How do I turn off media volume?

Why You Might Want to Mute Volume

One of the main reasons to mute or turn off volume for notifications and media is to avoid distractions or interruptions from sounds. Notifications from our devices, whether it’s message alerts, app notifications, or call ringtones, can disrupt our focus and break our concentration (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0747563222001601).

Even if we don’t pick up our phone and engage with the notification directly, the sounds alone capture our attention and pull us out of the task we were engaged in. This context switching between tasks reduces productivity and performance (https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107338). Muting volume helps minimize these disruptions so we can focus without constant interruption.

Media sounds from videos, music, podcasts, and more can also distract or disrupt those around us. Turning off media volume prevents sounds from bothering coworkers in shared spaces or disturbs others in quiet environments like libraries, waiting rooms, or public transportation.

Checking Volume Settings

The most direct way to control notification sounds on your Android device is by adjusting the volume settings. You can find the volume controls quickly by pressing the physical volume buttons on the side of your phone (usually up to increase volume, down to lower it). This will pull up a volume slider where you can adjust the general volume level.

To customize volumes for different notification types, you’ll need to access the Settings app. Open Settings and go to the “Sound & vibration” or “Sounds & notifications” section. Here you can adjust volume sliders for options like Media, Alarms, and Ringers & notifications ¹. Toggling these up or down will make noises louder or quieter for each category.

The most granular control is in the “App notifications” section of Settings. Tap into each individual app to customize whether notifications make noise, vibrate, pop on screen, override Do Not Disturb, and more. This allows you to silence specific apps while leaving others at normal volume.

Muting Notifications

One way to turn off media volume is by muting notifications for specific apps on your iPhone. This allows you to silence alerts and sounds from chosen apps while still receiving notifications.

To mute notifications from an app on your iPhone running iOS 15 or later:

Go to Settings > Notifications.

Select the app you want to mute.
Toggle off Sounds and Vibration.

With sounds and vibrations muted, you’ll still see notifications pop up but your iPhone will remain silent. You can toggle them back on at any time for that app.

This approach allows you to target apps generating the most noise. For example, you may decide to mute Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Slack while keeping sounds enabled for Phone, Messages, Mail, and Calendars. Get granular with the apps causing distractions.

For more details on managing notifications in iOS 15, check out this guide.

Using Do Not Disturb

One of the easiest ways to mute volume on Android is to enable Do Not Disturb mode. This allows you to quickly silence your device whenever you need to avoid interruptions from calls, texts, notifications, alarms and media sounds.

To enable Do Not Disturb on Android:

Open the Settings app.
Tap “Sound & vibration” or “Sounds and vibration”.

Toggle on “Do not disturb”.

With Do Not Disturb activated, your phone will stay quiet until you manually turn it off. You can customize Do Not Disturb to allow exceptions for certain contacts, repeated calls, or alarms. There are also options to schedule Do Not Disturb during certain times like at night or during events.

The key benefit of using Do Not Disturb is that it mutes all sounds in one go, so you don’t have to adjust media volume sliders individually. Just toggle it on whenever you need a quick break from the noise.

For more details on customizing Do Not Disturb settings, check out Google’s support page: Limit interruptions with Do Not Disturb on Android

Adjusting Media Volume

You can easily adjust the volume for media playback such as music, videos, games, and more directly from your iPhone. This allows you to lower or increase the volume to your desired comfort level.

To lower the volume for media, open the Control Center by swiping down from the top right corner of the screen (on iPhone X or later) or swiping up from the bottom of the screen (on iPhone 8 or earlier). In the Control Center, you will see a volume slider. Drag this slider left to lower the volume or right to increase it.

You can also adjust the volume from the Settings app. Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and drag the “Headphone Safety” slider to the left to reduce maximum volume. According to Apple Support, this will “set a limit for headphone volume to help protect your hearing.”¹

Lowering the media volume directly from the Control Center or Settings app is the simplest way to minimize loud sounds from videos, music, games, and other media playing on your iPhone.

Muting During Events

During events like movies, plays, concerts, presentations, or important meetings, it’s crucial to silence your phone to avoid disrupting others. The ringing or vibrating of your phone can be very distracting in quiet environments where people are trying to focus. It’s considered rude and inconsiderate to allow your phone to go off during events.

To ensure your phone doesn’t cause a disturbance, take the following steps before an event starts:

Enable Do Not Disturb mode on your phone. This will block all calls and notifications.
Mute or turn off vibration on your phone. Go into Settings and toggle vibration and sound alerts to off.

Silence the ringer and media volume. Use the volume buttons on the side of your phone.
Turn on airplane mode if you don’t need any connectivity during the event.

