iOS 15 Apple Maps navigation voice volume missing

The trick is to set your volume while the navigation instructions are being spoken. I see a few people said that they tried that and it didn't work. Perhaps they weren't fast enough. You really have to set the volume while the instructions are actually being spoken. Works for me every time. And I've also been through a few rental cars and it has worked with all of them.

Hi adubz33,

Thanks for reaching out to Apple Support Communities. It sounds like you're no longer seeing the option to adjust the navigation voice volume for Apple Maps. We're happy to provide some information to assist.

This option has been removed with iOS 15. However, we'd recommend using Sound Check to help balance the volume when using Maps. You can find it by navigating to Settings > Music, then turn on Sound Check. If needed, the guide here can also assist: Change the way music sounds on iPhone

You can also view updated information in the guide here: Things you can do while following a route in Maps on iPhone

Specifically the section "Change other settings for spoken directions" at the bottom of the page. If you have a compatible car audio system, turning on Directions on Radio may help as well.

If you'd like to leave feature feedback, check out the feedback website here: Product Feedback - iPhone

Cheers!

The secret is to turn up the volume WHILE you're getting turn by turn instructions. You kind of have to be quick.

BEFORE YOU TRY THIS!!! …

I had this problem, too, so I made the change. Here's what happened:

First, what was suggested actually worked. When I'm playing an audiobook and Maps needs to provide directions, the volume is now reasonable.

HOWEVER, now Maps navigation doesn't limit itself to Bluetooth!

There are two sound paths when using iPhone in a car: one is Bluetooth, and then other is what you hear when you use Siri. When I didn't want to hear navigation, I would simply turn off my radio. Problem solved. To be fair, I rarely listen to music or audiobooks while driving.

NOW, however, when no other audio is playing, Maps audio plays through the sound path that Siri takes … even if the Bluetooth radio is on! Unfortunately, there's a delay while iOS checks for audio, so I constantly lose the first part of the navigation audio. Instead of "In 2 miles, take the exit…" I get "Take the exit…" That's a very different instruction and has caused me several mistakes.

WORSE is that I've reverted the change listed in this thread, and THE NEW SIDE EFFECTS STILL EXIST!!!

To anyone who's considering this, please use caution. Back up your phone before making the switch so that you can restore if you want to (I'm still not sure it will help).

If anyone has suggestions on how to undo this setting other than the obvious "click the button to off", please let me know.

I have the same problem with Apple CarPlay in my 2016 Honda Accord. I can't believe Apple removed that volume control feature -- why remove something that's useful??

But -- I found a workaround. If I were to simply turn up the music volume so make the navigation directions louder, then the radio is too loud -- no good. However, if I have the audio system turned off, the nav directions still come through the car's speakers, and then I can adjust the volume for the nav directions using the car's steering wheel volume control. Not at all obvious, but it works. That new volume setting for the nav directions persists even when the radio is on. So I can balance the nav volume as I wish against the radio volume. I don't know if this will work with other cars.

I did find a solution to this. True, with the latest upgrade to 15.5 iOS the Navigation Voice Volume setting has apparently been deleted in Settings/Maps even though it shows up when doing a search in Settings. Weird. However, when you pull up a map in Apple Maps to navigate, there is a voice (speaker) icon on the right side of the map w/ 3 choices, one of which is a mute. You simply unmute and voila! you have voice. I tried it with my car in CarPlay and it plays there as well. Now, I'm hoping that a voice will always play as a default when I'm navigating in my car. But I don't know; I can't imagine you'd have to unmute every trip. Maybe so; Apple took away a pretty useful Settings feature here; not a good idea imho. Also, no issues with this with Google Maps so maybe that's a better choice.

There is a way change the volume for Maps for the newest version in the car for CarPlay. You need to have it in the mode where it is giving step-by-step directions to a destination (it cannot be done in any other mode of operation). Then tap the car screen where it won't cause a selection and on the right edge will appear various touch controls. Second from the upper right should be a symbol for volume control (speaker symbol). Tap that speaker symbol and it will give you a symbolic list of full volume, low volume, and off. Tap the one you want (probably "off"). That is it.

It is weird, since that this means of volume control is not very intuitive. This took a lot of experimenting.

Google Maps it is then. Shame really.

@deequill, I've tried that, but it doesn't make any difference.

Apple making their software less usable via dumb updates? How weird, that’s never happened before.

Tried it, really does not work well at all.

Only fix is to use Google maps or Waze that allow you to control the music volume and the turn by turn direction voice volume separately.

Apple doesn't support this "premium" feature anymore

I really like the Apple Maps turn by turn precision but have to go to Google or Waze because this volume control change issue.

Customers be ******!

This is a ridiculous change. I guess I have to use Waze or Google Maps until this is fixed. No volume control in Maps is a bug, not a feature!