How do I stop an app from making sound?

Understand Why the App is Making Sound

There are a few main reasons why an app may be making unwanted sounds on your device:

• Notifications – Apps can send audible alerts for new messages, events, and other notifications. These sounds are configured in the app’s settings.
• Alerts – Apps may use sounds for alerts related to the app functioning, like error noises or warning beeps.
• Sound effects – Apps like games use sound effects for actions like clicking buttons or feedback sounds.
• Media playback – Apps that play audio or video will make sound unless muted.

To determine the source of the unwanted sounds, pay attention to when the sounds occur. If they coincide with a notification or action within the app, that can help identify the reason the app is making noise. Checking the app’s settings may also provide clarity on notification and alert options.

Mute the Device

One of the easiest ways to stop an app from making sound is to mute your iPhone or iPad device entirely. You have a few options for muting your device:

Use the silent/vibrate switch – This physical switch on the side of your iPhone or iPad lets you quickly toggle between normal, silent, and vibrate modes. Slide the switch up to enable vibrate, which will stop all sounds. Slide it to the middle for normal sound, or down for silent mode which mutes everything.

Press the Volume buttons – The physical volume buttons on the side of your iOS device allow you to quickly reduce the system volume to mute sounds. Press and hold the Volume down button to rapidly mute.

Adjust in Settings – Open the Settings app and go to Sounds & Haptics to control the volume slider and change sound modes between normal, silent, and vibrate. You can also turn on options like Mute, Do Not Disturb, or Sleep Mode to quickly mute sounds.

Using these hardware controls or OS settings to mute your iPhone or iPad is an easy blanket approach to muting all sounds from any app. However, it will mute all system sounds, which may not be desirable. For more granular control, you can target specific apps.

Pause or Close the App

One of the simplest ways to stop an app from making sound is to pause or close the app. When you pause an app like a music or video streaming app, it will stop playback. And closing an app completely will stop all sounds coming from that app.

On an iPhone or iPad, you can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to bring up the app switcher. Then find the app that is making the unwanted sound and swipe it upwards to close it. This force quits the app and stops any sounds.

On Android, open the Recents screen by tapping the square button or swiping up from the bottom. Then locate the noisy app in the list, tap it, and swipe it sideways off the screen to close it. You can also long press on an app icon and select “Force stop” to completely shut down the app.

For apps like music streaming services, you may just need to tap the pause button within the app to stop playback before switching to another app. This allows the music to resume when you reopen the app.

According to discussions on Reddit and Apple forums, closing an app can sometimes stop unwanted sounds like audio continuing to play when switching between apps. This method provides a quick way to mute an app making noise without having to change any device or app settings.¹

Disable App Notifications

One of the most direct ways to stop an app from making sounds is to disable its notifications entirely. Both iOS and Android allow you to control notifications at the app level via the notification settings.

On an iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Notifications, select the app, and turn off Allow Notifications. This will prevent any sounds, banners, or badges from that app.

On Android, open the Settings app and go to Apps & notifications > Notifications. Select the app and turn off the toggle next to “Show notifications.” You can also long-press a notification and choose to turn off notifications.

According to research by Helplama, sending more than one push notification per week causes 10% of users to disable notifications entirely [1]. Keeping notifications minimal and relevant can help retain users.

Turn Off In-App Sounds

Many apps allow you to control sounds and audio within the app’s settings. Look for an audio or sound section in the app’s settings menu to mute or turn off specific in-app sounds.

For example, in the Facebook app you can go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Media and toggle off In-App Sounds to mute sounds when you like, comment or receive notifications (Source).

Some apps like Dialpad have detailed sound settings where you can individually control ringtones, notifications, keypress sounds and more. Explore your app’s audio settings to fine tune which sounds you want to keep on or turn off (Source).

Many apps also have a mute button you can tap to quickly mute all sounds from within the app. Look for a speaker or volume icon within the app to toggle sound on or off.

Turning off in-app sounds in the settings is the most direct way to stop an app from making sound without disabling all notifications or closing the app entirely.

Use Focus/Do Not Disturb Modes

Both iOS and Android offer Focus or Do Not Disturb modes that allow you to block sounds and notifications from specific apps or during scheduled times. These can provide a simple way to silence an app.

