Why does my music volume go down when I get a notification?

We’ve all experienced that sudden annoyance – you’re jamming to your favorite playlist or podcast when the music volume abruptly drops as your phone chimes a notification. It’s a common occurrence for smartphone users, as the default settings lower media volume when a notification pops up. This ensures you can hear the alert or ringtone over your audio. While convenient in many cases, it can also interrupt your listening experience.

Notifications and volume controls are core features on iOS and Android devices. Notifications alert you to new messages, app activities, calendar events and more. Volume settings allow you to adjust audio loudness for media, ringtones, alerts and system sounds. Both play a role when notification ringtones and alerts cause a temporary dip in music or video volume.

Notifications Explained

Notifications are messages that pop up on your phone’s screen to alert you of new information or events. They allow apps, services, and the operating system to notify you of incoming calls, texts, app alerts, calendar events, and more (source). Some common types of notifications include:

Incoming calls – Notifies you of an incoming phone call.
Text messages – Alerts you when you receive a new text message.
App alerts – Apps can send notifications about new messages, updates, promotions, and other relevant information.

System alerts – Notifies you of events like calendar reminders, low battery, software updates, etc.

You can customize notification settings on your phone to control which apps can send notifications, how notifications appear, the sounds and vibrations used, and more. This allows you to tune notifications to your preferences (source). For example, you can set priority notifications to always show on your lock screen, while muting less important apps.

Volume Controls

On iPhones, there are two main volume controls – the media volume and the ringer volume. The media volume controls the volume level when listening to music, watching videos, or other media playback. This volume can be adjusted using the physical volume buttons on the side of the iPhone while media is playing. As noted by Apple, the volume buttons control whichever audio is currently in use, whether phone calls, music, or other media.

The ringer volume controls the volume level for ringtones, notifications, alarms and other sound effects. This must be adjusted through the Settings app rather than the physical buttons. Within Settings, go to Sounds & Haptics to find sliders for controlling Ringtone and Notification volumes separately. There is also a toggle for Change with Buttons which lets the physical volume buttons control ringer/notification volume rather than just media volume.

By default, when a notification arrives while media is playing, the media volume will temporarily dip to allow the notification sound to be heard. After a few seconds, the media volume returns to its previous level. This behavior allows notifications to interrupt and be heard without needing to manually adjust media volume each time. However, through Settings, users can choose to have media playback silenced during notifications instead of just lowered.

Why Volume Drops

The main reason a phone’s media volume temporarily drops when a notification comes through is so that the notification sound can be clearly heard. Notifications often contain important alerts that need to cut through whatever media is playing at the moment (1). This ensures the user is made aware of the notification and can take any necessary action.

There are several key reasons notifications override media volume:

Safety – Dropping the media volume allows critical notifications like phone calls or emergency alerts to be heard (2). This could make the user aware of an urgent situation where action is required.
Avoid Interruption – Lowering the volume prevents media from blaring over notification sounds and disrupting others nearby (3). It’s courteous to briefly pause loud music when receiving an alert.

Accessibility – For users who are hard of hearing, reducing volume ensures notifications aren’t drowned out by other audio. This makes notifications more accessible.

So in summary, the media volume automatically drops for notifications as a safety measure and to prevent interruptions or accessibility issues. The notification needs to be heard, so the phone temporarily ducks the media volume.

Technical Implementation

The technical details of how notification volumes are controlled depends on how the app developer has configured the notifications. Push notifications are sent from a remote server to the user’s device via a platform like Firebase Cloud Messaging or Apple Push Notification Service. The device OS and app then handle presenting the notification to the user.

App developers have significant control over notification behavior through code. They can choose to play sounds, vibrate the device, or alter system volumes when a notification is received using platform APIs like Android’s AudioManager. The developer configures all of this in the app code they submit to app stores.

However, device OSes like iOS and Android also let users override app-level settings through system notification settings. This allows users to control notification sounds and volumes at the device level. So while an app may have code to lower volume, the user can disable this if they choose.

