How do the various iPhone volume controls work?

How do iPhone volume controls work?

There are several volume levels.

They do not interact with each other.

 First of all, I like to have the "Change with buttons" turned on in Settings, Sounds & Haptics, it makes it easier to fiddle with the volumes. (for iphone 6S and earlier it is Settings, Sounds)

 The various independent volume modes:-

1.    You have an adjustment for Ringer and Notifications which you can adjust with buttons while the home screen is visible. Keyboard, alarm, and lock sounds are controlled here. If you turn down the ringtone for calls, you might sleep through the alarm! Get round this by installing a third party app which usually uses the audio media channel.

2.    You can adjust audio, media and camera shutter volume with buttons while listening to Audio or video on phone speaker.

3.    You can separately adjust volume with buttons while listening to media on headphones/bluetooth. The slider will show a bluetooth icon.

If you find the bluetooth device has low volume, for example you are in the car on Bluetooth or on a Bluetooth speaker, and the volume will not reach an expected level, feel free to increase the volume in the iphone itself to maximum.

If you find the bluetooth volume goes down by itself accompanied by a level warning and this is not appropriate, you can override it in two places:-

• Settings, Bluetooth and tap on the (i) next to the device. Then select Device Type 'Speaker' instead of 'Headphones'.
• Turn off Headphone Notifications in Settings, Accessibility, Audio/Visual.

4.    You can adjust call volume level (which is how loud you hear the caller and how loud they can hear you), which can only be adjusted with the buttons during a live call. It cannot be adjusted in settings.

If you find you cannot hear callers while connected to a car bluetooth system or CarPlay you should increase the caller volume using buttons on the phone so that it matches the audio volume level.

 5.    Siri - their volume can only be adjusted with the buttons while Siri is active (Globe icon showing) or speaking.

6.    Maps (or Google Maps) navigation voice can only be adjusted with the buttons while Maps voice is speaking. While navigating in Maps, say in the car, the navigation voice level and the radio or music level may be mismatched. If you wait for the navigation to speak then you can adjust volume level with buttons or the steering wheel volume adjustment. Note the mute/unmute switch on the screen itself. Steering wheel mute may work also.

 Note: For Hearing Devices (aka hearing aids) refer to this special link Use Made for iPhone hearing devices – Apple Support (UK)

 The official support article is here Adjust the volume on iPhone – Apple Support (UK)