How do I control individual app volume on Android?

Many Android users have experienced the issue of certain apps or media playing at too loud of a volume, even when the system volume is set very low. This can be frustrating when listening to music or podcasts late at night, especially if some apps on your device seem louder than others at the lowest system volume.

Unlike iOS, Android does not give users the ability to control the volume of individual apps. The system volume controls everything simultaneously. However, there are some steps you can take to lower the volume of noisy apps individually and prevent blaring sounds when you have turned your Android device’s volume down.

1. Check App Settings

Many apps have built-in volume or sound settings that you can adjust. Open the app you want to control the volume for, and look in its Settings or Preferences menu for audio/volume options. For example, in Reddit, you can go to Settings > Sound & vibrations and adjust the notification volumes separately from the media volume.

Options like muting sounds, adjusting media volumes, or controlling notifications are app-specific, so you’ll need to poke around to see what customizations each app allows. This gives you granular control per app without installing any extra software. The downside is that it only works within apps that have built-in volume settings.

Use Do Not Disturb

One way to control the volume of individual apps on Android is by using the Do Not Disturb feature. This allows you to mute notifications and sounds from specific apps.

To enable Do Not Disturb for an app on Android 9 and above:

Go to Settings > Sound & vibration > Do Not Disturb.
Tap People or Apps.
Select the app you want to mute.

Toggle “Block” on.

This will mute all notifications and sounds from that app whenever Do Not Disturb is enabled. You can create an exceptions list to allow calls or messages from certain contacts to bypass Do Not Disturb.

There are also various third party apps that extend Do Not Disturb functionality on Android. For example, Do Not Disturb, Silence Premium, and Easy DND allow you to customize Do Not Disturb with more granular controls.

Adjust Media Volume

One way to control the volume of individual apps on Android is by adjusting the media volume when that app is actively playing audio. The media volume controls how loud audio from apps like music players, video streaming, and games will be.

To adjust media volume for a specific app:

1. Open the app you want to control volume for and start playing audio or video.

2. While the app is playing, press the Volume Up or Down buttons on your Android device. This will change the media volume just for that app.

3. Repeat this process for other apps to customize their volume levels.[Individual app volume control so you don’t have to listen to …](https://www.reddit.com/r/gachagaming/comments/tqebt7/individual_app_volume_control_so_you_dont_have_to/)

The volume rocker is an easy way to control volume on a per-app basis if you only need to make slight adjustments. Just be sure to change media volume while the app is actively playing audio. This method may not work as well for apps that don’t play constant audio.

Install Volume Booster

One way to control the volume of individual apps on Android is by installing a third-party volume booster app. These types of apps allow you to specifically turn up or turn down the volume for certain apps on your device.

Some popular volume booster apps for Android include Volume Booster GOODEV, Volume Booster Pro, and Music Volume EQ. Most of these apps are free to download on the Google Play Store.

After installing a volume booster app, you’ll be able to access an equalizer for each app on your device. This allows you to turn the volume up or down within each individual app as needed. This can be helpful if you find the volume too low in certain apps.

The main downside to volume booster apps is that they run constantly in the background which can drain your battery. However, if you need to adjust volume on a per-app basis, these types of apps provide an easy option for Android users.

Lower Overall Volume

Lowering the overall system volume on your Android device is one way to reduce noise across all apps. This reduces the maximum volume limit for everything on your phone. To lower the overall volume, open the Settings app and go to Sound. Drag the volume sliders for Media, Notifications, Ringtones, and Alarms to your desired lower levels. You can also press the volume keys on your device to adjust the volume down.

According to a Reddit user, some devices may have a minimum volume that is still too loud. There are third party apps like Volume Booster that allow granular control over the minimum volume level. However, lowering the overall system volume affects all apps and sounds. This is an easy universal fix but may make your audio too quiet for normal use (Source).

Use Equalizers

Equalizer apps allow you to adjust the volume levels of specific frequency ranges. This can be useful for controlling the loudness of individual apps. For example, you could turn down the bass frequencies that tend to overpower vocals and dialog. There are several high quality equalizers available for Android, many of them free.¹

Some popular equalizer apps include Poweramp, Music Volume EQ+, Boom, Wavelet, and Neutralizer.² These allow you to customize the frequency response curve to target certain ranges. Turning down the lower frequencies can reduce the overall volume while still allowing you to hear the mids and highs clearly.

The key is to identify the frequency ranges that contribute most to the loudness of the app you want to quiet down. For example, games and videos often have booming low end. Turning down 80-200Hz could lower their volume significantly without affecting voice and music clarity as much. Experiment with the EQ bands to find the best balance.

Mute Other Apps

Muting all other apps isolates the noise from a single app. This can help determine if one particular app is causing annoying or loud audio. Follow these steps to mute other apps on Android:

Open the app that is playing audio.
Swipe down from the top of the screen to open Quick Settings.

Long press on the volume slider.
Tap the app icon below the slider to mute it.
Repeat this for other apps that may be causing noise.

The app you want to diagnose for volume issues should remain unmuted.

Now only that app’s audio will play. If the volume seems better, you know limiting audio to just that app can help manage its loudness. You can toggle muting off for other apps if needed.

Update Apps

Sometimes app developers release updates that include enhancements and bug fixes for audio and volume controls. By keeping your apps up-to-date, you can take advantage of any improvements made to audio functionality.

Check if any of your media or music apps such as Spotify, YouTube, Netflix, etc. have available updates. The Google Play Store will notify you of app updates, but you can also manually check by opening the Play Store app and going to the “My Apps & Games” section. Tap on the app and then tap “Update” if an update is available.

Additionally, updating your Android OS version when updates are available may provide better system-wide audio controls. Go to Settings > System > System update to check for any pending Android version updates.

While updating apps doesn’t guarantee improved audio, it ensures you have the latest optimizations and features that developers have released. Updated apps tend to provide a smoother user experience.

Conclusion

There are several ways to control the volume of individual apps on Android devices. The easiest options are to go into the app’s settings and adjust the volume slider, enable Do Not Disturb to mute notifications, or change the media volume specifically. More advanced options include installing a third party volume booster app, lowering the overall system volume so specific apps are quieter, or using built-in equalizers to alter app volumes.

Muting other distracting apps while using a particular app can also help make the app you want to focus on stand out volume-wise. Keeping apps updated ensures volume controls are working properly. Overall, Android provides flexible volume settings to give users granular control over sound levels per app.