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Android O will make it easier to add custom ringtones and notification sounds

Android O will make it easier to add custom ringtones and notification sounds

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Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

For all of its customization benefits, Android has never been well known for having the most user-friendly settings options. Case in point: setting a custom ringtone for devices running the AOSP version of Android has, in the past, involved plugging your phone into your computer to drag and drop song and sound files onto the phone for use later, or to move downloaded files to the proper location on the phone using a file manager.

With Google’s Android O, however, you’ll be able to customize your ringtone, alarm, and notification settings from the phone itself with files you’ve downloaded from the web, your email, or a cloud storage service. The new option, pointed out by the folks over at Android Police, shows up at the bottom of the list of available jingles, letting you add from device storage, similar to features on Samsung, LG, and other phones. Android O, first announced earlier this week, is pretty much all about deeper and more powerful customization options.

Sure, it’s not the most groundbreaking addition Android O brings to the table. But it’s certainly a step forward in the usability department. It also ensures that users who don’t often plug their Android device into their computer and mess around with a third-party file manager can enjoy a long overdue feature of modern phones.