The sturdy hardware is one of the reasons iPhones have higher resale value than their Android competitors. However, that doesn’t imply it won’t fail. It should come as no surprise that as your iPhone ages, the volume keys may either become stuck, mushy and unresponsive, or stop providing the necessary input. After all, the recognisable home button is known to malfunction after becoming worn down. It’s the kind of problem that degrades the user experience and eventually becomes irritating. When your iPhone’s volume buttons stop working, try these 11 helpful tips and solutions if you are experiencing this problem.
11 Tips to Fix iPhone Volume Buttons Not Working Issue (2022)
Let’s first quickly review the potential causes before moving on to the ways to fix the iPhone volume key stuck or not working issue! Then, we’ve provided a list of the top 11 solutions and workarounds for this frequent iPhone problem.
What Could Cause the iPhone Volume Buttons to Stop Working?
Even if hardware failure is the first thing that springs to mind when the iPhone’s volume controls become unresponsive or cease functioning, you shouldn’t rush and go to a repair centre right away. Instead, wait a little while. A buildup of dust, your case’s prominent yet non-responsive buttons, a rare software flaw, or an obsolete version of the software could all be contributing factors. We shall therefore investigate each potential cause and attempt appropriate solutions.
Along the way, we’ll also go through a few trustworthy workarounds that will enable you to manage the volume on your iPhone without using the actual volume buttons. Check out these potential solutions for the current iPhone volume button issue:
iPhone Volume Buttons Not Working? How to Fix!
1. Ensure Your iPhone s Volume Buttons are Enabled
- Go to Settings -> Sound & Haptics and make sure the Change with Buttons toggle is enabled.
2. Remove Your iPhone Case
Believe it or not, some cases (especially the less expensive and durable ones) don’t include tactile buttons. So, if you have installed a case on your iPhone, remove it and press the volume buttons to check if they are working or not. If the volume buttons are working fine, your case was the culprit and not your iPhone hardware. If you want to buy a case with responsive buttons, we suggest you check our roundups of thebest iPhone 13 cases,iPhone 13 Pro cases, andiPhone 13 Pro Max cases.
3. Clean the Volume Buttons
It s easy to overlook the presence of dust or gunk that never misses any chance to sneak into ports and holes. If the volume buttons seem to be stiff or stuck, there is a high possibility that dust/ grime may be causing the volume buttons to not respond. You can use compressed air to blow out the dust from the volume buttons. Besides, we suggest youdip a cotton swab into isopropyl alcoholand use it to clean the volume buttons gently.
4. Hard Reset Your iPhone
Hard reset (also known as force restart) comes into play when dealing withcommon iOS 15 problems. Due mainly to its ability to quickly fix several issues, it s considered a go-to troubleshooting technique by most iPhone users. So, we should give it a shot to solve the iPhone volume button not working issue as well.
- On iPhone 8 or later: Press the volume up button. Then, quickly press the volume down button. Now, press and hold the power button until your iPhone screen goes black and the Apple logo pops up.
- On iPhone 7/ 7 Plus: Hold down the volume down button and the power button simultaneously until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
- On iPhone 6s or earlier: Hold down the home button and the power button until the Apple logo shows up on the screen.
After your iPhone reboots, check if the volume buttons are working normally and if you have gotten rid of the issue.
5. Reset All Settings
If the volume buttons of your iPhone are still not working,try resetting your iPhone to the factory default settings. Note that it will wipe all the existing settings of your iOS device and return them to their original state. However, your personal media and data will remain safe.
- On iOS 15 and later: Head to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset -> Reset All Settings.
- On iOS 14 or earlier: Navigate to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings.
6. Use AssistiveTouch to Adjust Volume on iPhone
While this is not a solution to fix the volume buttons, you canuse AssistiveTouchto adjust the volume on your iPhone with utmost ease. So, if the volume buttons on your iPhone are not working, AssistiveTouch could be a good workaround for your problem.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone -> Accessibility -> Touch -> AssistiveTouch and turn on the AssistiveTouch toggle.
