Why are iMessage notification quieter than the ringer sounds?

[redsandvb]

A family member just replaced their original iPhone SE with a new iPhone 12. Having a problem where new iMessage notifications sounds are quieter/softer than the phone call ringer sound. Specifically, phone ringer is using 'Waves' and text notifications 'Chord'. Other sounds seem the same but haven't done extensive testing.

FaceID Attention Aware Features are off and Ringer sounds - change with buttons is also off. Ringer volume is near 100 percent. iOS version is 14.3.

Anyone notice the same? Any fixes?
They don't seem to be missing texts/alerts (that they know of, anyway) just that the notification sound seems softer than it should be - especially compared to the ringer.

Thanks!

 

[Just_Me_D]

Re: Text notification softer than ringer sounds

Reboot the iPhone and then try adjusting the volume. That should work for you.

 

[redsandvb]

Re: Text notification softer than ringer sounds

Tried a forced reboot, changing Ringer volume changes with buttons to On, pressing Volume Up to 100, changing the text notifications sound to a different one and back to Chord, and then setting Ringer changes with buttons back to Off.

Will see if that works out

 

[Just_Me_D]

Re: Text notification softer than ringer sounds

3237896[/URL]]Tried a forced reboot, changing Ringer volume changes with buttons to On, pressing Volume Up to 100, changing the text notifications sound to a different one and back to Chord, and then setting Ringer changes with buttons back to Off.

Will see if that works out

Thanks for the update and please let us know if the changes worked out for you.

 

[redsandvb]

Re: Text notification softer than ringer sounds

Tried a forced reboot, changing Ringer volume changes with buttons to On, pressing Volume Up to 100, changing the text notifications sound to a different one and back to Chord, and then setting Ringer changes with buttons back to Off.

Will see if that works out

Thanks for the update and please let us know if the changes worked out for you.

Doesn't seem to have worked very well. Sometimes text notifications sound ok, more frequently they are still soft. Nobody else have this experience?

Thanks

 

[dmoskaluk]

My notification sounds (except ringer) are quieter than was 8+, I feel a more 'diplomatic' and higher quality tone. I like that. My phone is usually close so it's not an issue ( it also has vibration on - which as well is softer.) Now I notice that my wife's 8+'is decidedly louder as I can hear her notifications from the next room - and I'm supposed to be he 'half-deaf' one

 

[Annie_M]

It's interesting. On some tones, I've noticed this. Yet on others, my experience is the same as it was on my 8+. Because I never want to miss a text from my husband or sister, I deliberately chose louder text tones. I have used the horn tone for my husband and the spell tone for my sister. They both remain as loud. Other tones are not as loud.

 

[Wotchered]

for my sister I always used the Dive ! Dive ! Klaxon !!

 

[redsandvb]

Now I notice that my wife's 8+'is decidedly louder as I can hear her notifications from the next room - and I'm supposed to be he 'half-deaf' one

This is pretty much our situation. The original SE text notifications could be heard from the next room, the 12 not so much - unless it's pretty quiet and you're really listening.

It's interesting. On some tones, I've noticed this. Yet on others, my experience is the same as it was on my 8+. Because I never want to miss a text from my husband or sister, I deliberately chose louder text tones. I have used the horn tone for my husband and the spell tone for my sister. They both remain as loud. Other tones are not as loud.

Thanks. I'll see if they want to try changing their tones, they're kind of resistant to that...

 

[Annie_M]

This is pretty much our situation. The original SE text notifications could be heard from the next room, the 12 not so much - unless it's pretty quiet and you're really listening.


Thanks. I'll see if they want to try changing their tones, they're kind of resistant to that...

Change is most always difficult!

 

[dmoskaluk]

Change is most always difficult!

I changed ( a while ago) the text notification for texts only on my & my wife's as specific contacts on both phones. I went from the old 'sonar' tone which we felt could penetrate her purse or my pocket. - I changed it to a simple 'doorbell' because if you can believe it, 'sonar' - think Red October Captain Ramius "One Ping Only" actually upset and unnerved the dog . The 'doorbell' is loud enough too, but on my 12 I did enable vibrate for both 'on silent' as well as 'on ring'. Seems to work well that way so far.

 

[Jude526]

Mine is not consistent regarding text notifications. I don’t always hear them!

 

[Lee_Bo]

Well to me, Chord isn't that loud anyway. Kinda quiet, actually, even with the phone in my hands as I'm scrolling though all the different notification sounds. iPhone 11 Pro Max.

 

[dmoskaluk]

I would think too that as much as 'tones & volumes' can vary, people do too, all within a rough range of 'normal' hearing. Frequency is a significant factor if hearing is in any way 'compromised', even if only slightly.

 

[Modelflier]

This is where I think the Apple Watch comes into it’s own. I use the haptic feedback on my watch so that I never miss any of my notifications when my phone might be in a pocket or bag

 

[Annie_M]

This is where I think the Apple Watch comes into it’s own. I use the haptic feedback on my watch so that I never miss any of my notifications when my phone might be in a pocket or bag

You make an excellent point!

 

[dmoskaluk]

From one 'half deaf senior' to hopefully not too many others, please protect your hearing, or that which you have left. Once gone, often through unfiltered noise, it isn't coming back

 

[Ledsteplin]

I just pick the ones that are loudest. Some are louder than others.

 

[dmoskaluk]

Eh??

 

[pcumming]

The only way I found around this since I use custom text tones is to increase the volume (amplitude) of the text tone, save it as .m4r and upload with program of choice that works with iPhone. This helped solve the problem for me and I primarily use custom text tones. Of course some app notifications you cannot change at all. . It is a shame Apple does not allow you to set volume independently and reduces the text tone by xx%. I can hardly hear it when in my pocket. Sometimes the saved .m4r file is not an mpeg-4 file so I run it through convertio.co online and actually run a convert from .m4r to .m4r (yes) and it changes it from ADTS format to Mpeg-4 else it will not play. I use Easeus MobiMover (my paid choice over some other programs) to upload to iPhone as I detest ITunes. But that is me.. Thanks, Peter