Spotify users on the iPhone have a volume ‘problem’

The iPhone's physical volume buttons won't work with Spotify Connect

If you use Spotify on your iPhone, then we have slightly inconvenient news for you. Apple has decreed that the iPhone’s physical volume buttons won’t work while you use Spotify Connect on your iPhone to play something on a connected device like a speaker or a TV. It means that you won’t be able to increase or decrease the volume via the physical volume buttons of the iPhone on any device connected to the iPhone via Spotify Connect.

On its support page, Spotify says: “Apple has discontinued the technology that enables Spotify to control volume for connected devices using the volume buttons on the device.” The new changes will take effect from September 3, 2024.

For the time being, the workaround for Spotify users on iPhone is to use the Spotify app to control the volume on your connected device. Here’s how you can do that:

Method 1: Pressing one of the volume buttons of the connected device

To quickly increase or decrease the volume, press one of the volume buttons of your device connected via Spotify Connect. You will then see that a volume control slider appears at the bottom of your screen. Use that in-app slider to control the volume.

Method 2: Using the Connect Menu

An alternate way to access the in-app volume slider is from your Connect Menu. To start with this method, tap the Connect device in your Now Playing bar at the bottom of your screen.

“If Spotify is playing on a connected device in the background and you press the volume button, you will receive a notification. Tap this to go to volume control. If you don’t get a notification, ensure that notifications from Spotify are enabled on your device. If notifications from the Spotify app are enabled, try alternating between volume up and down, ” says Spotify on its support page.