The application Friend Around has long remained a popular tool for dating and communication in real time, using geolocation to search for people nearby. However, for many users, constant sound notifications about new messages, likes, or someone nearby becomes a source of irritation, especially during work hours or at night. Noise can occur suddenly, breaking the silence and attracting unnecessary attention from others.
Fortunately, the operating system Android provides flexible sound control tools, and the application itself has its own privacy and notification settings. In this article we will analyze in detail all the legal and technical ways to completely or partially turn off the sound. We will look at both standard methods through the settings menu, and system restrictions that can help in extreme cases.
Before you begin manipulation, it is important to understand the nature of sound. This could be a system signal notifications, the sound of an incoming messages inside chat, or even a sound effect when the feed is updated. Correct diagnosis of the noise source will allow you to choose the most effective method of eliminating it without losing the functionality of the messenger.
Normal notification settings within the application
The most logical and safest way to solve the problem is to use the built-in functions of itself Friend Around. The developers have provided the ability to fine-tune alerts so that the user can control what events to inform him about. Access to these parameters is usually located in the main profile menu or in the account settings section.
You need to go to your personal account and find the item responsible for notifications. There is often a division into types of events: new messages, gifts, visits to a page or online status. By turning off specific switches, you can leave visual cues but remove audio. This allows you not to miss an important message when you see the icon in the status bar, but to avoid unnecessary noise.
Pay attention to the chat settings section. Sometimes global muting does not affect individual conversations if exceptions have been set for them. Check to see if specific callers are muted. If you want to completely silence the application, look for the general “Notification sound” checkbox or the volume slider inside the menu.
- 🔇 Open the main menu of the application and select the “Settings” section.
- 🔔 Go to the “Notifications” or “Alerts” subsection.
- 📵 Uncheck tick the “Sound”, “Vibration” and “Pop-up windows” items.
- 💾 Don’t forget to save the changes by clicking the “Done” or “Apply” button.
⚠️ Attention: The application interface may change after updates. If you do not find these items, look for the gear icon in the corner of the screen or look at the “Privacy” section, where notification settings are sometimes duplicated.
Sound control through Android system settings
If the internal settings of the application do not give the desired result or seem too confusing, system tools come to the rescue Android. Starting with Android 8.0 (Oreo), the system introduced the concept of “notification channels”, which allows you to control the sound for each type of notification separately directly from the phone menu, bypassing the application itself.
To access these settings, go to the general menu Settings of your smartphone. Find the section Applications or Applications and notifications. In the list of installed apps, find Friend Around. By clicking on it, you will be taken to the application information screen, where there will be an item Notifications. Here you will see a list of all categories of sounds that the app generates.
The system allows not just turn off the sound completely, but also change its behavior. You can disable sound for the “Messages” category, but leave sound for “Calls”, if such a function is provided. Also here you can completely prohibit the display of notifications on the lock screen, which will increase your privacy.
☑️ Checking system settings
Some shells, such as MIUI from Xiaomi or OneUI from Samsung, may have additional levels of noise protection. For example, Do Not Disturb mode can be configured to ignore sounds from specific applications, even if they are normally allowed. This creates a flexible filter system convenient for night time.
Using Do Not Disturb mode for silence
Mode Do Not Disturb (Do Not Disturb) is a powerful Android tool that allows you to temporarily mute all but the most important sounds (like your alarm clock or calls from your favorite contacts). By activating this mode, you are guaranteed to get rid of any sounds emanating from Friends Around, regardless of its internal settings.
To configure exceptions, go to the Do Not Disturb mode settings. In the Applications or Allowed Applications section, make sure that Friend Around is not in the exceptions list. If it's there, remove it. Now, even with an active Internet connection and incoming messages, the phone will be silent.
This method is especially useful if you need to quickly ensure silence in a meeting or while sleeping, without delving deep into the menu of each application. You can set this mode to turn on automatically according to a schedule, for example, from 23:00 to 07:00, so that night notifications do not wake you up.
| Setting type | Where is located | Efficiency | Impact on others applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal settings | Application menu | Medium | Only for Friends Around |
| Notification channels | Settings Android | High | Only on Friends Around |
| Do Not Disturb mode | Quick Access Toolbar | Maximum | To all applications at once |
| Disable notifications | Android Settings | Full | Only to Friends Around |
You can add a Do Not Disturb mode widget to the home screen to quickly turn on silence with one touch, without going into deep settings menus.
