S4 volume issues

[fantom305]

I have not problem with mine....video is ok........ music is ok ....and overall volume is ok......... as a matter of fact I have to lower the volume when making calls some times because is to loud.... If I was you ...I would return it for a new one.............

 

[Ryphon]

I am also experiencing this problem. Noticed it when I was trying to use my headphones on a phone call and couldn't hear the other party well, even with the volume on 100% (all sliders at 100% too). Tried another set of headphones and earphones with Play Music and Gonemad and all had the same issue with extremely low volume. Tried using adapt sound, clearing the RAM, restarting phone and nothing seemed to fix the issue.

 

[jburns9999]

That was a nice review in that video but I'm not so sure I should trust someone who can't tell a flock of sheep from a herd of goats.

 

[irishleo]

I have the same issue. I found that when I downloaded from MP3 third party applications, the sound seems to be much louder than the downloads from Google Music. The difference is enormous.

 

[RiverCity.45]

The source of the problem and simple fix is here:
http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?p=2772831

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jose Cruz Herrera]

if anyone can help me with this also. When i plug in my phone to my car stereo via Aux cable. I turn up the volume and the sound that comes out is really low but this only happens sometimes. I'd like to get this fixed. Any feedback would be much appreciated. Sorry for piggy backing of your thread I haven't figured out how to make a thread specifically for this.

 

[jasonb]

My GS4 is louder than the old iPhone 4 it replaced when using the same headphones. Mine is the 16GB Verizon Wireless 4G LTE variant.

 

[Not Quite Right]

I say at least take your phone & head phones to the store from which you bought your phone, and try to replicate your problem on their displays. If you can't then have them swap out the phone for it seems defective. If you can then you know it's a software limitation and, can address it from there.

 

[rushmore]

The source of the problem and simple fix is here:
S4 has a problem with low-impedance headphones (<14ohm) - Android Forums at AndroidCentral.com

Sent from my SGH-M919 using Tapatalk 2

Not really a FIX, but a walk around the root core of the problem It seems that Samsung went "universal" minimum standard with the S4 and adhere to the, "We know what's better for you than you do" loudness law from Europe. Archos does this with all their products and ALL suck for audio quality (poor volume to gain correlation). The volume to gain ratio seems weak on the S4, compared to the S3.

Volume+ was a nice hardware level fix, but 4.2.2 JB killed that- BOO! Nope, the practical answer is to just use lower impedence buds (18 or less), or use an external amp. Poweramp also has preamp funtion, but that only works withits music player, but Volume+ worked for EVERYTHING.

BTW, why do people keep trying to impose their own standards? Unless you use the same buds, music settings, personal choice, etc. You can NOT truly compare your own standards on others. Nope.

Added: Seems audio overall took a step back from the S3, but ALL took a hit now that Volume+ is dead with 4.22. That was one under-appreciated app for Android devices.

 

[marieosullivan]

Hi I am new to this forum.

I have had similar problems with my S4 volume, It makes no difference what headphones i use the volume will go up really load one minute and really low the next its driving me mad. I am going to take it back to Orange and complain. Even when I connect it to my speakers it still does it.

 

[Christopher Henderson2]

I think everybody seems to be missing the bigger picture here and that's the fact that as consumers we're entitled to a fully functioning product at purchase. The whole reason technology moguls like Samsung and Android have a QA team or a similar department is to identify and fix buggy software and hardware, especially when their customers are purchasing a product with such a hefty price tag. I for one am completely unsatisfied with my S4 and am looking forward to returning the device when the newer iPhones are released, mind you, not because I'm an Apple fan, but because I prefer products that work out of the box. Android's reputation hasn't impressed me at all in this regard, with constant app crashes, volume control issues, overheating and so forth I'd be hard pressed to maintain my current product and familiarity with Android. Which is rather sad considering I was really looking forward to working with a non-apple based OS and device. Alas, we can't all be so fortunate, can we. Android would do well to better test their software before release, and Samsung is expected to do a much better job in building a more reliable product -- a special shame on you to Samsung by the way; I expect software to act wonky at times but hardware at this cost, absolutely not.

End Rant.

