article covers how to change sounds where available and how to troubleshoot if alerts arrive without a sound.
iPhone (iOS)
Change notification sounds in Everbridge 360 on iOS
On iPhone, the Everbridge 360 app manages its own notification sounds instead of using the device-level ringtone or sound menus. You can configure sounds by notification category from within the app.
Steps
- Open the Everbridge 360 app.
- Go to Settings → Notifications.
- Choose the notification category you want to change, such as Critical, High, or Normal.
- Select the sound you want for that category.
The sound you pick applies only inside Everbridge 360; it does not change your general iPhone ringtone or other apps’ tones.
Everbridge Mobile (EMA) sound behavior and limitations on iOS
On iOS, the Everbridge Mobile (EMA) app does not allow changing the notification sound. It uses a built-in alert tone instead of your phone’s ringtone, and there is no in-app option to customize it.
Additionally, there is a known issue where EMA may not persist or use custom tone selections. If you need the app to reliably respect different tones per alert category on iOS, use Everbridge 360 rather than EMA.
Troubleshooting: iOS alerts do not play a sound
If Everbridge notifications arrive but no sound plays on your iPhone, iOS settings may be silencing the app. Check the following:
- Focus / Do Not Disturb: Turn off Focus from Control Center, or go to Settings > Focus > [your Focus] and add the Everbridge app to Allowed Notifications.
- Scheduled Summary: Go to Settings > Notifications > Scheduled Summary and turn it off globally or at least for Everbridge.
- Announce Notifications (optional): Go to Settings > Notifications > Announce Notifications and enable it; you can also enable it specifically for Everbridge.
- Basic sound and alert toggles: Confirm your iPhone is not muted or in silent mode and ensure notification sounds are enabled for Everbridge in Settings > Notifications.
- App and device refresh: Update the Everbridge app to the latest version, restart the iPhone, then test alerts again.
These checks address the most common iOS behaviors that prevent sounds from playing for Everbridge notifications.
Android
Change Everbridge sounds using Android notification channels
On Android, Everbridge notification sounds are controlled through system notification channels. Each channel (for example, Critical or High Priority) can have its own sound.
Steps
- Open Android Settings.
- Go to Apps (or Apps & notifications) and select Everbridge 360 or Everbridge Mobile.
- Tap Notifications.
- Choose the notification channel you want to modify (for example, Critical Alerts, High Priority, or Normal).
- Tap Sound and select the ringtone or custom sound you prefer.
Depending on your Android version and device manufacturer, you may also see options to change vibration and whether that channel can ignore Do Not Disturb. Channel names and menu labels can vary by device and Android OS version.
Fixing “No Notification Sound Found” popups on Android
Some Android devices may show a “No Notification Sound Found” popup even when you have set an app-specific sound. This occurs because the app previously checked only the default app sound instead of the notification channel sound.
There is no user setting to permanently disable this popup. A fix has been implemented so that newer app versions check whether a sound is set for the app’s notification channels instead of relying on the default sound. Install the Everbridge app update when it becomes available to get this fix.
Until then, verify that a sound is configured for each Everbridge notification channel in Android’s app notification settings. As long as the channel sound is set, alerts themselves should still play a tone.
Testing your Android notification sound changes
After you change a notification sound on Android, send a test alert to your device to confirm that it plays the selected tone for the chosen channel or priority level.