2 Best Ways to Change Default Ringtone App on Android
Many like to use custom ringtones on our Android phones. For this, we usually need to take the help of a file manager or a ringtone application like Zedge. But when we try to change the ringtone, we are redirected to the native Sound Picker app which lists only the preinstalled ringtones. So here we will explain to you how to change the default ringtone app on Android phones.
Ringtone download For some users, the ringtone selection application is blocked on a third-party application. They, therefore, want to delete the default ringtone settings and return to the Sound Selector or Sounds application. The problem occurs because a user chooses the “Always” option instead of “Once” when the phone asks them to select a default ringtone application.
We need to change the ringtone selection or notification app on Android. Let’s see different ways to do it.
1. Reset or clear defaults
You should have noticed that if you have multiple apps for the same task, your phone will ask you to choose a default app. It gives you two options when listing apps – once and always. If you choose Once, said task will be completed once using the selected application. The interface will ask the same question again. And if you choose Always, the same application will be used to complete the action.
This is exactly why you don’t see multiple options when you change your ringtone. You must either be blocked with Sounds / Sound picker or another application like file manager, Google Drive, etc.
Here are the steps to reset the default ringtone app:
Step 1: Open Settings on your phone and go to Applications or Applications & Notifications or Application Manager depending on the option available on your phone.
2nd step: Tap the three-dot icon in the upper right corner and choose Show System. If you don’t see the three-dot icon or the Show system isn’t available, tap See all apps. Then tap the three-dot icon and select Show System.
Step 3: Scroll down and find Multimedia storage. Tap it.
Step 4: Tap Open by default. If you don’t see it, tap Advanced, and you’ll find Open by default.
Step 5: Press Delete default values. If no default value is set or if all options are grayed out, go to step 7.
Step 6: Try changing your ringtone now. If you get the “Complete action using” menu, you have successfully changed the ringtone selection application. If the problem persists, check the next step.
Step 7: You need to repeat the above steps to clear the default settings for sounds, sound picker and Android system. And, if you had chosen an app like file manager or Google Drive as the default app for ringtones, also erase them using the steps above.
2. Reset application preferences
If you are unable to find the default application or if the above method does not resolve the issue, you need to reset the application preferences. However, when you do that, it clears the default actions for all apps on your phone, not just the ringtone. In addition, it will reset disabled apps, permission restrictions, app notifications, etc. Find out in detail what happens when you reset the app preferences on Android.
If you fully understand the implications of resetting, here’s how to reset app preferences:
Step 1: Open Settings on your Android phone. Tap Apps or Apps & Notifications.
2nd step: Tap the three-dot icon at the top and select Reset app preferences. Confirm on the next screen.
Note: If the three-dot icon is not available, tap See all apps.
Point: You can also go to Settings> System> Reset options> Reset app preferences.
Bonus Tip: Customize Open With Setting
The native menu Open with or End the action using simply lists the available applications. To make it smarter, you can take the help of a third party application called Better Open With.
With this application, you can choose a different application to complete your action each time without setting a default person. The application gives you time to choose an application for the task, otherwise it ends the action with a previously defined application. You must define a preferred application for various actions in the settings of the Better Open With application. Thus, you benefit both once and always from this application.
Goodbye default apps
Although our article mainly deals with resetting the ringtone app on Android, the same logic and steps can be used to reset defaults for other apps. For example, if a social app uses Google Photos by default to choose images instead of the gallery app, or if you want to reset the app to view videos on your phone. Likewise, sometimes Google Play Music is selected as the default music player. In such circumstances, you should also clear the default values.
Then:
Wondering what Do Not Disturb (NPD) mode is on your Android? Find out the answer in our next article where we compare DND with silent mode and the airplane.