It’s also good etiquette to keep your phone screen off and avoid checking your phone during events. The light from the screen can be distracting to others. If you absolutely need to view your phone, try to conceal the light from those around you.

With your phone on silent and put away, you can be present in the moment and avoid interrupting or annoying those around you. It shows respect and consideration for the other attendees and the organizer’s hard work in creating the event.

Automating Muted Mode

You can schedule Do Not Disturb to automatically mute notifications and calls during certain times. This allows you to silence your phone when you don’t want to be disturbed, like at night when sleeping. Here are some ways to automate Do Not Disturb on Android:

On many Android devices, you can set a schedule for Do Not Disturb in the Settings app. Go to Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb and select Schedules. Here you can set specific times and days for Do Not Disturb to automatically turn on and off. For example, you could set it to activate from 10pm to 7am daily.

Samsung Galaxy phones have expanded scheduling options in their version of Do Not Disturb. In Settings, go to Notifications > Do Not Disturb and tap Set Schedule. You can preset schedules like Sleeping and Work hours, or create customized schedules down to the minute. There are also options to have it turn off for incoming calls or repeat callers (Samsung).

Third-party apps like Automate and MacroDroid let you configure automatic rules to enable Do Not Disturb during certain conditions, like when you open a certain app or connect to workplace WiFi. This allows more customization for activating muted mode.

Overall, Do Not Disturb scheduling is a useful way to automatically minimize distractions during your chosen quiet hours. Just double check your settings to ensure important calls can still reach you if needed.

Exceptions for Priority Notifications

Even when Do Not Disturb mode is enabled, you can allow notifications from certain contacts by setting up exceptions. This allows you to receive calls, messages, or other alerts from chosen people while muting notifications from everyone else.

On an iPhone, you can configure exceptions by going to Settings > Do Not Disturb. Under “Allow Calls From,” you can choose options like Everyone, No One, Favorites, or Contacts Only. This will allow calls from those selected groups to come through.

You can also create exceptions for individual contacts. Go to Settings > Do Not Disturb > Allow Calls From > Contacts Only. Tap the “+” icon, then select which contacts you want to allow notifications from. Those chosen contacts will be able to reach you even when Do Not Disturb is on.

For text messages, go to Settings > Do Not Disturb > Repeated Calls. Enable the “Notify Me” option. Now if someone texts you multiple times within 3 minutes, those messages will come through as notifications even with Do Not Disturb enabled. This prevents emergency texts from being muted.

On Android devices, open Settings > Sound > Do Not Disturb. Tap “People” then choose “Favorites” or “Contacts only” to allow exceptions. You can also add individual contacts to permit their calls. Under “Messages” you can enable “Repeat callers” to let duplicate texts through.

So if there are certain important contacts you want to be able to reach you when Do Not Disturb is on, be sure to set them as exceptions. This allows you to silence less critical notifications while still receiving priority alerts.

Using Airplane Mode

Airplane mode is designed to disable all wireless connections and transmissions on your device. According to Guiding Tech, enabling airplane mode will turn off “cellular, WiFi, Bluetooth and GPS” https://www.guidingtech.com/do-not-disturb-silent-airplane-mode-difference/. This prevents your device from transmitting signals that could interfere with sensitive equipment on an airplane.

A key difference between airplane mode and do not disturb is that airplane mode disconnects all wireless connectivity, while do not disturb simply mutes notifications and calls. As Social Media Breakup explains, airplane mode is the only option that completely disables mobile data and WiFi https://www.socialmediabreakup.com/airplane-mode-dnd-mobile-data/. This makes it the most comprehensive way to eliminate notifications and distractions on your device.

Therefore, if you want to completely disconnect from the network and disable all potential notifications, using airplane mode is the best option. Just be aware that you will lose access to any apps, services or functions that require an internet connection while airplane mode is enabled.

Alternative Ways to Minimize Distractions

In addition to muting and limiting notifications, there are alternative ways to minimize distractions from your phone.

Enabling focus modes or do not disturb settings blocks sounds and notifications temporarily so you can concentrate without interruption. On iPhones, enable Focus to automatically filter apps and notifications based on your current activity like working, sleeping, driving, etc (Source). On Android, use Do Not Disturb to silence your phone during set times or events.

You can also minimize distractions by using your phone in a more minimalist way. Only open and use the apps you need in the moment instead of habitually checking apps. Remove unused apps and folders from your home screen. Turn off badges, sounds, vibrations that pull your attention (Source).

If you want to take things further, download app blockers that restrict your phone usage. Apps like Forest temporarily block you from using certain apps and websites while you work. Anti-distraction apps can help limit mindless browsing and refocus your attention (Source).