Use a custom notification sound when a keyword appears

Check notification channels first

Open the source app's Android notification settings and inspect its categories. If the important event already has its own channel, assigning a channel sound is simpler and more reliable. Use a text rule only when the event shares a channel with routine notifications.

How the keyword sound rule works

1. Create a rule and optionally select one installed app.
2. Add one or more literal keywords, or one advanced regex pattern.
3. Choose whether any or all literal keywords must appear.
4. Choose a system notification sound or select an audio file with Android's document picker.
5. Enable DND and test a real notification.

The visible notification title and message are combined for matching. Literal rules can ignore letter case. Regex rules in the current editor are case-sensitive.

Sound behavior

When a matching notification is posted while DND is active, DND Override queues the selected sound using alarm audio attributes. Alarm volume must be above zero. If a selected custom file becomes unavailable, the app attempts the default notification sound. Distinct matching notifications are queued so one does not interrupt another.

Limits worth knowing

• The sound is not attached to or generated by the source app's notification channel.
• The app does not loop until acknowledgement.
• Notification dismissal does not stop sound already playing.
• Playback uses watchdog limits and remains subject to device behavior.
• A custom sound is not an emergency-delivery guarantee.

Related: keyword matching and urgent-notification rules.