Why people use one
The practical reason is confirmation. A loud, distinct sound tells you the cable is seated and the phone is charging, even when the screen is face down or across the room. The other reason is fun. Funny charging sounds spread on TikTok, and setting one up is a small way to make a phone feel like yours. Read more about the TikTok charging sound trend.
How it works on iPhone
iOS has no charging sound setting in Sound & Haptics, and the built-in chime cannot be changed. What you can do is add a second sound. The Shortcuts app has a personal automation trigger called Charger > Is Connected, available on iOS 14 or later. An automation on that trigger can play an audio file each time you plug in. The custom sound plays in addition to the system chime.
You can build that automation yourself with a file you already have, or let an app add its own action to it. Our iPhone charging sound guide walks through both routes.
How it works on Android
Android phones vary, and there is no single built-in setting for a custom charging sound. Automation apps such as MacroDroid and Tasker can play a file when power connects. Vocalcord handles it inside the app: you pick a sound and turn on charging playback, and the app runs a foreground service to catch the charger connecting. No Shortcuts are involved. See the Android setup guide.
Ways to set one up
- Shortcuts with your own file (iPhone). Free and built in. You find or make the audio file and configure the automation yourself.
- An automation app (Android). MacroDroid or Tasker can do it if you are comfortable building a rule.
- A charging sound app. Vocalcord has 93 built-in sounds in 10 categories, and you can import audio or video from your phone and trim a clip. iPhone setup is a guided one-time Shortcuts automation; Android setup happens in the app.
Choosing a sound
Short clips work best: most of Vocalcord's sounds last one to three seconds, so they finish before you put the phone down. You can listen to all of them by category, starting with meme sounds, sassy voice lines or calmer sounds, or browse the full library.
If the sound does not play
On iPhone, check that the Charger automation still exists, runs without asking, and still contains its play action. On Android, check that charging playback is on in Vocalcord, background running is allowed, and media volume is up. More fixes are in iPhone charging sound not working.
