In stock Android Oreo and below, the volume rockers change ringer volume by default unless audio is currently playing. In order to adjust media volume when media isn't playing, you have to tap the down arrow next to the ringer volume slider that appears at the top of the screen to see the option. Now, Android 9.0 Pie has flipped things around, giving media volume the limelight.
On a Pixel phone running Android Pie, when you hit either the volume up or volume down button on the side of your device, you'll see the volume box pop up on the right side of the screen, and "Media" will be the sound that adjusts with the presses. You can tap on the note symbol to mute or unmute. Also, you can tap on the arrows icon to switch your Bluetooth output.
As for your ringtone, there's now the "Calls" toggle under the "Media" slider. Tapping that will rotate it between "Calls," "Vibrate," and "Mute," similar to how tapping the same icon in ringer slider that appeared at the top in older Android versions. Long-pressing on the "Call" toggle will open up the "Sound" menu in Settings so you can adjust the ringer volume, as well as alarm volume and the same old same old.
Depending on how you use Android, this new feature may be a blessing or an annoyance. If you're the former who spends most of their time watching YouTube videos and listening to music, instant access to media volume is much appreciated. If you're the latter, and you get a crazy amount of phone calls, you might rather prefer ringer volume first like it was before, where media volume was only adjusted if you were actually playing media.
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5 Comments
"In stock Android Oreo and below, the volume rockers change ringer volume by default unless audio is currently playing."
This makes perfect sense, flipping it around is probably the most backwards idea I have ever come across.
As a business phone, I use the ringer up down volume 10 + times a day going in and out of meetings. Media volume I rarely touch, unless (drum roll please) I'm actually playing media. Why on earth would I want to adjust media volume when I'm on the home screen, or the the phone is locked. This is one of many backwards steps in Pie.
This is silly. Why on Earth would this make sense? It's like the developers are all 20 year old, gaming and watching YouTube. Call me old fashioned, but I use my phone primarily for calls.
Frustrating and pointless "update".
At settings , navigate to Sound option, and there a tab labelled " Default volume button control" is available...this will help u switch back to the old option of controlling ringtone via volume rocker
Hi,
I was very frustrated when Android 9 changed the volume buttons to control the media volume all the time so I developed an app to fix this and make the volume buttons control the ringtone and notification volume as it used to. It's free and you can install it from here: play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.softstackdev.volumeFix
Let me know if you need any help to use it.
download this small simple app for volume buttons to control rigner:
play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.softstackdev.volumeFix
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