iPhone’s arguably limited volume controls can elicit confusion depending how they are set. For example, you might realize that as a result of turning down your ringer volume, you can no longer hear turn-by-turn directions.

Learn to control volume in a way that consistently matches your preferences.

Volume Controls

iPhones have only three settings related to volume, which can be difficult to adjust to match your preferences:

  1. There’s a slider in Settings > Sounds & Haptics that controls the volume of the ringtone and alerts
  2. A toggle just below the slider specifies whether the physical volume buttons control the ringtone and alert volume in addition to other audio
  3. The physical volume buttons control the media/app audio and might adjust this volume when that audio is not playing. The volume slider in Control Center always mirrors this master volume of the device.

When media or apps are playing audio (besides those sounding ringtones or alerts), the volume buttons and Control Center slider change the volume of that sound. This is in addition to or separate from the ringtone and alert volume, depending on the toggle mentioned in #2 above.

Control All Volume Equally?

If Change with Buttons is enabled (the default setting), the physical volume buttons will only control the volume of media and apps when that sound is playing, such as while navigation is actively being spoken, not after a given direction has stopped playing.

When no sound is playing, the buttons control the volume of the ringer and alerts. If the toggle is disabled, the ringer volume will remain constant and only be adjustable in Settings > Sounds & Haptics.

Do you sometimes turn down your ringer volume so your phone rings quieter but still audibly when you’re in a meeting or other specific context? If you surprisingly discover that other sounds are also quiet later on, you might consider a different approach.

In this use case, consider creating a Focus mode and triggering a Personal Automation shortcut that changes the volume when entering or exiting that Focus. Note: This still requires Change with Buttons to be on, because there isn’t a shortcut action specifically for the ringtone volume.

Headphones & Speakers Are Independent

In addition to all of the above, the volume levels associated with ringtone/alerts and media/apps are independent among all connected headphones and speakers.

When you plug in or wirelessly connect an external audio device that can play sound from your iPhone, you will briefly see an on-screen indication of its current volume level. This may be different from the volume of the iPhone speaker and should be the same the volume level as when this device was last connected.

All other controls discussed above still apply to the volume set on an external speaker.

Still confused? Apple has an article about adjusting iPhone volume. Also, feel free to reach out for more support and coaching. I would be happy to help you generate possible alternative approaches to resolve your volume quandaries.