Let’s say you are driving or in the shower, and realize your Android phone’s volume button is broken. Such situations make it difficult to change the volume without physical buttons. There are ways to control the volume of your Android without physical buttons. I’ve compiled a list of all possible situations and their solutions. Let’s go.
Table of Contents
Case 1: If Volume Button Is Not Working
If the volume button on your Android is broken, you can still change the volume level by going to Settings > Sound and vibration. Here you will find all the volume controls you need at the top.
However, if the volume button is not working and you find yourself changing volume levels frequently, going to settings each time can be tedious. In such cases, I would recommend using the little-known Accessibility option.
On your Android phone, open the Settings app > Accessibility > Interaction and dexterity and enable the toggle beside the Accessibility menu option. In the pop-up, tap on Allow for Accessibility menu to have control over your device. Now you should see a shortcut at the side of the display. Tapping on it will open the Accessibility menu where you will see Volume up and Volume down controls.
Case 2 – If Your Hands Are Busy
Say you are listening to music while holding groceries in both your hands or driving your car. You can use Google Assistant to change the volume to a specific level hands-free.
Just say Hey Google, then speak a command like increase volume by 10%.
Case 3 – If You Are Using Earbuds
Most TWS and headphones have a physical button that lets you control the volume level on your Android or iPhone.
But some TWS models do not have volume buttons. For example, Airpods, Samsung Galaxy Buds, and Sony XM5 headphones. Thankfully, even they have a hidden option to control volume — the trick is to use the companion app to modify feature control. The only drawback is that it only works when you are playing music or on an ongoing call.
For Samsung Galaxy Buds, you can use Galaxy Buds Pro Manager.
For Sony XM series headphones, you can use the hand gesture.
For Airpods Pro 2nd gen, place your thumb on the stem and use your index finger to swipe up or down on the Touch control. I tested it with an Android smartphone and it works just as well. However, for AirPods Pro (1st generation) or AirPods (3rd generation), you need to use Siri commands, which will not work on Andriod.
Case 4 – If You Are Using a Smart Watch
Imagine you are listening to music while taking a shower. Touching your smartphone with wet hands is not recommended. Thankfully, if you are wearing a smartwatch such as a Galaxy Watch, you can control the audio level directly from the watch. In fact, I tried changing the audio level during the calls and it worked.
If you are wondering which smartwatch supports this feature, we tested it on the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 6 Pro and it worked natively on them. For any other WearOS smartwatch that lacks the native option, you can use a third-party app called SimpleWear.
Time to Mute
Instead of using the third-party apps I discussed above, you can also try some other volume control apps such as Always Visible Volume Button, Volume Notification, etc. Also, there are some other apps to remap buttons. Speaking about volume control apps, also try out volume booster apps and equalizer apps on Android to make your experience better.
