How to record and customize your Android alarm clock sounds

Alarm clock ringing on Android 13 on a Google Pixel 6 on a workstation next to a laptop.
(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

Any Android phone can easily be personalized from top to bottom and inside out. This includes the theme, wallpaper, color scheme, and system sounds. Much like your notifications and ringtones, you can customize your phone's alarm clock sounds as well. On certain devices, you can even record your own ringer and set it as your alarm clock's tone.

This is not as straightforward on phones that aren't Pixels, so keep that in mind. To record and customize your Android alarm clock sounds, you'll need to have a Google Pixel that has Google's Recorder and Clock apps installed.

For all other non-Pixel devices, we've got you covered. The second set of instructions shows you how to record a custom alarm sound and set it as your alarm ringtone on every other Android device. You'll need to install the Google Clock app and a voice recording app if your Android phone doesn't have one. Let's begin!

How to record and customize your Android alarm clock sounds on a Pixel

While I used my Pixel 6, these steps can be followed on any Pixel device.

1. Open the Clock app on your Pixel phone.

2. Tap the downward-pointing arrow on an alarm.

3. Press the bell-shaped alarm sound icon.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

4. Tap Record new.

5. Press the big red record button in the Google Recorder app.

6. Record your custom sound.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

7. Hit the big red pause button when done recording.

8. Add a title to your recorded audio file.

9. Tap the Save option in the bottom-right corner.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

The Clock app from Google will immediately set your selected alarm's ringtone when you hit the Save button in the Recorder app.

As you probably noticed, you can also select something from YouTube Music or Spotify and set it as your alarm clock sound.

How to record and customize your Android alarm clock sounds on Android

If you're following this guide on a non-Pixel phone, you won't have the Pixel-exclusive Recorder app from Google on it. Chances are, you probably won't have the Clock app either. The good news is, you only need the Google Clock app. As for the recorder, any decent third-party voice recorder on the Play Store will do.

For this part of the guide, I used the RedMagic 8 Pro. Before starting, I installed the Clock app from Google and used the phone's built-in voice recorder.

1. Open your phone's voice recorder.

2. Record your custom sound.

3. Save the audio file to your phone.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

4. Install the Google Clock app on your phone if it doesn't have it.

5. Open the Google Clock app.

6. Tap the downward-pointing arrow on an alarm.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

7. Press the bell-shaped alarm sound icon.

8. Tap Add new.

9. Choose your custom sound audio file that you recorded and saved earlier.

(Image credit: Namerah Saud Fatmi / Android Central)

Just like Pixels, your new custom sound will be saved immediately for that specific alarm. Happily, non-Pixel Android users can also choose songs from YouTube Music and Spotify as their alarm clock ringtone.

Customize your Android phone's sound

Google Recorder app on Pixel 6 Pro

(Image credit: Android Central / Andrew Myrick)

The Pixel Recorder app is fantastic, offering features like speaker labels and automatic transcriptions that can be saved as text files separately. For quick access, you can add Google Recorder to your Pixel phone's Quick Settings menu in the form of a tile too. Too bad such a capable app is limited to Google's phones.

If you're using any other Android phone, you still have the opportunity to record and use audio files for various purposes. If you don't want to add custom ringtones and sounds manually, you can always use a third-party app to shorten the process. We recommend Zedge, which is a theming app for Android devices like phones and tablets. There's an extensive array of sounds and tones to choose from, and the app sets the sound for you in a few taps.

ZEDGE Wallpapers & Ringtones

ZEDGE Wallpapers & Ringtones

Don't know what to record and set as your new alarm sound? Zedge is a great app to help you solve this conundrum. Install it to tap into the app's huge library of custom sounds that can be set as your alarm clock sound, notification tone, or call ringer.

Free with IAPs: <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.zedge.android" data-link-merchant="play.google.com"">Google Play Store

Namerah Saud Fatmi
Editor — Accessories, speakers, and tablets

Namerah enjoys geeking out over accessories, gadgets, and all sorts of smart tech. She spends her time guzzling coffee, writing, casual gaming, and cuddling with her furry best friends. Find her on Twitter @NamerahS.