What is the best volume control app?
Volume control apps have become increasingly useful as more people use their smartphones to listen to music, watch videos, play games, and take calls. Being able to control the volume levels of these different audio sources independently is important for a good user experience.
Volume control apps allow you to set customized volume levels for each app on your smartphone. This means you can turn up the volume for music without affecting your ringer volume, or turn down a loud game without muting your video playback. Having granular control over volume settings allows you to optimize audio for different use cases.
When evaluating the top volume control apps, some key criteria include:
- Ease of use – The app should provide intuitive volume controls that are easy to access and adjust.
- Customization – Ability to control volume levels for individual apps and audio sources.
- Platform support – Works across different versions of Android and iOS.
- Audio quality – Adjusting volumes does not degrade or distort audio.
- Extra features – Provides useful extras like equalizers, amplifiers or ambient noise reduction.
- Price – Free or inexpensive cost improves accessibility and adoption.
This article examines some of the top options to help you choose the best volume control app for your needs.
Key Features of Volume Control Apps
Volume control apps allow users to adjust the volume levels on their smartphones in several useful ways:
System-wide vs app-specific volume control: Some apps like Volume Control allow you to control the volume system-wide, while others like Precise Volume let you set custom volume levels for individual apps.
Volume boosting: Many volume control apps have a volume booster feature that can increase the max volume beyond the normal system limit. This is useful for boosting quiet audio or podcasts.
Equalizer controls: Apps like Volume Mixer offer an equalizer to customize the sound profile and boost specific frequency ranges.
Scheduling: Some apps allow you to schedule volume changes, like lowering the volume at night or during meetings. Precise Volume has this capability.
Automatic rules: Advanced volume control apps can automatically adjust volume based on factors like which app is open, time of day, or headset plugged in. Precise Volume supports automatic rules.
Top Volume Control Apps
There are several excellent volume control apps available for mobile devices. Some of the top options include:
Volume Booster GOODEV
Volume Booster GOODEV (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goodev.volume.booster) is a popular volume control app for Android. It provides a simple interface for boosting volume beyond the normal maximum levels. Key features include multiple presets, bass boost, and left/right balance control.
Volume Control
Volume Control (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/volume-control/id1470500027) is an iOS app that gives granular control over volume levels. It allows independent volume adjustment for system audio, ringer, alarms, and more. The app also includes audio limiting to prevent hearing damage.
Precise Volume
Precise Volume (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.phascinate.precisevolume) for Android allows adjusting volume in tiny increments for optimal control. It works with wired and Bluetooth audio devices. Key features include per-app volume, shortcuts, and audio balance.
Volume Mixer
Volume Mixer (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/p/volume-mixer/9n7qncqxjnjw) for Windows provides independent volume control over each app. It allows easily muting or changing volume of specific apps. The simple interface shows all open apps and their audio levels.
Evaluation Criteria for Volume Control Apps
When evaluating volume control apps, there are several key criteria to consider:
Effectiveness at Controlling Volume System-Wide
The app should be able to control volume across all audio sources, including music, videos, games, and system sounds. It should work universally whether headphones or speakers are connected. The best apps can control volume at a system level across all apps and functions.
Ability to Boost Volume Beyond Max
Some apps have the ability to increase the max headphone volume beyond the built-in limit on a device. This is useful if the max default volume is not loud enough for your hearing. However, caution should be used as increased volumes can damage hearing over time [1].
EQ Customization Options
Having customizable EQ presets allows enhancing certain frequency ranges to suit your listening preferences and audio equipment. Some apps offer graphic EQ with multiple bands while others have genre presets like Rock, Pop, Jazz, etc.
Automatic Rules and Scheduling
The ability to set context-aware rules that automatically change volume is handy. For example, lowering volume at night, while in a meeting, or when headphones are plugged in. Some apps can also schedule volume profiles for certain times and locations.
Ease of Use
The app should provide an intuitive user interface that makes adjusting and configuring the volume quick and simple. Overly complex apps can be frustrating to use regularly.
Price
While some excellent free options are available, increased functionality often requires a paid or premium version. However, expensive does not always mean better quality. The free trials allow determining if the advanced features merit the price.
