Why does Spotify keep turning the volume down?
It’s an all too common frustration – you’re listening to music or a podcast on Spotify when suddenly the volume starts to dip, forcing you to reach for your phone or speakers to turn it back up. This unexpected drop in loudness seems to randomly occur across Spotify’s mobile and desktop apps, leaving many users perplexed as to why Spotify keeps turning the volume down.
In this article, we’ll dive into the possible reasons behind this issue, including Spotify’s normalization settings, device limitations, connectivity problems, and more. We’ll also provide some potential troubleshooting tips to help you maintain a consistent and enjoyable listening volume.
Possible Causes
One reason why Spotify might be turning the volume down is because of its loudness normalization feature. As Spotify states, “Audio normalization balances soft and loud songs, creating a more uniform listening experience” (
Specifically, Spotify uses a feature called loudness normalization, where they re-master tracks to a consistent loudness level of -14 LUFS. As one Reddit thread explains, “Normalization is the automatic equivalent of you going ‘Hm, this album is louder than I’d like’ and turning the volume down a tad, then leaving it there” (https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/c04h8m/spotify_normalize_volume_on_or_off/). So if you notice Spotify turning the volume lower on some songs, it’s likely due to this normalization process. The goal is to avoid sudden spikes in loudness as you listen to various tracks.
Automatic Gain Control
Automatic Gain Control (AGC) is a feature in Spotify designed to provide a consistent sound level across different audio sources. According to Spotify’s support article on audio normalization, AGC “balances soft and loud songs, creating a more uniform listening experience.”
In essence, AGC works by analyzing the loudness of each song or podcast episode on Spotify and automatically adjusting the volume to roughly match a target loudness level. This prevents excessive volume jumps when transitioning between very loud and very quiet audio. AGC helps normalize any natural variations in loudness across different recordings while aiming to maintain the artistic intent and integrity of the original audio.
AGC is enabled by default in Spotify apps, though it can be disabled in some versions. While convenient for many listeners, AGC has drawbacks—some claim it reduces audio quality and dynamic range. There is certainly a tradeoff between convenience and audio purity.
Device Limitations
Some devices have built-in volume limits that can cause Spotify’s volume to decrease automatically. For example, Android phones often have warnings that activate when the volume goes above a certain threshold, requiring the user to manually confirm to increase it further. iPhones also tie Spotify’s volume to the system volume, preventing the app from playing louder than the device’s maximum setting.
These kinds of limitations are intended to protect hearing and prevent discomfort from sudden volume spikes. However, they can inadvertently make it seem like Spotify is turning down the volume on its own. Checking your device’s audio settings is therefore important to understand if any restrictions are enabled that could be affecting playback.
Connectivity Issues
One possible reason why Spotify may keep turning down your volume is connectivity issues that lead to dropped connections. As noted in an article on the Speedify blog, “How to Fix Spotify Disconnects Once and for All” (https://speedify.com/blog/fix-internet-disconnecting/fix-spotify-disconnects-permanently/), when the Spotify connection gets interrupted, it can cause the music playback to sputter, cut out entirely, or suddenly get much quieter.
This typically happens because of problems with your internet connection rather than an issue with the Spotify app itself. Poor WiFi signal, switching between different networks, bandwidth limitations, and using a VPN can all contribute to connectivity problems leading to dropped streaming connections. Each time the connection drops and reconnects, you may experience drops in volume as Spotify tries to regain stability.
To prevent this, try improving your network connection to ensure consistent bandwidth for streaming. Or consider using a bonding VPN service like Speedify that combines multiple types of internet connections to safeguard your connectivity. Smoother connections will provide more consistent playback volume.
Advertisements
One common reason why Spotify sometimes turns the volume down is due to advertisements playing in between songs. Spotify includes audio and video ads on both its free and premium tiers, with free users getting more ads. These ads often seem much louder than the music playback volume.
