Maddening ios volume control

[Tozovac]

I swear I recall that at one time, controlling the volume on the iphone was a "one stop shopping" affair, where if I had the volume down to "1" I wouldn't be blasted with music (volume set at "10" suddenly) if I opened a youtube video. Maybe that was true back in the days when Apple software "just worked" (pre ios7 and pre-Jony Ive poisoning the UI experience), or maybe I'm incorrectly recalling this setup which to me should be the default mode. Even more frustratingly, I have the silent-mode switch set to off/vibrate yet I'm still blasted with volume after I've lowered the iphone master volume using the side controls.

Can anyone confirm or correct my recollections that at one time, ios's volume did what you expected it to do here? And more importantly - can anyone tell me how to have a "one stop shop" master volume control setup here? I have a 5S with the latest ios. I'm amazed that I have to that dance each time I open a video in an environment where I don't want my phone to be heard by others: ensure the phone is set to vibrate/silent, turn the master volume down, open the video, then hurriedly slam the volume down again.

Thanks.

 

[ThunderMasterMind]

Uhh... can I get a better explanation?

 

[ZEEN0j]

Check your settings. My phone is not set to english so bare with me.

settings - sounds and haptics - change with buttons

Untick that option. With the slider "on" you can change your ringtone volume with the buttons. When watching a video or playing music the volume buttons will control system audio. With it "off" the volume buttons will only control system audio. Ringtone volume is set in settings.

 

[Shikaka]

I don't remember what version of iOS was on my 3GS and iPhone 5, but I also agree that volume management was simpler and more intuitive.

I think today's iOS might have at least 3 independent volume controls; Ringer, Media, Siri (?)

I rarely find the new volume management setup useful. When I go to a meeting or quite place, I have to go through this routine of lowering volume in multiple parts of my iPhone.

I also wish that the ringer could be muted by toggling volume all the way down.

 

[cswifx]

I don't know what app you're using, but I don't think an app should immediately set the volume to 10. By using the silent switch it should ensure that all media do not play through my speakers (unless it's Music, for some reason). You may want to share a video or a link to your app so the community can help you with that.

 

[Shikaka]

YouTube is one of the apps. For example...

Let's say that during the day I have the silent switch un-muted so I can hear my incoming calls. I'm at a noisy restaurant and want to show my wife a funny YouTube video. I turn the volume all the way up so that she can watch and hear the video.

Later that evening I'm getting ready for bed and I toggle the silent switch off. I don't want any incoming calls setting off the ringer and waking everyone up.

I happen to wake up at 2am and can't fall back asleep. I decide to watch some YouTube videos with captions on so that I don't disturb my wife sleeping next to me. I check to make sure the silent switch is still on mute. As soon I play the first YouTube video, the volume is at full blast because I didn't lower it after watching the funny video at the crowded restaurant.

The silent switch only affects the ringer. It had no control over the volume of the YouTube app.

 

[ZEEN0j]

YouTube is one of the apps. For example...

Let's say that during the day I have the silent switch un-muted so I can hear my incoming calls. I'm at a noisy restaurant and want to show my wife a funny YouTube video. I turn the volume all the way up so that she can watch and hear the video.

Later that evening I'm getting ready for bed and I toggle the silent switch off. I don't want any incoming calls setting off the ringer and waking everyone up.

I happen to wake up at 2am and can't fall back asleep. I decide to watch some YouTube videos with captions on so that I don't disturb my wife sleeping next to me. I check to make sure the silent switch is still on mute. As soon I play the first YouTube video, the volume is at full blast because I didn't lower it after watching the funny video at the crowded restaurant.

The silent switch only affects the ringer. It had no control over the volume of the YouTube app.

That's how I want it to behave though. Only control the ringer. I have noticed that in some apps it controls the video volume as well. They should add some options for people who want it to behave differently.

 

[ThunderMasterMind]

As far as I can tell, volume management hasn't changed ever. Even my legacy iOS devices behave the same way. Some apps are affected by the mute switch, and they act the same on legacy iOS. What I can see here, is many people that just forget about the volume. I have done it a bunch of times in the past, but I managed to develop a habit to toggle the volume whenever I open an app with sound in it.
My only gripe is the fact that the mute switch on the iPhone 6-7 is so easy to bump out of mute, so I've had my fair shares of my phone going off in class from the switch getting bumped out of mute. That's not an iOS issue though.

 

[Altis]

Yeah this is a really frustrating problem.

What happens is: while you have an app open, even in the background, that uses sound output (such as YouTube), iOS now uses the Audio volume for the Alert volume.

So even if your Alert volume is at minimum 1/16, incoming alerts will use whatever volume your Audio output is set at (which is the volume you see in Control Center).

So if your audio is set to 0 (mute), your alerts are muted. If it's set to full 100%, your alerts will be 100% volume.

The only way to deal with it is to remove the background apps when you're done with them so the Alerts go back to using the Alert volume.

 

[ZEEN0j]

Yeah this is a really frustrating problem.

What happens is: while you have an app open, even in the background, that uses sound output (such as YouTube), iOS now uses the Audio volume for the Alert volume.

So even if your Alert volume is at minimum 1/16, incoming alerts will use whatever volume your Audio output is set at (which is the volume you see in Control Center).

So if your audio is set to 0 (mute), your alerts are muted. If it's set to full 100%, your alerts will be 100% volume.

The only way to deal with it is to remove the background apps when you're done with them so the Alerts go back to using the Alert volume.

This has never happened to me. I have my phone set so I can't control ringer volume with the buttons. My ringer volume is always maxed or muted (with the mute switch). And no matter the audio volume I have set when watching a video or listening to music it is always at the loudest. Weird

 

[Altis]

This has never happened to me. I have my phone set so I can't control ringer volume with the buttons. My ringer volume is always maxed or muted (with the mute switch). And no matter the audio volume I have set when watching a video or listening to music it is always at the loudest. Weird

Strange. It's been this way for me since iOS 7.

I have missed many alerts due to having the audio set to 0/16 despite the ringer being on and not being in an app, or having the phone sleep.