iOS 27 Separate Volume Controls: How to Set Them Up

How to Use the New Separate Volume Controls in iOS 27

One small but very useful change in iOS 27 is the ability to control different system sounds separately.

Before iOS 27, your ringtone, notifications, alarms and some other system sounds were largely tied to the same Ringtone and Alerts volume. That meant lowering your ringtone could also make your alarm quieter.

With iOS 27, you can separate these sounds and give them their own volume levels.

Here’s how to set it up:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone.

2. Scroll down and tap Sounds & Haptics.

3. Look for the volume controls for Ringtone, Alarms and Notifications.

4. Choose whether you want these sounds to use the same volume or be controlled separately.

5. If you choose separate controls, adjust each slider to the level you prefer.

For example, you could keep your ringtone louder, turn your notification sounds down, and still have your alarm loud enough to wake you up.

Once you’ve set the levels, iOS remembers them separately.

Why is this useful?

Imagine you want notification sounds to be quiet during the day, but you still want to hear an incoming phone call clearly. Or maybe you prefer a quieter ringtone but definitely don’t want to accidentally lower the volume of your morning alarm.

In iOS 27, you no longer have to use one volume level for all of these sounds.

It’s a relatively small change, but it gives you much more control over how your iPhone sounds throughout the day.

Good to know: this controls system sounds such as your ringtone, notifications and alarms. Your music, videos, calls and connected headphones still have their own separate volume behavior.

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