As this article explains, the perceived difference in volume is because Spotify ads are mastered to play at close to 0 dB, the maximum possible volume. Meanwhile, music on Spotify goes through a process called normalization which turns down louder parts so all songs play at roughly the same volume level, typically around -14 dB.
This quieter normalized playback volume for music makes the 0 dB ads seem excessively loud by comparison. It’s a way for Spotify to make you notice the ads more. The only workaround is to max out Spotify’s volume and control loudness through your device or speakers instead.
Account Settings
The volume settings within your Spotify account can affect the loudness of playback. As this source mentions, you can adjust the volume level in your Spotify app settings on mobile devices. The options are Loud, Normal, and Quiet. Selecting the Loud option will increase the maximum volume ceiling. This setting spans across devices once changed.
Additionally, as outlined in this article, you can toggle the “Enable Volume Leveling” setting to on or off depending on your preference. This feature aims to provide a consistent volume level across tracks and albums. Turning it off may result in a louder overall sound.
Beyond volume configurations, ensuring you have an active premium subscription can allow access to higher quality streaming audio codecs, removing restrictions sometimes associated with free accounts.
Software Updates
App or OS updates can sometimes inadvertently affect the playback volume in Spotify. As Spotify rolls out updates aimed at improving features or fixing bugs, changes in the app code may impact audio components like volume normalization. Additionally, operating system updates on devices like iPhones and Android phones could also change lower level audio settings or integrations with Spotify that alter playback loudness.
For example, some Spotify users on Reddit and Spotify’s own community forums reported much lower volumes after recent app updates, with estimates of a 40-50% volume drop. Users speculated the updates adjusted Spotify’s internal volume limiter or normalization causing software-side attenuation. Furthermore, major iOS updates like iOS 15 have also coincided with users noticing lower Spotify volumes, indicating perhaps Apple software changes affecting audio pipelines impacted perceived loudness.
If Spotify or device OS updates coincide closely with volume drops, examining software and app change logs could reveal modifications impacting audio. Resetting app or system settings to defaults may also help narrow down the root cause. As a workaround, users can also try reconfiguring Spotify’s playback settings, potentially overriding any volume normalization changes from software updates. But fundamentally addressing why updates influence loudness requires engineering investigation by Spotify and mobile OS vendors.
Troubleshooting Spotify’s Volume Drops
If you find Spotify is consistently reducing your volume level, here are some suggestions to try fixing the issue:
- Check your device’s volume limits – Some phones and tablets have maximum volume restrictions you can adjust in Settings > Sound.
- Make sure Spotify has permission to access your media volume – Open Settings > Apps > Spotify and enable all permissions related to volume and audio.
- Switch from “Quiet” to “Loud” volume in Spotify’s settings – Tap the cog icon > Playback and under Volume Level select Loud (source).
- Disable audio normalization and loudness levels in Settings – This prevents Spotify from automatically adjusting volumes (source).
- Restart your device and app – Close Spotify fully by swiping it away, reboot your phone/tablet and re-open Spotify.
If issues persist even after troubleshooting, contact Spotify support for personalized help fixing volume drops.
Conclusion
In summary, there are a few main reasons why Spotify may turn down your volume or mute unexpectedly. The most common culprits are Spotify’s Automatic Gain Control feature, which normalizes audio output between songs and podcasts, device limitations on certain phones and speakers, connectivity issues like a weak internet signal, and advertisements playing with lower default volume.
You can troubleshoot by disabling Automatic Gain Control in Spotify’s settings, moving closer to your WiFi router, upgrading your phone or speakers if needed, and checking whether you have Spotify’s free ad-supported plan versus its paid premium subscription. Recent app or operating system updates may also introduce new bugs temporarily causing volume drops.
Overall, while sudden volume changes can be annoying, they are usually fixable. By understanding what causes them and how to address the underlying issue, you can continue enjoying Spotify’s music and podcasts at the volume level you prefer.