Make a unique pattern for each of your favorite apps or contacts

Some people like to set custom notification sounds for certain apps to help them quickly identify each one separately. But what if you don't like using alert sounds and prefer to keep your device in vibrate mode? Sure, some Samsung phones include various vibration patterns to choose from by default, but what happens if you want even more specific options? The BuzzKill app outlined in this guide allows you to customize the vibration patterns for all of your notifications on any Android device.

Before you can start making custom vibration patterns for your notifications, you need to grab the BuzzKill app. It's not free, mind you ($2.49); however, it gives you much more control versus what stock can offer.

And it does all this while keeping user privacy in mind. BuzzKill doesn't have internet access, which means your personal data never leaves your device. If you're not sold yet on BuzzKill or the idea of having tons of custom notification features, read on to learn more about it.

The BuzzKill app requires a few quick steps as a part of the setup process before you can use it. As mentioned earlier, the app doesn't have internet access, track you, or bother you with ads. However, it needs proper notification permissions to give you full control over them. To begin setting up BuzzKill on your device, follow the following steps:

To set up a custom notification for any installed app on your device, you first need to define a few parameters. BuzzKill needs to know which apps you want to use and exactly how to use them. As such, you're in control of what your apps and notifications do from start to finish. In the example for this guide, we'll show how you can set up a custom notification vibration pattern using the Google Messages app.

You can set up your first notification rule in BuzzKill by doing the following:

Now it's time to experiment with your own patterns by mixing different vibration lengths and gap durations. To set up your first custom vibration pattern for your notifications, follow these steps:

To get even more creative, you could make some interesting patterns from the music of your favorite movies, shows, or video games as well. Imagine setting your notifications to buzz to the Super Mario Bros. theme — the possibilities are endless.

You can also adjust the Intensity setting if needed to make the vibration pattern louder or quieter. Once you're done with that, press the Pick Pattern button at the bottom to save the settings. Tap the default sound section to choose a unique sound for the selected contacts from earlier. In this case, however, you'll likely want to set it to nothing and let it only vibrate when you get a notification.

Now take a look at the notification rule settings to ensure it does what you want it to do. Hit the Save Rule button to finalize the changes — the new rule should be enabled and ready to go. The BuzzKill app will automatically use the custom vibration pattern you set earlier when the parameters are met. You can make changes to this rule, so feel free to swap out the vibration pattern or add other tweaks as needed.

Consider backing up your notification rules, especially if you're making complicated custom vibration patterns. Go to the Settings tab, scroll down, then select the Export rules option to save a file that has all of your rules in it. You can always upload the file to a cloud-based storage solution later, such as Google Drive or Dropbox.

This, of course, is just the basics of what's possible while using the BuzzKill app for custom notifications. You can also check out the Explore tab for some pre-made rules to try. Simply hit the Add To My Rules button when you find one and adjust it to fit your specific needs.

Although the goal here was to focus on the custom vibration pattern feature for your notifications, there's so much more you can do. Now that you know how to use the BuzzKill app, you can add other custom rules. As mentioned above, trying out the Explore tab is a great place to start if you need more advanced or unique ideas for your device. Looking for more how-to guides? Check out our guide on how to roll back to an older version of an app or our top tips and tricks to tame your Google Photos collection.

Stephen is a freelance writer at Android Police who primarily covers how-to guides, features, and the occasional in-depth explainer across various topics. He came on board with the team in late 2021, bringing his strong technical background in computers, smartphones, and customer service with him. As a long-time power user who knows his devices from the inside out, he uses that knowledge to tweak and customize them to better fit his specific needs. Stephen previously worked as a freelance how-to guide writer for the Android rooting, modding, and custom ROM section at Gadget Hacks. He has actively followed the Android scene since 2008 with the HTC Dream, known by most as the T-Mobile G1. However, he didn't get his first Android device until 2009 with the original Motorola Droid. After that, Stephen quickly learned about unlocking the bootloader and gaining full root access — both changed his smartphone life forever. He would frequently install custom ROMs, kernels, and recoveries to improve his Android experience beyond what stock could provide. Although not as popular as it once was, he still continues to root his primary devices today using the latest version of Magisk. Stephen has been passionate about writing his entire life and finally turned it into a professional career in 2016. He started out as a lesson plan writer in computer science and IT for Study.com, which allows students to earn real college credits online. That led him to Gadget Hacks, where Stephen got to write educational and informative pieces for Android smartphones. And now, he continues down that same path at Android Police, using his technical knowledge and skills to write how-to guides. His goal has always been to help as many people as possible learn something new about technology.