On iOS 15+, enable Focus mode and customize it to block sounds and notifications from the noisy app. You can also schedule Focus to automatically turn on during certain times of day when you don’t want interruptions (https://blog.google/products/android/android-focus-mode/). The iOS Focus mode has been shown to reduce engagement and open rates for apps, indicating users are getting less distracted (https://www.businessofapps.com/insights/the-impact-of-ios-15-focus-mode-on-app-engagement/).

Similarly, Android 9+ offers a Do Not Disturb mode where you can block visual and sound interruptions from chosen apps or during set times. Turning this on is an easy way to mute app sounds.

Adjust OS Accessibility Settings

Most mobile operating systems like iOS and Android have accessibility settings that allow you to customize how sounds work across all apps. Here are some options to explore:

Enable Mono Audio: Both iOS and Android let you switch to mono audio instead of stereo. This condenses audio down to one channel, which can minimize disruptive sounds. On an iPhone, go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual and toggle on “Mono Audio.” On Android, go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & On-Screen Text and choose “Mono audio.”

Use Sound Notifications: Android offers a “Sound Notifications” setting under Accessibility that can alert you to key sounds like a baby crying or smoke alarm going off. This may help filter out app noises you don’t need to hear. Learn how to set it up here.

Overlay Alerts: iOS lets you use visual notifications instead of sound ones. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio/Visual > LED Flash for Alerts to enable flashing light alerts for calls, notifications, and alarms.

Reduce Motion: Under iOS Accessibility settings, turn on “Reduce Motion” to limit certain visual effects that may be paired with sounds.

Adjusting these broader sound and motion settings across your OS can mute unwanted app sounds without fully silencing everything.

Update the App

Sometimes app developers may add new sound control options in app updates that can help mute sounds. Check the app store on your device periodically to see if any updates are available for the problematic app. The app details or release notes sometimes mention if new sound controls were added.

For example, Twitter added more granular notification sound controls in a 2022 update after user complaints, according to discussions on Reddit. Updating the app could give you access to new sound settings to mute sounds.

App developers may also fix bugs related to unwanted sounds in app updates. If the sound is a bug rather than an intended feature, installing the latest app version may solve the problem.

However, some users have complained that app updates also sometimes introduce new sounds, according to posts on Android forums. So updating is not guaranteed to reduce sounds. But it’s still worth checking if an update provides more control.

Provide App Feedback

If an app is making unwanted or excessive sound, directly contacting the app developer to provide feedback can be an effective solution. Many apps have in-app options to submit feedback, rate the app, or request new features (source). Users can describe the sound issues they are experiencing and request new customization options for muting sounds or disabling audio.

Feedback enables developers to identify problems and improve the user experience. As noted in one analysis, “Collecting feedback from your app users is essential to improving your app’s functionality, user experience, and overall success. It provides insight into bugs, desired features, and pain points” (source). Submitting direct and constructive feedback provides valuable data to app creators and drives app enhancements.

Specifically, users can request more granular controls over app sounds, such as options to mute sound effects, disable voice-over narrations, or pause background music. This allows the app to still provide necessary alerts and notifications while giving users more control over unnecessary noise pollution. As in-app feedback tools become more prevalent, users should take advantage of them to directly inform developers of sound issues and suggest specific remedies like new sound customization settings.

Delete the App

Deleting an app should be considered a last resort if you are unable to stop the unwanted sounds through other methods. Here are some things to consider before uninstalling an app:

First, check if there is an option within the app’s settings to disable sounds or notifications. Many apps allow you to customize which alerts you receive.

You can also try updating the app or providing feedback to the developer about the disruptive noises. Oftentimes app creators are receptive to user input and may release an update to address sound issues.

If the app is still making unwanted sounds after trying other troubleshooting, uninstalling it may be your best option for eliminating the noise. Just keep in mind that deleting an app also removes any data associated with it.

To uninstall an app on an iPhone, touch and hold the app icon until the icons start to wiggle. Then tap the X icon on the app you want to delete. On Android, go to Settings > Apps and select the app. Tap Uninstall. You can also uninstall directly from the app drawer.

As a last resort, deleting the problematic app will stop it from generating any more disruptive sounds. But first try customizing settings, updating, or providing feedback before the nuclear option of uninstalling.