How to Bind Volume Keys to Media on iOS

by Rian

I’ve stopped using volume keys to control ringtone volumes — one of the few things smartphones have changed. I suppose, in my mind, on a feature phone I took the “phone” to be the default function of the device; whereas, on smartphones, ringtone is just another notification of an app called “phone”. It’s a minor difference, but it did change the way I use my phone significantly.

On iOS, the legacy of the feature phone era volume key behavior stuck around. It’s still the default, as far as I am aware. For clarification, current behavior works as follows. There are two separate system volumes on iOS, one for ringtone and one for media. With no media playing, the keys change the ringtone volume, and with any media playing, it changes the media volume. It’s not disastrously confusing, but it is certainly unhelpful when your phone is the center of all things digital.

Though iOS does not offer in depth customization of volume keys, it is possible to bind them only to the media: from Settings > Sounds & Haptics, disable “Change with Buttons”. Once disabled, ringtone volumes can only be adjusted either from the same settings page or from the volume slider on the Control Center. The physical volume keys will now only adjust the media volumes.

Personally, I believe iOS should be more clear on how it handles audio levels rather than just calling it volumes everywhere. I understand the need to separate the ringtone — I can think of several regulations where some public alerts and announcements must be broadcasted irregardless of the device settings. But the current default behavior for volume controls seems outdated for what smartphones have become capable of.