Silence all notifications by default

Question

How can I silence all notifications by default on Android 12 without resorting to DnD?

I just replaced my old phone (Google Pixel 4a, same as the old one) and restored everything from backup, but sadly the notification configuration has not been restored and the phone is beeping like there's no tomorrow.

I only need sound if someone calls me on the phone or some other app like WhatsApp. Other notifications should be silent.

I don't want to use DnD which I use by night when I don't want any ringing sounds either.

It seems to me I need to silence each individual app, but there are like 100 of them. I want the default notification to be silent and then be able to turn on sounds for WhatsApp e.g.

Answer 1

Depending on the device model, Android version, and custom ROM, there may be a built-in setting to set the default notification sound. The default option may include "no sound", or otherwise preparing an audio file with no sound may be an alternative workaround.

For the Google Pixel series, Android 12 particularly: Settings - Sound & vibration - Default notification sound. Inside "My Sounds", choose "None".