What it does
Every iPhone plays a short chime when you plug in a charger. Vocalcord lets you replace that chime with something more fun — a fart, a meme sound, a movie quote, an anime voice line, or literally any audio you want.
Under the hood, Vocalcord uses iOS Shortcuts automations — the same feature you'd use if you set it up manually. The difference is that Vocalcord handles all the setup for you. You pick a sound, tap a button, and the automation is created. No fiddling with Shortcuts, no finding audio files, no troubleshooting.
Key features
85+ built-in sounds
Browse and preview a curated library of sounds organized by category:
- Comedy: Classic farts, air horns, sad trombone, laugh tracks
- Memes: "Sheeeesh," Vine boom, "bruh," "noice," "oof"
- Movies & TV: Lightsaber ignition, hero effects, horror stings, comedy quotes
- Anime: "Nani?!", power-up effects, battle cries
- Animals: Duck quack, goat scream, cat meow, parrot squawk
- Gaming: Coin collect, level-up, power-up, game over
Tap any sound to preview. No sign-up required to browse.
15-second setup
Pick a sound, tap "Set as Charging Sound," and follow the guided setup. It creates the Shortcuts automation for you and walks you through the one required toggle ("Ask Before Running" → off). The whole process takes about 15 seconds.
Compare this to the DIY Shortcuts method, which takes 5–10 minutes and requires finding your own audio files.
Silent Mode Override
One of the biggest limitations of the DIY method: charging sounds don't play when Silent Mode is on. Vocalcord includes a Silent Mode Override feature that bypasses this limitation. Your sound plays regardless of the mute switch position.
This matters if you charge your phone overnight, at work, or anytime you'd normally have your phone on silent.
Shuffle mode
Get bored of the same sound? Turn on shuffle mode and Vocalcord picks a random sound from your favorites each time you plug in. It keeps things fresh — you never know what's coming.
Custom audio import
Want to use your own audio? Import any MP3, M4A, WAV, or AIFF file from the Files app. Vocalcord lets you preview and trim it to the perfect length before setting it as your charging sound.
Popular imports: voice memos of friends, pet sounds, personal catchphrases, and sound effects from specific games or shows. See our import guide for details.
Compatibility
- iPhones: Any iPhone running iOS 16.4 or later (iPhone 8 and newer)
- Charger types: USB-C, Lightning, MagSafe, and Qi wireless — all trigger the sound
- Recommended: iOS 17 or iOS 18 for the best experience
Pricing
Free to try. You can browse and preview all sounds without paying anything. Setting a charging sound and accessing premium features requires one of:
- Monthly subscription
- Yearly subscription
- Lifetime one-time purchase
Who makes it
Vocalcord is made by WAYF, an independent app studio. We built Vocalcord because we saw thousands of people struggling with the DIY Shortcuts method — broken automations, disappearing audio files, no Silent Mode support — and thought it should be easier.
Questions or issues? Reach out at vocalcord.app/support.