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AppVolume vs Precise Volume: Which Android Volume App Fits You?
By the llcloud team 5 min read
The short answer
Pick Precise Volume if you want more volume steps, a full equalizer and automation that switches presets by app, headphones, Bluetooth or time. Pick AppVolume, once it launches, if you want each app to play at its own level at the same time, with no accessibility service and no ads.
They solve different problems. Precise Volume is an equalizer and volume control app with up to 1,000 volume steps in Pro, a 10-band and parametric equalizer, and automation that activates presets when an app opens or closes. AppVolume, now on Google Play, gives every app its own volume so two apps can play at different levels at once, needs no accessibility service and sets up through Wireless debugging.
Precise Volume is one of the best-known volume apps on Android, with more than 5 million downloads on Google Play. People often find it while searching for per-app volume, and AppVolume while searching for more control over sound in general, so it helps to be clear about what each one does. This comparison is as of October 2026 and uses Precise Volume's Play listing and documentation for its facts. AppVolume is available on Google Play now.
AppVolume vs Precise Volume at a glance
| AppVolume | Precise Volume | |
|---|---|---|
| Available on Google Play | ✓ | ✓ |
| Separate levels for apps playing at once | ✓ | Not listed |
| Change sound when an app opens | Levels apply every time an app plays | ✓ (Apps Automation, Pro) |
| Mute one app | ✓ | Not listed |
| More volume steps | ✗ | ✓ (up to 1,000 in Pro) |
| Equalizer | ✗ | ✓ (10-band free, parametric in Pro) |
| Volume booster | ✓ (per app, up to 200%, Pro) | ✓ (post-gain, with a limiter) |
| Left and right balance | ✓ (per app, Pro) | ✓ |
| Automation by Bluetooth, headphones or time | ✗ | ✓ (Pro) |
| Volume lock | ✗ | ✓ |
| Replace the volume popup | Quick Settings mixer instead | ✓ (Pro) |
| Tasker plugin | ✗ | ✓ (Pro) |
| Accessibility service | ✗ | Used for some features |
| Root needed | ✗ | ✗ |
| No ads | ✓ | ✗ (Pro removes them) |
| Pro payment | One-time | One-time |
What is the core difference?
Android has one media volume for everything. Precise Volume makes that one volume far more precise and customizable. AppVolume splits it, so each app has a volume of its own.
Precise Volume's listing describes overriding Android's default 15 to 25 volume steps with a custom number, up to 1,000 in Pro. It adds a full equalizer, volume presets, a volume lock and automation. Its Apps Automation activates a preset when an app opens or closes, so your sound changes as you switch apps.
AppVolume gives each app its own slider, from silent to full. Two apps can play at different levels at the same time, side by side, for example directions at full volume over music at 35%. Levels are remembered and applied every time that app plays, and you can set one in advance for an app that is not playing yet.
If what you want is a game at 20% while a podcast plays at 80%, AppVolume is the tool for it. If what you want is finer steps, a better sound or presets for your headphones, Precise Volume is. Our guide on how to set a different volume for each app on Android covers all the options, built-in ones included.
What does Precise Volume do better?
Plenty, and it is fair to say so:
- Volume steps. Up to 1,000 steps and custom increments in Pro. AppVolume does not change the number of steps.
- Equalizer. A 10-band graphic equalizer, AutoEQ for headphones, and in Pro a parametric equalizer, bass and compressor, reverb and virtualizer. AppVolume has no equalizer.
- Automation. Presets that switch on with Bluetooth, a USB DAC, the headphone jack, a date and time, or boot, plus Tasker support in Pro.
- Availability. It is on Google Play now.
What does AppVolume do better?
- Real per-app levels. Several apps playing at once, each at its own level, and mute for a single app with one tap.
- A per-app boost and balance. Pro boosts one quiet app up to 200% and shifts each app left or right on its own, without touching the rest.
- No accessibility service. Precise Volume's listing says it uses the Accessibility API for features that interact with the screen and intercept key presses. AppVolume does not watch your screen or your volume keys, and it never hears, records or sends your audio.
- No ads. Precise Volume's free version contains ads. AppVolume has none.
How do you set each one up?
Precise Volume needs no root. Its documentation notes that on some phones some setup is needed for it to work system-wide, and it explains which permissions it uses and why.
AppVolume needs one permission that only the phone's developer tools can give, because Android protects other apps' audio. The app walks you through it on the phone: turn on Developer options, connect to Wi-Fi, turn on Wireless debugging and type a six-digit pairing code. No computer and no root. Afterwards you can turn Wireless debugging off again, and the permission stays through restarts and updates. Shizuku and root are also supported.
AppVolume works with most apps that play sound, not all of them. Some games with low-latency audio cannot be changed by anything, and AppVolume tells you when that happens. There can be a split second at normal volume when an app starts playing, before your level applies.
How do they compare on price?
Precise Volume is free with ads. Its Pro upgrade removes ads and unlocks volume steps, automation and the advanced equalizer, and the listing says there are no subscriptions. We could not verify its current price, so check the listing in your country.
AppVolume is free for three apps, with mute, remembered levels, the Quick Settings tile, the notification and the widget. AppVolume Pro is a one-time purchase that adds every app, the 200% booster, per-app balance and every future Pro feature. No ads and no account.
Which should you choose?
Choose Precise Volume if:
- You want more volume steps or a proper equalizer.
- You want sound presets that switch with your headphones, car or the time of day.
- You want it today.
Choose AppVolume, once it launches, if:
- You want two apps to play at different volumes at the same time.
- You want to boost or balance one app without touching the rest.
- You would rather not grant an accessibility service or see ads.
On a Samsung Galaxy, also read AppVolume vs Samsung Sound Assistant, since Sound Assistant is free there. If other apps keep stopping in the background on your phone, why Android kills background apps explains the cause. And for a light that shows new notifications without turning the sound up at all, see AuraDisplay and our guide to a notification light on Android.
Sources
Questions
Does Precise Volume have per-app volume?
Its listing describes Apps Automation, a Pro feature that activates a preset when an app is opened or closed. That switches your sound settings as you move between apps. The listing does not describe separate levels for several apps playing at the same time, which is what AppVolume is built for.
Does Precise Volume need an accessibility service?
Its Play listing says it uses the Accessibility API for features that interact with the screen and intercept key presses, and that this data is not shared with third parties. AppVolume does not use an accessibility service at all. It does not watch your screen or your volume keys.
Does Precise Volume have ads?
Yes. Its Play listing marks the app as containing ads, and Precise Volume Pro removes them. Pro is listed with no subscriptions. AppVolume has no ads in either version, and AppVolume Pro is also a one-time purchase.
Can I use AppVolume and Precise Volume together?
They cover different ground, so it can make sense: Precise Volume for volume steps and the equalizer, AppVolume for each app's own level. We have not tested them side by side, though, and two apps changing audio at once can be harder to troubleshoot. If something sounds wrong, switch one off to see which is responsible.
When can I get AppVolume?
AppVolume is available now on Google Play and needs Android 11 or newer. The free version covers three apps from the start, with mute, remembered levels, the Quick Settings tile, the notification and the widget.
