"Change with buttons" doesn't work when VoiceOver is running

Club AppleVis Member
Hello! This might be an old bug, but I found it today. I've always wandered why the text message alert sound (and other notifications sounds) are so quiet. Yesterday I found that the sounds come much louder when VoiceOver is turned off. Then i continued investigating and found that the "change with buttons" toggle seems to be buggy. I keep it off, but still when I turn the volume up, the sound comes louder. Very strange and very irritating. Why can't the notification sounds come with maximum volume, when VoiceOver is turned on, as it usually is in my case. The problem seems to be that this setting doesn't work properly when VoiceOver is running. Can anyone confirm this and are there any workarounds? I'm running iOS 7.0.4 on an iPhone 4S, but i guess that the problem was there even in older versions of iOS.


#1 workaround

Hi. I have the same problems as you, and I have a workaround, but I am running iOS 6.1.3. So this workaround will not work for you until apple fixes the vo volume in the rotor. This will not work for you now, but keep it saved somewhere and try it when apple fixes the vo volume getting stuck at 35 percent in the roter problem. Turn change with buttons off. Turn your sound volume up to 100 percent in the settings. Turn the volume all the way up with the volume buttons on the side of the device. Then turn the vo volume down to where you want it in the roter, I most of the time put it somewhere between 5 and 15 percent. There you go. You now have it so you here your texts and emails beeps at a loud volume, but vo is not yelling at you. Oh and I just thought of something else. You may be able to use this workaround without waiting for apple to fix the vo volume stuck below 35 percent bug, because for this workaround to work you need to have vo volume low so it is not yelling at you anyhow.

#2 I've noticed this aswell

Yes, I've noticed this aswell. I was hoping it would get fixed with each update but it never has done. I personally turn VO off just before I lock my phone then a text message or email tone comes through at a loud volume, then turn it back on again to read whatever came through. To the previous commenter, I just tryed your work around, but for some reason although VO wasn't yelling at me, it still seemed to sound a bit distorded. Let me talk you through what I did and see if this is right. First I checked the change with buttons was off then the sound volume was at 100. I then turned the volume to full with the buttons on the side of the iPhone till that was full then turned the VO volume down. Even at 1% it still seemed to be quite distorted. Did I do something wrong? If not does this happen to you? I am running the latest version of iOS 7 on an iPhone 5. Thanks and sorry for such a long comment.

#3 the problem with the work around

The problem with the work around is that, although it will make the text tones louder, it will also make everything else louder too. So, if you play music or a game, the sound level will be extremely loud, unless you turn it down, which would then make the text tones quieter. This is a bug that has bothered me ever since I got my iPhone, and I wish they would fix it.

#4 Thanks

Club AppleVis Member

Thanks anyway for the answers and the workaround. I will test that. I assume that Apple has been contacted about this bug?

#5 replies to comments 2 and 3

Hi. For comment 2: yes, you did it correct. It is a bit distorted but not a lot distorted so I still find a bit of distortion better then missing texts and emails. For comment 3: you need to turn the device down with the volume buttons on the side when you are using it, then remember to turn it back up before you lock it so you don't miss texts and emails. You might forget in the beginning but after a while you will get in the habit of remembering to turn your volume button down when using the device and back up when you lock it. A bit inconvenient but better than missing texts and emails.