[FREE] BackgroundBeep - Short Alert Sound for MIT App Inventor

Extensions
1

BackgroundBeep - Short Alert Sound Player Extension for MIT App Inventor

Play short, system-level beep and alert tones in your App Inventor projects with this lightweight non-visible extension. No audio files needed — it uses Android's built-in ToneGenerator.

Version: 1.0

Category: Extension

Visibility: Non-Visible

Developer: luckyh9h

Size: ~3Kb

Date: July 8, 2026

Overview

BackgroundBeep is a simple extension that plays 10 different short beep/alert sounds through the device's notification stream. It supports volume control, sound type selection, and a playback event. Ideal for timers, notifications, countdowns, game events, or any scenario where you need a quick audible cue without bundling audio assets.

Features

  • 10 Built-in Sound Types — short beeps, double beeps, confirmation/error tones, and DTMF keypad tones

  • Volume Control — adjust playback volume from 0 to 100

  • Play & Stop — play the current sound or stop it mid-playback

  • SoundPlayed Event — fires when a sound is played, returning the sound type index

  • No Asset Files Needed — all sounds are generated by the Android system

  • Designer Properties — configure SoundType and Volume directly in the designer

Blocks

Properties

(Screenshot: SoundType getter and setter blocks)

blocks1
blocks1814×236 29.7 KB

Methods

(Screenshot: Play, PlaySoundType, Stop method blocks)

blocks2
blocks2548×132 11.2 KB

Properties

| Property | Type | Default | Description |

|---|---|---|---|

| SoundType | number | 1 | Sound type index (1–10). See sound map below. |

| Volume | number | 50 | Playback volume (0–100). |

Functions

| Function | Description |

|---|---|

| Play() | Plays the currently selected SoundType. |

| PlaySoundType(type) | Plays a specific sound type (1–10). |

| Stop() | Stops any currently playing tone. |

Events

| Event | Description |

|---|---|

| SoundPlayed(soundType) | Triggered after a sound is played. Returns the sound type index. |

Sound Type Map

| Index | Sound | ToneGenerator Constant |

|---|---|---|

| 1 | Short Beep | TONE_PROP_BEEP |

| 2 | Double Beep | TONE_PROP_BEEP2 |

| 3 | Confirmation Tone | TONE_PROP_ACK |

| 4 | Error Tone | TONE_PROP_NACK |

| 5 | Prompt Tone | TONE_PROP_PROMPT |

| 6 | Keypad Tone 1 | TONE_DTMF_1 |

| 7 | Keypad Tone 2 | TONE_DTMF_2 |

| 8 | Keypad Tone 3 | TONE_DTMF_3 |

| 9 | Keypad Tone 5 | TONE_DTMF_5 |

| 10 | Keypad Tone 9 | TONE_DTMF_9 |

Example Usage

Example logic:

  1. User clicks a button → calls BackgroundBeep.Play

  2. BackgroundBeep plays the configured sound type

  3. SoundPlayed event fires → you can show a Toast, update a Label, or trigger another action

How to Use

  1. Import the .aix file into your MIT App Inventor project.

  2. Drag BackgroundBeep into your screen (it will appear in the non-visible components area).

  3. Set the desired SoundType and Volume in the designer properties, or change them via blocks at runtime.

  4. Call Play when you need a sound — for example, in a Timer.Timer event or Button.Click event.

  5. Use the SoundPlayed event if you need to react after playback.

Build Info

  • JDK: 11

  • Minimum API Level: 21 (Android 5.0)

  • Built using: Niotron IDE

Download: BackgroundBeep.aix (
BackgroundBeep(en).aix (8.0 KB)
)

Feedback and suggestions are welcome. Let me know if there are other sound types you'd like to see added.