Can we have individual volume controls for each app please?

FernandoE99 wrote:

For a OS that tries to simplify its users lives, it's making it more complicated by not having it.

FWIW, having settings for separate apps is more complex than having just a global setting. I actually have two apps that have volume settings for separate apps and I never use the settings. Just to add, I also have TVs and none have separate volume controls for each channel.

mrpundir wrote:

FYI. This is a basic feature on Windows 11. MacOS should have same

And let see how that is working out for them over at the Microsoft Support forums with just these examples.

• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/system-volume-not-controlling-apps-other-than-mute/87c47e97-3975-4be6-92e0-1e97dcb744b5
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/individual-app-volume-level-is-overwriting-the/672333d5-6b39-44cd-9669-765e185b56ce
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-11-volume-control-problem/fea53a31-30bc-4ff7-8df0-38061d5801e0
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-do-i-turn-down-the-volume-of-specific-apps-on/ee9d8ade-13e6-4b5e-9b8d-1a2b668aafcf

Apps such as Apple TV and Music already have this where you can change the volume within the app and that level is saved between uses. Any developer is able to do that with their app as well and requires very little effort. The beauty of this approach is that you actually change the volume level in the app where it makes sense. There is no need for a global setting on the OS to manage each app, when you should be doing it when you are using the app. And this approach actually works without creating any confusion.

If you are not able to control the volume of an app, then contact the Developer, and they can easily add that feature if they find it necessary. If the app is an Apple app, then send Feedback here:

Product Feedback - Apple

App volume can be controlled in the App right now and that is the place where a user would expect to control the volume. It is a terrible idea to and poor design to require a user to go to an OS control panel to change the volume for that app. We have seen the problems with this in Windows 11 in my previous post.

Here are some examples of Apple apps where the volume is controlled in the app like it should be and every developer is capable of using the same approach.

• Music
• iTunes
• Apple TV
• Garageband
• Books - for Audibooks
• iMovie
• Quicktime

You will also see many third party apps already do this with some games even giving finer control with a background music volume and game volume. Even when browsing, each website like Youtube can save their own volume using a cookie to persist the level that you chose. Would you also expect the OS to manage the volume of every website you visit?

If you are confused now, you would really be confused if each app controlled their volume, then the OS also controlled the volume of each app, and you also had a global volume setting to control the volume of all apps.

FernandoE99 wrote:

Thats the whole point.

No reason it shouldn't be a default feature of any OS.

Volume mixers are something easy to implement.

My computer is not an iPhone that only needs 1 master volume control.

So write your app the way you want it. Or pay a contractor to write your app. Or tell Apple and maybe they will write your app

Feedback - macOS - Apple

But none of us, fellow Mac users, participating in this thread are going to do it for you.

Any app does have the control to that themselves. This is true even for the Mac OS version of the Music app. If the app does control their own volume level and the OS also controls the volume level of the app, who wins? You can control the System Volume and it will have a relative effect on Apple Music, but does not change the volume level you set in the app. The Apple TV app also works the same way.

It would be overcomplicating to have an app control their own volume and the OS controlling the volume of the app and the OS controlling the overall system volume. How many controls do you actually need? If there is a specific app that you would like to have the volume controlled, then contact that developer and they could easily make that happen if they wished.

FernandoE99 wrote:

Why do they need access to the code in the app to control its volume? The app sends the audio feedback to the OS and it gets outputted through the speakers.

There are over a million apps in the app store. I have 300 on my phone. Apple would need to have a table of a million different volume settings in order to have a separate volume setting for each app.

If they have the possibility to "ask app not to track" they got the possibility to control each individual volume input/output.

You hit the nail on the head. Ask App not to track tells the APP to control tracking. It doesn’t manage tracking for the app. and it is a binary value, on or off.

This is a situation of nothing is difficult for the person who doesn’t have to do it.

FernandoE99 wrote:

No more explanation needed other than the title.

I don't know why this isn't a thing.

There is more explanation needed. You did not provide any issue details or context. Please read this user tip:

Writing an effective Apple Support Commun… - Apple Community

mrpundir wrote:

FYI. This is a basic feature on Windows 11. MacOS should have same

You and the OP keep using the word "should." No one in these forums has the power to change macOS or direct Apple to make such changes.

One more time, if you want to pursue this, submit your desires directly to Apple at Product Feedback - Apple

mercedesmarilyn wrote:

This! I switched to Mac circa 2013 and my old Dell had this feature. As someone said, it should be BASIC! It's absolutely ridiculous that we have to install an app.

Feedback - macOS - Apple

You can load Windows, via Bootcamp, on that generation Mac, then you can have individual per app volume controls.

FernandoE99 wrote:

No more explanation needed other than the title.

I don't know why this isn't a thing.

To be proactive you can submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

Timo-t wrote:

I've used it personally since at least Windows Vista, and never had issues.

You must be the lucky one. This has been posted previously, but will include it here again. The feature you describe has not gone over too well for Microsoft on their support site, and you will find that many users there just wish they had a Mac to avoid the chaos. This is just a few.

• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/system-volume-not-controlling-apps-other-than-mute/87c47e97-3975-4be6-92e0-1e97dcb744b5
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/individual-app-volume-level-is-overwriting-the/672333d5-6b39-44cd-9669-765e185b56ce
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-11-volume-control-problem/fea53a31-30bc-4ff7-8df0-38061d5801e0
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-do-i-turn-down-the-volume-of-specific-apps-on/ee9d8ade-13e6-4b5e-9b8d-1a2b668aafcf

good old wish for flexibility vs. fear of complexity

apple seems to mostly go for the simplicity in that respect