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How to adjust the ringer volume on your iPhone in 2 ways

Written by Dave Johnson
2019-11-27T19:51:00Z
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iPhone
It's possible to adjust the ringer volume on your iPhone in two ways. Crystal Cox/Business Insider

  • You can adjust the ringer volume on an iPhone in the Settings app, or through the Volume buttons on the side of your device. 
  • Apple changed the ringer volume controls with iOS 11 and later, so if you want to use the volume buttons on the side of the phone for ringer volume, you'll first need to turn on this function in Settings.
  • If you enable the volume buttons, they will control ringer volume — except when you are listening to media, in which case they become media volume controls.    
  • Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
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No one wants to miss a call because the ringer was too quiet or set on mute. 

Starting in iOS 11, though, Apple changed the way you control the ringer volume, and if you didn't notice, it's easy to get frustrated with an inability to control the ringer. 

Specifically, the volume buttons on the side of your iPhone only change the volume of media (like music and video) by default, not the volume of the ringer and alerts. 

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How to adjust the ringer volume on an iPhone in Settings

By default, you'll need to use Settings to adjust the ringer volume.

1. Start the Settings app. 

2. Tap "Sounds & Haptics."

3. In the Ringer and Alerts section, drag the slider to the desired volume level.

ringer 1
Control the ringer volume from the Settings app. Dave Johnson/Business Insider
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How to adjust the ringer volume on your iPhone with the Volume buttons

If you want to use the Volume buttons on the side of the phone for the ringer volume, you'll need to turn this feature on in Settings. 

1. Start the Settings app. 

2. Tap "Sounds & Haptics."

3. In the Ringer and Alerts section, turn on "Change with Buttons" by swiping the button to the right.

ringer 2
You can use the volume buttons to control the ringer by enabling this feature in Settings. Dave Johnson/Business Insider

If you enable this feature, remember that the Volume buttons now perform two functions, depending upon when you use them:

  • When you are not listening to media (like music or video), the volume buttons only control ringer and alerts — to change the volume for media, you need to pull down the Control Center (swipe down from the top right of the screen) and use the volume slider there. 
  • When you are listening to music or video, the volume buttons will only control the media volume.

 

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Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

<span>Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.</span>
Dave Johnson
Freelance Writer
Dave Johnson is a technology journalist who writes about consumer tech and how the industry is transforming the speculative world of science fiction into modern-day real life. Dave grew up in New Jersey before entering the Air Force to operate satellites, teach space operations, and do space launch planning. He then spent eight years as a content lead on the Windows team at Microsoft. As a photographer, Dave has photographed wolves in their natural environment; he's also a scuba instructor and co-host of several podcasts. Dave is the author of more than two dozen books and has contributed to many sites and publications including CNET, Forbes, PC World, How To Geek, and Insider.

Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links.

Watch: Here are all the best features that just came to the iPhone

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