Completely disabling notifications as a radical measure
If your goal is absolute silence and you are not bothered by the risk of missing a message, the most reliable way is to completely disable notifications for the application at the system level. Unlike simply turning off the sound, this method prevents the application from signaling events in any way at all: neither by sound, nor by vibration, nor by an icon in the status bar.
To do this, in the menu Settings → Applications → Friend Around → Notifications you need to move the main switch to position Off. After this operation, the application will run in the background, receive data, but remain silent. You will learn about new events only when you actively launch the app and enter the chat.
This approach is often used by users who log into the application rarely, on a schedule, and do not want it distracted them throughout the day. This also helps save battery power, since the screen will not light up with each new event.
⚠️ Warning: Turning off notifications completely may cause you to miss urgent messages from loved ones or important system alerts from the service. Use this method consciously.
Third-party applications for sound control
In the store Google Play there are many notification manager utilities that provide more advanced control over sounds than the standard Android settings. Applications like Notification Manager or AutoNotification allow you to create complex scenarios and filtering rules.
Using such tools, you can set up a rule: “If the application Friend Around sends a notification, then there is no need to play the sound, but leave the vibration" or vice versa. Some managers allow you to replace the notification sound with silence or replace it with another, more pleasant audio file.
The use of third-party software requires special permissions to access notifications (Accessibility Service). This gives the app the right to read and modify incoming signals. Although this is a powerful tool, it requires careful attention data securityas a third-party application gains access to the text of your notifications.
Risks of using third-party managers
Granting rights to access notifications to a third-party application could theoretically lead to leakage of confidential information information contained in the text of messages. Use only proven utilities with a high rating.
Problems with sound after updates and their solutions
Sometimes users are faced with a situation where sound appears again after updating an application or operating system. This is a common problem due to the fact that during a major update, settings may be reset to default values, or new ones may appear that are turned on by default. notification channels, which are enabled by default.
If you notice that the phone has started making sounds again, despite the previous settings, the first thing to do is check the change history in the app store. Perhaps the developers have added a new type of notification (for example, “Super Like Sound”) for which you have not yet set a blocking rule.
In this case, you need to go through the setup procedure again through the Android system menu, since new channels are often visible only there. It is also worth clearing the application cache to eliminate software glitches that cause incorrect sound playback.
To clear the cache memory, follow these steps:
- Go to
Settingssmartphone. - Open the section
Applicationsand find Friend Around. - Go to
Storage. - Press the button
Clear cache(do not confuse with “Clear data”, otherwise you will have to re-enter your login and password).
After any major update of the application or Android system, it is recommended to recheck the notification settings, as they may be reset or supplemented with new items.
Often asked questions (FAQ)
Why doesn’t the sound turn off even if I turned it off in the phone settings?
This may be due to the fact that the “Sound in chat” or “Interface sound effects” function is enabled in the application itself, which do not apply to system notifications. Also check if the “Always on sound” mode is turned on in Android accessibility.
Is it possible to leave vibration but turn off the sound?
Yes, this is a standard feature. In the notification settings (both in the application and in the Android system), the “Sound” and “Vibration” options are separated. You can turn off the sound slider while leaving the vibration slider active.
Does muting the sound affect the receipt of messages?
No, muting the sound or even turning off notifications completely does not affect the delivery of messages. They will be sent to the server and displayed in the application when you open it. Only the way you are informed about this event changes.
What to do if the settings are reset after updating Android?
With major updates to the operating system (for example, moving from Android 12 to 13), the notification channel settings may be reset. You will need to re-enter Settings → Applications → Friends Around → Notifications and turn off the sound for all categories.
How to turn off the sound only for a specific chat?
Go to a specific dialogue in the application. Click on the person's name or chat menu (three dots). In the chat settings, find the Sound or Notifications option and select Silent or Mute. This action will apply only to this correspondence.