How To Change Call Volume On Iphone

The volume buttons on your iPhone won't work and you don't know why. Sounds are playing too soft or too loud and it's starting to get frustrating. In this article, I'll explain what to do when your iPhone volume buttons are not working!

Are The Buttons Stuck, Or Can You Press Them Down?

Here are the first questions you need to ask yourself when your iPhone volume buttons are not working:

Are the buttons stuck down so you can't press them at all?
Can you press the buttons down, but nothing happens on the screen?

Each problem has a unique set of troubleshooting steps, so I'll break this article down by addressing each question one at a time.

Use The Volume Slider In The Settings App

Even though your physical iPhone volume buttons aren't working, you can always adjust the ringer volume in the Settings app. Go to Settings -> Sounds & Haptics. To adjust the ringer volume, use a finger to drag the slider.

The further left you drag the slider, the quieter your iPhone will ring. The further right you drag the slider, the louder it will ring. When you drag the slider, a pop-up will appear on the center of the display to let you know the ringer volume has been adjusted.

Adjust Ringer Volume Slide

Apps that play songs, podcasts, or videos will also have a slider you can use to adjust the volume. For example, let's take a look at the Music app. Near the bottom of the screen, you'll see a horizontal slider you can use to adjust the volume of the song you're listening to! The Podcasts app and your favorite video streaming apps will have a similar layout too.

Music Volume Slide

My iPhone Volume Buttons Are Stuck Down!

Unfortunately, if the volume buttons are completely stuck, there's not much you can do. A lot of the time, cheap rubber cases can jam the buttons on your iPhone and prevent them from working. Try taking the case off of your iPhone and pressing the volume buttons again.

If they're still jammed, you'll probably have to get your iPhone repaired. Scroll down to the bottom of this article to explore your volume button repair options!

A Temporary Fix For Stuck Volume Buttons

If the volume buttons are stuck and you can't get your iPhone repaired anytime soon, you can use AssistiveTouch! AssistiveTouch puts a virtual button on your iPhone's display which has a lot of the same functionality as the physical buttons.

To turn on AssistiveTouch, go to Settings -> Accessibility -> Touch -> AssistiveTouch. Turn on the switch next to AssistiveTouch — the virtual button will appear.

How to Turn On AssistiveTouch

To use AssistiveTouch as a volume button, tap the virtual button and select Device. You'll see an option to adjust the volume up or down, just like you can do with functional volume buttons!

Adjust Volume With AssistiveTouch

I Can Press Down The Volume Buttons, But Nothing Happens!

If you can still press down the volume buttons, you may be in luck! Even though nothing happens when you press down the volume buttons, this could be the result of asoftware problem. Follow the troubleshooting steps below to diagnose and fix the real reason why your iPhone volume buttons are not working!

Hard Reset Your iPhone

It's possible that the software has crashed, freezing your iPhone. So, when you press the volume buttons on your iPhone, nothing happens. By doing a hard reset, your iPhone will be forced to turn off and back on. The hard reset will unfreeze your iPhone and hopefully fix the volume button problem.

There are a few different ways to hard reset your iPhone depending on which model you have:

iPhone 6s and earlier: Press and hold the power button and Home button simultaneously until the Apple logo appears.
iPhone 7 & iPhone 7 Plus: Simultaneously press and hold the power button and the volume button until the Apple logo appears.
iPhone 8 and newer: Press and release the volume up button, press and release volume up button, then press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.

It can take a full minute or more for your iPhone to begin a hard reset, so make sure you keep holding each button until you see the Apple logo.

Turn On Change With Buttons

If you're trying to increase or decrease the ringer volume on your iPhone using the volume buttons, make sureChange with Buttons is turned on. If this setting is off, the volume buttons will only adjust the volume for things like music, podcasts, and videos when played through headphones or your iPhone's speakers.

Go to Settings -> Sounds & Haptics and turn on the switch next to Change with Buttons. You'll know it's on when the switch is green!

Turn On Change With Buttons

Put Your iPhone Into DFU Mode

A DFU (device firmware update) restore is the deepest type of restore you can perform on an iPhone. The "F" in DFU restore stands for firmware, the programming on your iPhone that controls its hardware. If the volume buttons aren't working, putting your iPhone in DFU mode could fix the problem!

Repairing The Volume Buttons

If the volume buttons still won't work after you've performed a DFU restore, you'll probably have to get your iPhone repaired. On early iPhones, broken volume buttons weren't too big of a deal because all they did was adjust the volume. Now, volume buttons are much more important because they're used for things like hard resets and screenshots.

Your best bet for a reliable repair is to set up an appointment at the Apple Store near you and get you iPhone diagnosed by a licensed technician. Alternatively, you can reach out to Apple's support team online, through the mail, or over the phone to find out what your repair options might be.

Turn Up The Volume!

Your volume buttons are working again! Next time your iPhone volume buttons are not working, you'll know where to come to fix the problem. Leave me a comment down below and let me know which fix solved your iPhone's problem!

Thanks for reading,
David L.