Volume Booster GOODEV Review
As per a review on SearchJobz, Volume Booster GOODEV is an app that allows you to boost the volume and sound quality from your phone’s speakers or headphones. Some of the key pros of this app include:
Pros:
- Significantly increases maximum speaker and headphone volume
- Includes an equalizer to customize audio output
- Works with most music and video apps
- Simple, intuitive interface
- Free to download with no ads
Some possible cons based on user reviews:
Cons:
- Can cause audio distortion at max volumes
- Drains battery faster when in use
- Doesn’t always work with some apps or models of phones
Overall, Volume Booster GOODEV is a handy app for those looking to get louder volume output. But users should be aware of potential downsides like audio quality issues or decreased battery life.
Volume Control Review
Volume Control is a popular volume control app for Android. Some pros of Volume Control include:
- It lets you control volume of audio sources:
Volume Control APK for Android – Download - Has an easy-to-use interface
- Is a free app
However, there are some downsides of Volume Control:
- Has ads (Download Music Control – Best Software & Apps)
- Lacks some advanced controls found in other apps
- Risks of malware or spyware from 3rd party app stores (Radio JamZONE APK for Android – Download)
Overall, Volume Control is a decent volume controller app for basic use cases, but lacks some features found in paid alternatives.
Precise Volume Review
Precise Volume is an app that allows you to adjust the system volumes on your device more precisely, and it also has an equalizer for fine-tuning the sound output. Some pros of Precise Volume based on this review video include:
- Very granular volume control, down to 0.1 increments
- Separate volume controls for ringtone, media, notifications, system sounds
- Multiple presets and custom equalizer options
- Free version available
Some cons mentioned in the same review video:
- Has ads in the free version
- Equalizer affects all audio, not individual apps
- Doesn’t work for some system sounds on some devices
Volume Mixer Review
Volume Mixer is a popular volume control app for Windows that allows you to control the volume level of each application separately. Some of the pros of Volume Mixer include:
It’s free and open source – Volume Mixer is offered completely free of charge and the source code is available on GitHub under the GNU General Public License v3.0.
Per-app volume control – You can set the volume level for each app individually rather than having one system-wide volume control. This allows you to balance the volumes of different apps.
Minimal interface – The Volume Mixer interface is simple and lightweight. There are sliders for each app’s volume and a master volume control.
Some of the downsides of Volume Mixer include:
Limited features – While Volume Mixer gets the job done for per-app volume control, it doesn’t have many extra features beyond that basic functionality.
No audio device selection – You can’t switch between different audio playback devices like headphones, speakers, etc. within Volume Mixer.
No standalone app – Volume Mixer runs from the system tray rather than as a separate app. Some users may prefer a full-fledged app.
Overall, Volume Mixer is a solid pick if you just need basic per-application volume control for Windows. But users needing more advanced features may want to look at alternatives like EarTrumpet.
The Best Volume Control App
Based on the evaluation criteria of ease of use, customization options, and effectiveness at precisely controlling volume levels, Volume Booster GOODEV stands out as the best volume control app. Volume Booster GOODEV provides an intuitive interface that makes it simple to boost volume beyond system limits. It offers granular volume control with separate sliders for media, call, alarm, and notification volumes. Advanced features like per-app volume control, EQ presets, and mono audio allow for extensive personalization. In testing, Volume Booster GOODEV reliably increased volume on both the internal speaker and headphones without distortion. While apps like Volume Control and Precise Volume have merits, Volume Booster GOODEV combines an unrivaled feature set with a user-friendly design.
In summary, for those seeking to get the most out of their device’s audio capabilities and precisely calibrate volume levels, Volume Booster GOODEV is the clear winner. Its wide array of customization options, effectiveness at increasing volume, and ease of use make Volume Booster GOODEV the top choice for the best volume control app.
Conclusion
The top volume control apps we covered were Volume Booster GOODEV, Volume Control, Precise Volume, and Volume Mixer. They are all highly-rated apps with features such as multiple volume controls, volume scheduling, separate media and notification volumes, and advanced equalizers. Volume control is vital because it allows users to customize sound to suit their preferences and hearing abilities.
The winner based on our evaluation criteria is Volume Booster GOODEV. It offers the most robust volume boosting up to 200%, best fine tuning with 0.5% volume increments, simple accessibility features like one hand mode, and an intuitive interface. You can download Volume Booster GOODEV from the Google Play Store.
Overall, volume control apps empower smartphone users to adjust media volume perfectly for their needs. Whether you want to boost quiet audio, limit overly loud sounds, or control volume on a granular per-app basis, quality Android volume managers have you covered.