In summary, developers implement notification volume dropping through code, but it can be overridden by users via system notification settings on their device.

User Customization

There are several ways Android and iOS users can customize their notification volumes to suit their preferences or current situation. This includes adjusting volume levels, using do not disturb modes, and installing third party apps.

On Android, users can go to Settings > Sound & vibration to change default notification volumes as well as ringtone and media volumes separately. There is also a Do Not Disturb mode that mutes sounds and vibrations for set periods of time or based on certain triggers like events or sleeping hours (source).

iOS allows customizing notification and ringtone volumes under Settings > Sounds & Haptics. Do Not Disturb can mute alerts and calls for set schedules or exceptions. Users can also adjust notification volumes on a per-app basis (source).

Third party apps like Volume Control and Notifications Volume provide even more granular control over notification volumes on both platforms. These let users set custom volumes for each app’s alerts.

Accessibility Features

Apple has designed several accessibility features for the iPhone to accommodate users with hearing impairments or deafness. These include options to customize notifications with visual alerts and vibration instead of sound.

The iPhone allows users to enable LED Flash for Alerts, which causes the LED camera flash on the back of the phone to blink when notifications are received. This provides a visual alert for notifications instead of just sound (source).

Users can also enable vibration patterns for different types of notifications, such as calls, messages, and alarms. This tactile feedback acts as an alternative alert mechanism when sound alerts may be missed by those with hearing issues (source).

In the Settings app under Accessibility > Sound & Haptics, the user can customize volume, vibration, LED flash, and audio cues to their preferences. This allows people with hearing impairments to optimize notification alerts on their iPhones.

Pros and Cons

The default behavior of lowering the volume when receiving a notification has some benefits as well as drawbacks that frustrate users in certain contexts.

On the pro side, dropping the volume prevents notifications from blaring loudly and interrupting whatever the user is doing ¹. This allows users to continue listening to media or having a conversation without being disrupted. The volume drop can act as a more subtle alert that still grabs the user’s attention.

However, many users express frustration that notifications are simply too quiet to hear ². This is especially problematic in noisy environments where a slight drop in volume means the notification goes unnoticed. Users in contexts like driving or exercising cannot clearly hear the lowered volume, causing them to miss important notifications.

Overall, while the default behavior provides benefits in some situations, many users desire more customization and the ability to choose notification volumes independent of media volume.

Best Practices

When it comes to managing notification volumes on your phone, there are some best practices to follow:

First, take time to set notification volumes thoughtfully in your phone’s settings. The optimal volume depends on your personal preferences and situation. For example, you may want a louder volume if you often have your phone in a pocket or bag, but a lower volume if you usually have it nearby. Test different volume levels to find what works best for you.

Second, make good use of do not disturb modes and mute settings. Enable do not disturb when you don’t want interruptions, like at night or during focus time. Use mute selectively when needed for short periods. But don’t have it on by default, or you may miss important notifications.

Third, don’t be afraid to override default volume settings as needed. For example, temporarily lowering notification volume during a meeting or concert. You can always change it back later. Customize as needed based on your situation and priorities.

With some thoughtful adjustments and selective use of settings, you can manage notification volumes effectively. The goal is to minimize disruptions while still catching notifications that matter to you.

Conclusion

To recap, there are a few main reasons why your music volume goes down when receiving a notification on your smartphone:

Notifications need to grab your attention, so dropping the volume allows the notification sound to be heard
It’s part of the default design of mobile operating systems like iOS and Android
Allowing other apps to control volume could lead to poor user experiences if not managed properly

While this default volume drop behavior can be annoying at times, there are ways to customize it through your device’s sound settings. You can adjust notification volumes separately, enable do not disturb modes, or mute specific apps.

Best practices are to adjust notification settings to your preferences, use do not disturb when needed, and update individual app settings. But also understand that the system defaults are generally designed for good reason.

At the end of the day, temporary volume drops from notifications are balances between ideal user experience and practical implementations. With some customization and understanding, they can be managed smoothly.