iOS fail - Automatic Volume Reduction

Question

iOS fail - Automatic Volume Reduction

Nearly daily, my iPhone 12 Pro iOS 14.3 will reduce the volume of audio being sent to a bluetooth receiver without user intervention. Apple is kind enough to notify me that this is for my own good: to protect my hearing. In Sound & Haptics settings, iOS explicitly states that there is no way to affect this process.

This assumes that audio sent over Bluetooth is going to headphones. In fact, nearly all of the time, I am sending audio to my car's Bluetooth Audio receiver or one of several home Bluetooth speakers, all of which have their own volume controls and perform best when the Bluetooth source is transmitting at 100% volume.

This is mostly just annoying. Now that I recognize what is happening, I just adjust the volume back to maximum after iOS resets it. It's a daily tug-of-war between Apple and me.

This is a fine feature for headphones, but for nearly all of my use cases, it is bad user experience.

Any way to eliminate this issue from my daily life?

iPhone 12 Pro, iOS 14

Posted on Jan 5, 2021 7:02 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

Kenneth Penkowski Author

Level 1

19 points

Feb 1, 2021 9:29 AM in response to Kenneth Penkowski

Joy of joys. This issue has been RESOLVED in iOS 14.4. You can now identify/categorize specific Bluetooth devices.

Thank you Apple for adding additional user configurability for the diverse ways in which we use our devices. Listening to users and focusing on user experience is why we love your products.

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Answer 2

bailier

Community Specialist

Jan 7, 2021 10:41 AM in response to Kenneth Penkowski

Hi Kenneth Penkowski,

We appreciate you reaching out to us about your iPhone. We'd like to start by setting your expectations, headphone notifications can’t be turned off in certain countries or regions due to regulations and safety standards. You can learn more about it in the article below.

Headphone notifications on your iPhone, iPod touch, or Apple Watch

Take care!

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Answer 3

Jan 7, 2021 11:01 AM in response to bailier

Thank you for your reply.

I appreciate that Apple informs me about how I use my device could affect my health and safety.
I understand that in some regions (apparently USA) there are regulatory requirements that Apple must meet.

The issue I am having relates to my iPhone/iOS not differentiating between Bluetooth headphones (like my AirPods) and Bluetooth audio receivers connected to powered speakers that have their own amplification and volume control.

Maybe this is an issue with the particular Bluetooth receiver I am using identifying itself as a headphone device.

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iOS fail - Automatic Volume Reduction

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