Volume of everything is too loud all of a sudden on iPhone (iPhone 14 pro)

I was able to fix this issue for myself.

It seems that there are new settings for volume that are separate from the side buttons. I had to go into the Settings > Ringtones and Alerts > Slider to change the volume of ringtones and alerts. I had to slide that down in order for it to work. I haven't had the issue since.

I also toggled off "use side buttons to change volume" for what it's worth, now that I knew that was there and had changed to to be a very low volume. But if you like to change it a lot, I would keep that toggled on.

Hi zsa916,

It's normal and default behavior on iPhone to have the buttons adjust the media volume and the ringer and alert volume is in Settings only.

To change the ringer and alert volume, you go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics, and adjust the slider for Ringtone and Alerts. On your screen it should state in this section of settings "The volume buttons will not affect the volume of the ringtones and alert."

Here's more info on changing the volume:

Adjust the volume on iPhone

This behavior has been around since at least iOS 8. Let us know if adjusting the ringer volume solved your concern.

Thanks for using the Apple Support Communities.

It's been happening to me since I got my iPhone 14 Pro Max, so since iOS 16.0.

I did see a reply to the same issue on a different post where the person said they toggled the "Change with Buttons" under Sounds & Haptics and that fixed the randomness of the notification sounds going super loud. It seems to have helped me so far, but I've only had it changed for 30 minutes.

Same here. 14 pro. Started happening I think with ios16. definitely some kind of glitch/bug. just randomly starts - haven't been able to tie it to any app use. tried the suggested steps in settings, but all the volumes are where they should be, but the notification sounds are still so loud they sound distorted (like speaker damage). The only way to fix is to reboot the phone. Not always a viable option.

Mine seems to happen with the keyboard. It’s very sporadic and random but every now and then it’s like the keyboard clicks are at 100% volume. I usually have to use the side switch to go no notification noises and then back. I’ve also found that closing my apps such as, Messages or Safari, and then returning to them seems to help for whatever reason. I can’t exactly identify when this started, but it’s been going on for a while. Seems like a glitch, needs to be fixed.

I’ve got the same issue in my 14 pro max. I did find a temporary work around. If the volume is set to full amount then the keyboard sounds and text Sounds and ringtones are just a little higher than normal. But if i turn the volume down even to the lowest setting then everything is grossly loud.

i also noticed this with the lastl updates.

hopefully apple will fix soon

I’m having the same issue as the OP and I’ve already done the steps you’re suggesting to them months ago and that’s not the solution. The notification volume still changes on the phone, but doesn’t actually show a change in the system when I go to check the volume in the settings.

Me too. I’ve got my notification volume set independently of the volume buttons (this way for years). Today, all of a sudden, my 14 thinks it needs to be obnoxiously loud. Went back to settings and moved the slider around a bit. It calmed down.

I buy the idea that occasional restarts are helpful, but I just did that a day or so ago….

Got the exact same problem as everyone else here.

iPhone 14 ProMax, iOS 17.3.1.

It all started around iOS 17 iirc. Ringer volume set to very low in settings yet very notification and system sound is beyond max volume. Ear shatteringly loud I would say. Only remedy is to put it in dnd focus of some kind or flip the sound off switch, bet them you get zero notification sounds.

Apple needs to fix this soon.

a lot of the solutions are suggesting that it's tied to the side buttons being mapped to change system volume, but i've had that feature turned off for years and suddenly this bug is affecting me. i have an iphone 14 pro and updated to the latest ios, so i doubt it's a feature thing.

I’ve been having this issue a few months now and it’s so annoying. In quiet settings, I don’t need or want my notifications to come in at mega max top volume. Just got a max volume notification as I type this. I can’t seem to turn it off. I’ve never had this issue before and I think it’s around the same time as the update. I’ve gone into settings, sounds and haptics and tried adjusting things mentioned and no luck. It’s so ear piercingly loud when you’re just chilling by your phone in peace and quiet and them BAMM alert. It’s all alerts too; texts and app notifications. Has anyone been able to fix this yet? Also having an issue with the clock timer not saving when I go to prepare the exact time I need to time something. Have to start stop it and just remember it’s 1 second off. Both of these issues are frustrating at work.

Experiencing a similar issue where my ringer is turned all the way down to the lowest point and the sounds on my phone are louder than I can normally turn the volume up.

I’m experiencing the same on iPhone 13 Pro!

Exact same issue on my 14 Pro. Clearly a bug! It's especially "traumatizing" when my alarm goes off at literal full volume every morning 😭 i'm about to buy a CD alarm clock lol

Agree to disagree as this behavior just started with iOS 17 for me.