How do I change the volume of specific apps on Android?

Introducing the Issue of Varying App Volumes

One common frustration with Android devices is that some apps play audio at a noticeably different volume level than your device’s main system volume. For example, you may have the device volume set to 50%, but when you open a certain app like a game or media player, the audio might blast at what seems like 100% volume.

Or conversely, you might have the device volume set fairly loud so you can hear music, but then when you open up a video app, the audio is so quiet you can barely make it out. This disparity between the system volume and individual app volumes can be annoying and disruptive.

The root of the issue is that on Android, each app controls its own audio stream volume, separate from the system volume. So if an app’s internal volume is set to max or min, you’ll hear it at full or muted volume no matter your system volume level.

Fortunately, Android does give you some ability to control volumes on a per-app basis. The steps below explain how you can manage the internal volume levels of your apps.

Locate the App Info Page

To adjust the volume for a specific app on Android, you’ll first need to locate the App Info page for that app. Here’s how:

Open your device’s Settings app.

Look for the Apps or Application Manager section. On Android 9 and newer, go to Apps & notifications > See all apps. On older versions, go to Apps or Application Manager.
Scroll through the list of apps until you find the one you want to adjust the volume for. Tap on it to open the App Info page.

The App Info page contains detailed settings and options for individual apps. This is where you can manage notifications, permissions, storage usage and more. It’s also where the volume controls are located.

Instead of navigating through Settings, you can also long press on an app icon from your home screen or app drawer and tap “App Info” to get straight to the page. This method can be faster than going through Settings.

Now that you’re on the App Info page, you can proceed to adjusting the volume level.

Scroll to App Volume

Once you have opened the App Info page for the specific app, you need to scroll down to find the volume control option for that individual app. This will allow you to adjust the volume for just that app, separate from your device’s overall volume levels.

On Android 8.0+ devices, the volume option for the app will be under the “App Details” section, labeled “App volume.” For older Android versions, look for an “App notifications” section and toggle the “Override volume” switch on.

Adjusting an app’s individual volume here allows you to customize its sound level compared to other apps. For example, you could turn down a chat app while leaving your music player’s volume higher. This gives you more granular control over your audio experience.

So in summary, open the app’s info page in Settings, then scroll down to locate either its “App volume” slider or “Override volume” toggle to independently control that app’s sound.

Adjust the Volume Slider

To adjust the specific volume level of an app on Android, simply drag the volume slider left or right. Dragging to the left will lower the volume, while dragging to the right will raise the volume. The slider allows granular control over the exact volume level.

According to Google’s Android help documentation, the volume slider is located within the app info/settings page for each app. Once in the app info, scroll down to find the section labeled “App volume.” There you will see a slider that controls the volume level.

Dragging the slider all the way to the left will mute the app’s sounds. Dragging to the midpoint will set the volume to a medium level. And dragging all the way to the right will maximize the volume. This gives you precise control to set the perfect volume for each individual app on your Android device.

Maximize Volume

To maximize the volume of a specific app beyond the system volume limit, you can use a third party app like Samsung Sound Assistant. This app has an option to override the volume limit and max out the volume for individual apps.

To use this feature in Sound Assistant:

Open the Sound Assistant app and select the app you want to maximize volume for.

Toggle on “Volume limit override” and slide the volume all the way up.
This will override the system volume limit and allow you to maximize volume for that app.

According to one Reddit user, Sound Assistant is quite useful for maxing out volume on a per-app basis on Android.

Minimize Volume

To minimize the volume of a specific app on Android, you can adjust the volume slider in the app’s info page. Open the Settings app and go to Apps. Tap on the app you want to adjust the volume for, then tap App info. In the App info page, scroll down and look for the Volume section. There will be a slider that controls the app’s volume. Drag the slider all the way to the left to minimize the volume and make the app as quiet as possible. The app’s sound effects, music, and other audio will now play at a very low volume even if your device’s main volume is turned up high. Minimizing the volume for an app is useful if you find a particular app plays sounds that are too loud for your liking.

As noted in this Reddit post, adjusting the volume slider for each app is an easy way to control the loudness of specific apps rather than having to adjust the main device volume constantly.

Mute App Sounds

To mute sounds from a specific app on Android:

Open the Settings app and go to Apps.
Tap the app you want to mute.
Tap App info or App details.

Scroll down and tap Advanced.
Tap App volume.
Drag the volume slider all the way to the left to mute the app.

This will completely mute all sounds from the selected app. You won’t hear any notifications, music, or other audio while the app is muted. To unmute the app, simply drag the volume slider back up. You can also adjust the slider to customize the volume level of each app.

Source: https://www.reddit.com/r/GalaxyS8/comments/6fxkrn/is_there_a_way_to_mute_certain_apps_and_other/

Unmute App Sounds

If you have muted the sound for a specific app and want to restore sound, follow these steps:

Open the Settings app on your Android device.
Tap Sound & vibration or Sound & notification.
Select App volume and notifications.

Locate the app you want to unmute and tap on it.
Drag the volume slider for that app to the right to increase the volume and unmute it.
You can also tap the mute icon next to the slider to quickly unmute the app.

Once unmuted, you should hear sounds from that app again.

If you are still not hearing sounds from the app after unmuting it, you may need to troubleshoot further or contact the app developer. Some things to try are closing and reopening the app, checking your device’s main volume, and restarting your device.

Reset App Volume

If you want to reset an app’s volume back to the default system volume, you can do so by going to the app’s info page and selecting the “Reset app preferences” option. This will erase any custom volume settings for that particular app and make it follow the system media volume again.

To reset an app’s volume on Android:

Go to Settings > Apps & notifications.
Select the app and tap on it.

Tap on “Reset app preferences.”
Confirm that you want to reset the app.

Resetting the app preferences will erase any customizations made to that app, including volume, notifications, defaults, permissions, etc. It will make the app behave as if it was freshly installed.

This is useful if you want an app to stop blaring loud audio against your wishes. Resetting will make it follow the system volume you have set under Sound settings again.

Source: Change volume, sound, & vibrate settings – Android Help

Troubleshooting Tips

If you are still having issues with controlling the volume of a specific app after trying the steps above, here are some troubleshooting tips:

Check that your phone’s volume is turned up – Use the physical volume buttons on your Android device to make sure overall volume is high enough to hear app sounds.

Update the app – An outdated version of the app could be causing volume issues. Check your Play Store for any available updates and install the latest version.

Restart your device – Sometimes restarting your Android can clear up problems like this. Power your phone off completely and then turn it back on after 30 seconds.

Check app permissions – Make sure the app has permission to access media and storage. Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > App Permissions to check.

Clear the app cache and data – This will reset the app and often resolves sound glitches. Go to Settings > Apps & Notifications > See all ### apps > Storage > Clear Cache and Clear Data.

Try a different media player – If the problem exists across multiple media apps, try downloading a new media player app like VLC media player as an alternative.

Factory reset device – As a last resort, backup your data and perform a factory reset. This will wipe your device and restore default settings.