 

[mlauzon]

This may be a silly question but have you tried the "Adapt Sound" feature? Under "my device" Settings>Sounds>Adapt Sound (all the way at the bottom). I hope this helps!

I was going to suggest this as well.

 

[aunoobie]

I too am a recent apple convert - finally I can 'do stuff' to and with my phone. I really like my new s4 but have wound up here because I am dissatisfied with the volume output - specifically from the stock video app with videos that play plenty loud with every cursed i-device I'm unfortunate enough to own . My music in mp3 format seems to play loud enough and I've had no problems with headphones or bluetooth speakers.

My problem:

The Samsung video app on the phone will play mp4 (seeing as how this is the only format apple would accept!) music video clips shuffled, one after the other without me having to touch the phone - which is awesome... but - volume SUCKS!

For anyone facing similar issues...

My solution: (not sure if I can mention specific software here - mods please edit as needed)...

I've used handbrake (freeware) to convert my music videos to mp4. Once I've imported by original mp4 by dragging it into Handbrake, under the "audio" tab there's a "gain" option. Increasing this to 10, setting bitrate to 160 (can't tell the difference between 160 and any other bitrate on a produced file personally), clicking the "video" tab, selecting "constant quality" and dragging slider to RF19.

This produces a significant increase in volume in the new file. The video setting produces a file of equivalent size to the original.

While it's a pretty time consuming exercise having to convert thousands of video clips to accommodate an issue with some newly released, much lauded tech - the fact I've escaped the clutches of crapple makes the inconvenience bearable.

 

[BethRogers]

I realize the OP said he's not referring to the phone speaker but rather to the output from the headphone jack (if I understood correctly). However, I don't think the two issues are necessarily unrelated. I'm going on the assumption that the phone has an audio card and audio driver(s) much like a computer does. If so, couldn't the main problem be with the internal audio card and/or audio drivers? If this is the case, then different models of headphones and/or external speakers could only go so far before hitting the limits of what the audio hardware/software is capable of doing.(?)

Personally I'm having trouble with low volume from the *phone speakers* on my new S4. This is resulting in missed calls & alarms, notifications, reminders. It's becoming a real problem. My sister just got an S5, and she's having low-volume issues as well. I also see a lot of comments on android tech forums about low-volume issues with BOTH the speaker and the headphone jack in the S4 and S5.

People are even resorting to rooting their phones and installing "Volume-Booster" apps. Apparently these apps work for many people, and most/all of them require rooting your phone. To me this suggests the issue may ultimately be with the audio driver (?). Either way, if you root your phone it *voids the warranty*, plus you really need to know what you're doing or you'll completely screw up the operating system. For both of these reasons, installing a volume-booster app isn't something I'm willing to risk doing.

If all of this is true, wouldn't the "simplest" solution be for Samsung and/or Android themselves to develop a new audio driver? (And make it available for current owners)?

If the low-volume issue becomes a deciding factor in whether people choose a Samsung (or any Android) phone ever again, wouldn't it be worth it? Personally, this will Definitely be a consideration when I buy my next phone.

Thanks for "listening"...

 

[extraclass]

I have serious hearing problems but I can not use my S4 with the volume all the way UP. Using it the normal way, with headphones or with Bluetooth! it is just too loud. If you are having a problem hearing your S4 I would say it is defective! I am considered legally deaf!

I have played with the enhanced audio settings and it does nothing for me!

 

[Jeriann2001]

I have the same issue with my S4. But recently I have spotted that the volume decreases when some app or even apps are running on background. During playback try to go to RAM Manager and push Clear memory button. The volume will increase instantly, but as soon as some other apps are running the volume will jump up and down. Unfo I have no idea how to fix it. Anyone??

Thank you. I couldn't understand why the volume is great and then suddenly too low I thought maybe it went low after listening in about an hour. Now I think it happens after I receive a notification where maybe there's an app running in the background? I don't know I have been reading on for about 2 hours and still have not found a solution. I just got this s4 tab in 2014 yet I'm reading posts 2 years back. Of course I've tried all obvious such as, changing headphones, turning up the volume on device, turning on and off. Please help.