Sound
How to Set a Different Volume for Each App on Android
By the llcloud team 5 min read
Quick answer
Stock Android has one media volume shared by every app, so there is no built-in per-app slider. On Samsung Galaxy phones, the free Sound Assistant module from the Galaxy Store adds individual app volumes. On other phones you need a per-app volume app. AppVolume, now on Google Play, gives every app its own slider without root, a computer or an accessibility service.
You turn the game down and the podcast goes quiet too. That is because Android, out of the box, gives all your media apps one shared volume. There are a few ways around it, and which one you can use depends on your phone. Here is what is built in, what Samsung adds, and what works everywhere.
Why does Android have only one media volume?
Android groups sound into streams. The usual ones are:
| Stream | What uses it | Has its own slider? |
|---|---|---|
| Media | Music, video, games, podcasts, navigation on most phones | Yes, shared by all apps |
| Call | Voice and video calls | Yes |
| Ring | Ringtone | Yes |
| Notification | Notification sounds | On most phones |
| Alarm | Alarms | Yes |
Press a volume key, tap the three dots or the settings icon on the volume panel, and you will see these sliders. What you will not see is one slider per app. Spotify, YouTube, a game and Google Maps all share Media.
What can I do without installing anything?
Use each app's own volume settings
Many games have separate music, effects and voice sliders in their settings. Some navigation apps have a guidance volume. Video and podcast apps rarely do. This is the free first step, and it is worth checking before anything else.
Send apps to different devices (Samsung)
Samsung's Separate app sound sends one app's audio to a different device:
- Open Settings > Sounds and vibration > Separate app sound.
- Turn it on and choose the app and the audio device.
The classic use is a car: directions from the phone speaker, music over Bluetooth. It does not give two apps different levels on the same speaker, and Samsung notes the chosen device must differ from the phone's main output.
Sound Assistant on Samsung Galaxy
Samsung's Sound Assistant, a free Good Lock module from the Galaxy Store, does have individual app volumes:
- Install Sound Assistant from the Galaxy Store.
- Open it and find the individual app volume section.
- Tap the plus button, add the apps you want, and set each slider.
If you have a Galaxy phone and Sound Assistant works for you, that may be all you need. It is Samsung only, and Good Lock availability varies by region and One UI version.
How do I get per-app volume on other phones?
On Pixel, Xiaomi, OnePlus, Motorola and others there is no built-in equivalent. You need an app, and Android protects other apps' audio, so that app needs a permission ordinary apps cannot get. Some apps work around this with an accessibility service that watches your screen or volume keys. That is a lot of access for a volume slider.
AppVolume, now on Google Play, takes a different route. It gets one permission from the phone's own developer tools in a one-time setup, all on the phone:
- Turn on Developer options and connect to Wi-Fi.
- Turn on Wireless debugging and type the six-digit pairing code AppVolume shows you.
- Drag the slider next to any app to set its level, or mute it.
- Turn Wireless debugging off again. The permission stays through restarts and updates.
No root and no computer are needed, and if you already use Shizuku or root, those work too.
What AppVolume does
- A slider for each app, from silent to full. Two apps can play at different levels at the same time.
- Mute one app with one tap while everything else keeps playing.
- Set it once. Levels are remembered and applied every time that app plays, and you can set a level ahead of time for an app that is not playing yet.
- See what is playing, live, one tap from a level of its own.
- Always within reach through a Quick Settings tile, a mixer notification with mute, down and up buttons, and a home screen widget.
The free version covers three apps. Pro, a one-time purchase, unlocks every app, a booster up to 200% for quiet apps and left and right balance per app.
Its limits
AppVolume works with most apps that play sound, not all of them. Some games use low-latency audio that Android does not let anything change, and AppVolume tells you when that happens. When an app starts playing there can be a split second at its normal volume before your level applies. It needs Android 11 or newer.
Can I keep notifications quiet but media loud?
Yes, and this one is built in, because notifications and media are separate streams. Press a volume key, then tap the settings or three-dot icon on the volume panel to see every slider. Turn Notification down and leave Media where it is. On Samsung you can also go to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Volume. On some phones the ring and notification sliders are linked, and the option to separate them sits in the sound settings, so look there if they move together.
What the built-in sliders cannot do is treat two media apps differently, which is where the options above come in.
Which option should you use?
| Your situation | Best option |
|---|---|
| The app has its own volume settings | Use them |
| Samsung, two outputs (car, headphones and speaker) | Separate app sound |
| Samsung, different levels on one speaker | Sound Assistant |
| Any other phone, or you want a mixer in Quick Settings | AppVolume (on Google Play) |
Why do my volume levels reset?
If an app that manages volume stops working after a while, your phone's battery management may be closing it in the background. This is common on Samsung, Xiaomi, OnePlus and OPPO phones. Read why Android kills background apps for what is going on, then the guide for your phone, such as stopping Samsung from killing apps or stopping Xiaomi from killing apps.
Other small fixes for your phone live in our other guides: how to check battery health if the phone dies early, and how to free up storage if it is full. AppVolume shares a setup step with Repel, whose firewall also pairs once through Wireless debugging.
Sources
Questions
Does Android have per-app volume built in?
Not on stock Android. Android splits volume into streams such as media, calls, ringtone, notifications and alarms, but every app that plays media shares the one media slider. Some phone makers add their own tools. Samsung's Sound Assistant is the best known. Elsewhere you need an app with special permission to change other apps' levels.
What does Samsung's Separate app sound do?
It sends one app's sound to a different output device, for example navigation through the phone speaker while music plays over your car's Bluetooth. It does not set different volumes for two apps on the same speaker. Samsung notes it only works when the chosen device differs from the phone's main audio output. For per-app levels on Samsung, use Sound Assistant.
Can I lower game volume but keep music loud?
Only if something controls each app's level. Check the game's own settings first, since many games have separate music and effects sliders. Otherwise, Samsung users can set both apps in Sound Assistant, and on any phone a per-app volume app does it. With AppVolume you could set the game at 20% and the music at 80% and both play at those levels together.
Why do some per-app volume apps need an accessibility service?
Some apps watch your screen or your volume keys to guess which app is playing and react to it, which needs accessibility access. That is a broad permission. AppVolume uses neither. It gets one permission from the phone's own developer tools during a one-time setup, and it never hears, records or sends your audio.
Does per-app volume work with every app?
Most apps that play sound, but not every one. Some games use low-latency audio paths that Android does not let anything adjust, and calls use their own stream. A good app tells you when it cannot control an app instead of pretending. There can also be a split second at normal volume when an app starts playing, before your level applies.
