Annoying volume controls on Android Pie...

[tobee1]

OK, this is a bit of a rant so I apologise. After some searching, I appear to be the only person who finds this annoying - surely that can't be the case. What is up with the change in the way the volume controls work in Android Pie? It has made what was a background control (something I never even thought about) into something EXTREMELY annoying.

I have a Pixel 2 XL, when it was running Oreo, the volume controls were totally logical. When I arrived at my desk at work in the morning, I would lower the ring volume to vibrate by simply pressing the down volume button. This would lower the ringtone volume because the phone recognised that I had no media playing. Conversely, if I was listening to Spotify or watching a YouTube video and I pressed the volume control buttons, the media volume would change (the phone recognised that media was playing and rightly assumed that I would be adjusting that volume). In either of those instances, if I wanted to adjust a different volume, I just hit the drop down menu and I was presented with all the available volume options. This also worked for adjusting my Sonos volume (this icon seems to have disappeared and been replaced with a Chromecast icon), or for adjusting in-call volume. In other words it was dynamic - the OS made the default volume the thing that was being used at the time - if nothing was being used it would default to ringtone volume.

Now it is just set on media volume- how is this an improvement? Even if I was someone who constantly consumed media on my phone, the old way was better (media volume is still controlled by default when it is playing). However, it is not uncommon that you might want to change your ringtone volume, or make other adjustments, so now you have to click the volume button and then quickly click into the expandable volume menu to change the ringtone volume. To make this even more annoying, when I do adjust it in this annoying fiddly menu, it then sets off the ring tone to demonstrate the volume level!

Somehow, Google is trying to say this is a feature that people want! Am I missing something here?! IT IS VERY ANNOYING - GOOGLE PLEASE FIX THIS!

 

[B. Diddy]

Welcome to Android Central! I agree -- the new behavior requires too many additional presses or screen touches. There might be a way to get it back to the old way, but that would probably require root if it existed. All I can suggest is to give Google feedback through the system menu.

 

[MADDROID1]

Agree! Totally stupid change!

 

[jlp0209]

I also hate this "feature." Submitted feedback using my Pixel 2XL telling them to please either change it or just make the volume buttons adjust ring volume by default. Give us the option by clicking on that little settings button to choose what that volume button will change by default.

 

[kenorian]

I agree 100% !!

Really stupid.

 

[Almeuit]

I have no issues. I get to work and instead of holding down on volume I simply tap the vibrate button and done.

 

[sonshine96]

I have no issues. I get to work and instead of holding down on volume I simply tap the vibrate button and done.

That may work to completely get rid of the ringer, but many times I just want to lower the volume of my ringer and text notification sounds. If I do what is suggested here, I won't have any sound at all! Is there any way easily lower the volume of the ringer and text notifications without totally silencing the phone? It's very annoying to have to now take several steps to do what only took one step before!

 

[B. Diddy]

Another problem is that you can't quickly toggle out of Silent/Vibrate mode. You can quickly toggle it on by pressing Power/Vol Up, but doing the same thing again does nothing -- you have to press a volume button, then tap the Vibrate icon on until the sound is back on.

 

[Almeuit]

That may work to completely get rid of the ringer, but many times I just want to lower the volume of my ringer and text notification sounds. If I do what is suggested here, I won't have any sound at all! Is there any way easily lower the volume of the ringer and text notifications without totally silencing the phone? It's very annoying to have to now take several steps to do what only took one step before!

Ah yeah I never do that. If I want to lower it -- it goes to vibrate. If I want a ring I want it to really ring hence me leaving it the same.

 

[GSDer]

After some searching, I appear to be the only person who finds this annoying - surely that can't be the case.

It isn't the case - there have been lots of other complaints about this change, all the way back to the first Beta version of Pie.
I happen to find the change in defaults annoying as well, particularly the part where I manually change the ringtone volume and it feels that it's necessary to play the tone.
I provided my negative feedback during the Beta and again in this released version but I don't expect to see a change forthcoming.

 

[hallux]

I mentioned my distaste for this change in another thread and at least one person poo-poohed it saying that the new way is the way people have wanted it, as evidenced by there being apps in the Play Store to specifically change the default adjusted volume to the media volume at all times.

The discussion starts here - https://forums.androidcentral.com/google-pixel-2-pixel-2-xl/901789-android-pie-9.html#post6298862

 

[tobee1]

This seems totally bizarre to me - for people who want to change media volume most of the time, they were able to do that before when they were in an app that was playing sound e.g. Spotify, YouTube, games etc. For these people nothing has changed other than on the rare occasions when they want to change any other type of volume, suddenly they're in the same annoying boat as the rest of us!

 

[hallux]

Exactly. The way it's always been for me is this:

Media playing - volume rocker controls media volume
no media playing - volume rocker controls ring volume

 

[KidAKidB]

I have no issues. I get to work and instead of holding down on volume I simply tap the vibrate button and done.

That's exactly what I do! The first few days were confusing, but now that I'm used to it, it's not really all that bad.

 

[Theot]

I'm a big fan of profiles like CyanogenMod used to have. I've honestly always hated the volume setup in Android on the whole. I like a low volume for work, loud in the car or when I'm out, and a medium at home. Then I can hit vibrate silence when I need it.

I use an app called trigger to do it for me. When I get in the car my ringer and media volumes go up. When I get out and it disconnects it goes back to medium. When I put my headset on at work it turns the ringer down to 1 so I can still hear notifications but it's not obnoxious.

It's probably more work but when it's all setup the only time I have to worry about my volume is when I need to go completely silent.

 

[van_basten]

Completely agree. To me the volume control change is the worst feature in Pie. And how do you go to do not disturb mode now without going to setting or pull down the top menu? In some situation like a meeting, church, movie I want to go DND without looking at the phone and going through multiple touch screen clicks. In Oreo, I simply hit the vol button down a few times without even looking at it. Now they eliminate this feature.

 

[tpero]

Download the Audio Profiles app. You can define volume levels for all parameters, and automatically schedule changes in profile, like the time you get to work, go to sleep, etc. There are also quick settings menu buttons. I have had for years, and it's amazing. I rarely even touch my volume rocker.

 

[Jeffery Carr]

Completely agree. ... I want to go DND without looking at the phone

Worse, DND doesn't even seem to be honored all the time. I swear my phone still makes ******* noise when the DND icon is on. And now, the settings screen has 4 different volume slide bars. This is the dumbest ******* user interface design ever created. It should work the old way, then have a setting for people to enable this garbage for the weirdos that apparently are the jerks that have their phone make noise when they are at a broadway show.

 

[kenorian]

Download the Audio Profiles app. You can define volume levels for all parameters, and automatically schedule changes in profile, like the time you get to work, go to sleep, etc. There are also quick settings menu buttons. I have had for years, and it's amazing. I rarely even touch my volume rocker.

Thanks for the suggestion. This little app rocks, I use it all the time.

 

[Photo_Drew]

Worse, DND doesn't even seem to be honored all the time. I swear my phone still makes ******* noise when the DND icon is on. And now, the settings screen has 4 different volume slide bars. This is the dumbest ******* user interface design ever created. It should work the old way, then have a setting for people to enable this garbage for the weirdos that apparently are the jerks that have their phone make noise when they are at a broadway show.

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