Smartphones & Tablets | May 6, 2023
If you are reading this page, you probably like the Android operating system and the smartphones that use it. However, even the most passionate fans admit that the system is far from perfect and still has flaws that we have been asking to be fixed for years.
One of these flaws is in the volume control, specifically that we cannot change the ringtone volume and notification volume separately. Both must have the same volume, which makes no sense, but Google has been unwilling to fix this for years.
There are many reasons why we would want to have separate controls for calls and notifications. Many users receive constant notifications throughout the day, and we don’t want to be constantly bothered by the noise, but we also don’t want to miss calls, which are usually more important than a notification for a new message, so we can’t just turn the volume down to the minimum. We either go crazy with the notifications or we miss potential calls.
The worst part of this situation is that it’s one of those changes that should be very simple in theory, but it has been indefinitely delayed. It already took a lot for Google to realize this, and it wasn’t until December 2021 that a request was opened in the Android bug tracker to separate the control of calls and notifications, with many users leaving comments urgently requesting the change, which were ignored.
It seems that someone at Google had some free time this past weekend, as this “bug” has finally been marked as “fixed,” with the company confirming that Android 14 will have separate volume controls for ringtones and notifications.
The change was discovered by 9to5Google, which also confirmed that Android 14 Beta 1 already has it implemented; therefore, we expect the final version that will arrive in August to also have it. Ironically, this may be one of the biggest changes the system receives for many users.