- After that, under the Custom Actions section, select Single Tap and choose Volume Up . Then, select Double Tap and choose Volume Down .
Now onwards, you can adjust the volume on your iPhone using quick tap gestures. Simply tap once on the AssistiveTouch icon to increase the volume. And tap the icon twice to decrease the volume. So handy, isn t it?
Alternatively, selectSingle Tapand chooseOpen Menu. After that, tap the AssistiveTouch icon -> Device and tap theVolume Up/ Down buttonto adjust the audio output if your iPhone volume buttons have stopped working.
7. Use Control Center to Adjust Volume
Another reliable alternative that you should try to adjust the volume on your iPhone with ease is the volume slider integrated within the Control center. It s pretty neat, and you can use the volume slider to increase/ decrease the sound output.
- On iPhone without home button: Swipe down from the top right corner of the screen to bring up the Control center.
- On iPhone with home button: Swipe up from the bottom edge of the screen to access the Control center. After that, use the volume slider to tweak the volume.
8. Adjust Volume Right From Specific Apps
Most audio and streaming apps on iPhone come with a dedicated volume slider to let you adjust the volume with the desired convenience. So, when usingapps like Spotifyor the Apple Podcasts app, look for the dedicated volume slider and use it to adjust the volume instead of using the physical buttons.
9. Update Software
Outdated software is often responsible for miscellaneous issues on iPhone that are hard to explain. So, if the issue hasn t yet been fixed, try updating the software (andlearn how long it takes to download the iOS 15 updateright here). As mentioned above, the volume buttons not working issue might be because of a rare software bug. So, follow the steps below to update the software:
- Ensure your device has at least 50% battery and is connected to a stable internet connection. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and navigate to General -> Software Update.
- Once your device has checked for available updates, it will offer you the option to download and install the latest iOS update.
10. Erase Your iPhone and Restore From Backup
When faced with a persistent issue that you can t resolve with basic tips, make sure to try out this nuclear solution Erase and Restore. It erases your iPhone and gives you the option to either set it up as new orrestore it from a previous backup. But before you even think of giving this radical solution a try, make sure to fully back up your iPhone.
With iOS 15 or later, youget free temporary unlimited iCloud storage, which you can use to back up your device to the cloud and restore it later. If your device is running the latest iteration of iOS, follow the linked guide to get free iCloud storage.
- If you have enough iCloud storage, go to Settings -> Apple ID banner -> iCloud -> iCloud backup -> Back Up Now to quickly back up your iPhone. After that, head to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset -> Erase All Content and Settings.
- Once your device has been erased, follow the setup assistant to set up your iOS device. During the setup process, your iPhone will offer you the option to restore your device from the iCloud backup.
- As always, you can use Finder/ iTunes to securely back up your device and restore it. Simply connect your iPhone to the computer using a USB cable, open Finder/ iTunes, and back up the device. After it has been backed up, click Restore Backup and select the most recent backup.
11. Contact Apple Support
None of the solutions above helped fix the volume buttons not working issue on your iPhone? Well, if the volume keys on your iOS device are still unresponsive, it might be a hardware issue. It would be wise tocontact Apple Supportwithout any delay to get the issue resolved. Some hardware components might be broken or damaged, hence, a timely hardware repair will help you fix the problem.
[Fixed] iPhone Volume Buttons Not Working? Best Solutions!
Hopefully, the volume buttons on your iOS device are working again, and you can adjust the volume with ease. Many a time, the basic tips, including a hard reset can help you overcome the problem. Besides, you should always ensure that the buttons of your case are responsive and there is no grime collection in the volume buttons, which could hinder their functioning. By the way, let us know the trick that helped you fix the ill-functioning volume buttons. And if you have any trusted solutions missing from this guide, do let us know in the comments section below.
