The inconspicuous LED notification light on your smartphone can do a lot more than it seems. From changing color to customizing the flashing frequency, there are a variety of ways that you can customize your LED notifications to your preferences.

All you need is an app and some creativity. Here is how to change your Android phone's LED notification light to suit your needs.

1. Download an LED Notification App

There are a variety of apps, both free and paid, that you can use to change up your notification light settings.

There are a few major apps in this niche category on the Google Play Store the best free app is definitely Light Manager - LED Settings. It offers some of the best functionality and minimal advertising. Some other apps require that you watch an advertisement or upgrade to the premium version before you can even add a custom profile.

light manager android led notifications

However, with Light Manager, you can customize your current notification profiles, add LED notifications for all your installed apps, and choose different modes.

It should work for notifications from any third-party app, not just system-level apps like text messages or missed calls. Meanwhile, the different modes (Normal, Alternating, and Screen) mean that you have control over how many notifications can be shown via the LED or the screen.

Once you have your LED customization app installed, you can start the required setup.

Download: Light Manager - LED Settings (Free) [No Longer Available]

2. Grant the Relevant Permissions

In order to customize your Android notifications, the app will require the right permissions. In addition to the permissions granted when downloading the app, you will need to also manually allow the app notification access.

When opening Light Manager, the app will prompt you to do this. You'll simply need to enable the app in your Android notification menu.

light manager permissions android led notifications

If there are apps that clash with these permissions, Light Manager will also prompt you to deactivate the relevant app's LED notifications. This turned out to be the case with Whatsapp.

However, doing this is easy enough, with Light Manager giving you the correct menu navigation to follow. For Whatsapp, you will simply need to go to Settings > Notifications and then change the "Light" setting to "Off."

light manager permissions android led notifications

Once you have done this for the relevant apps, you can get to customizing your LED notifications.

3. Customize the Available App LED Settings

Light Manager and similar apps already have certain pre-programmed apps and settings loaded. These include base settings that come standard with any Android device.

Among these, you will find the typical green "battery charged" LED, a red LED that is shown while your phone is charging, and the flashing red LED for when you have low battery.

light manager android led notifications

In the app, you'll be able to adjust these preset profiles. In Light Manager specifically, you can adjust which profiles are enabled, the flash rate, LED color, and the priority of the notification. You can even make contact-specific notifications, such as having a blue light flash for a missed call but a green light for a missed call from your mom.

light manager missed call android led notifications

4. Add Your Favorite Apps

The best part of having an app like this is the ability to add custom notifications for the apps that you specifically want included. It can be annoying if some of your apps show LED notifications while others don't.

But the ability to add your own apps means that you can have notifications for the platforms you always use.

light manager slack android led notifications

Just like the preset profiles, your unique profiles in Light Manager include settings such as flash rate, LED color, and priority.

You can adjust the LED color either by selecting one named by the app (for example, "Cyan" or "Purple"), or by using a slider to choose the hue and shade of your notification. You can also input the hexa code of the color you want.

light manager yellow android led notifications

5. Make Sure to Run a Test

Once you have chosen settings for an app, you'll be able to run a test within Light Manager to check that the notification works. You can also use the test mode to check that you're happy with the color and flash frequency you've selected for your notification.

This means that you don't have to send yourself test messages through various apps to check that your settings have been enabled.

phone android led notifications

Of course, you can do this if you really want to be thorough. Just trigger a notification in an app you've added to Light Manager, or wait for one to come through on its own, and keep your eye on the LED.

How Do You Customize Your Device?

Changing the LED settings for your notification is only one of many ways that you can customize your Android device and a notification LED light is considered a must-have when buying a new smartphone. In fact, apps like these mean that you can change Android without even rooting your device.

Of course, there are also Android customization tools that are worth the root.

What are some custom tools you find useful for your device? Let us know in the comments below!