Solid hardware is one of the reasons why iPhones offer better resale value compared to their Android counterparts. But that doesn’t mean it’s immune to failure. With the iconic home button known not to work after it wears out, it’s no surprise that the volume keys become stuck, unresponsive and mushy, or stop offering needed feedback when your iPhone gets old. This is the kind of issue that harms the user experience and can get frustrating over time. If you are facing this issue, try these 11 useful tips and tricks when your iPhone volume buttons are not working.
11 Tips to Fix iPhone Volume Buttons Not Working Issue (2022)
Before we move on to solutions to fix iPhone volume key stuck or not working issue, let’s take a brief look at the possible causes! Next, we have listed the 11 best tips and workarounds for this common iPhone problem.
What Could Cause iPhone Volume Buttons to Stop Working?
Although hardware malfunction may be the first thing that comes to mind when the volume buttons of the iPhone become unresponsive or stop working, you should not rush and go to a service center right away. Things like dust buildup, your case’s prominent but unresponsive buttons, a rare software bug, or an outdated version of software can also cause the problem. Therefore, we will examine each possible cause and try solutions accordingly.
In the meantime, we will also talk about some reliable workarounds that allow you to control the volume of your iPhone without having to use the physical volume buttons. That said, check out these potential fixes for iPhone volume button issue at hand:
iPhone Volume Buttons Not Working? How to fix!
1. Make Sure Your iPhone’s Volume Buttons Are Enabled
- go Settings -> Sound & Haptic and “change with buttons” toggle enabled.
2. Remove Your iPhone Case
Don’t believe it, there are few cases (especially cheaper and robust ones) that don’t have tactile buttons. So, if you have a case installed on your iPhone, remove the case and press the volume buttons to check if it works. If the volume buttons are working fine, your case is the culprit, not your iPhone hardware. If you’re looking to buy a case with responsive buttons, we recommend checking out our roundups of the best iPhone 13 cases, iPhone 13 Pro cases, and iPhone 13 Pro Max cases.
3. Clean Volume Buttons
It’s easy to overlook the presence of dust or dirt that never misses a chance to sneak into ports and holes. If the volume buttons seem rough or stuck, there is a good chance that dust/dirt is causing the volume buttons to become unresponsive. You can use compressed air to blow dust from the volume buttons. Also, we recommend you soak a cotton swab in isopropyl alcohol and use it to gently clean the volume buttons.
4. Hard Reset Your iPhone
A hard reset (also known as a force restart) comes into play when dealing with common iOS 15 issues. It is considered a troubleshooting technique by most iPhone users mainly because of its ability to quickly fix several problems. So, we must give it a chance to fix the iPhone volume button not working issue as well.
- On iPhone 8 or later: Press the volume up button. Next, quickly press the volume down button. Now, hold down the power button until your iPhone screen goes black and the Apple logo appears.
- On iPhone 7/7 Plus: Press and hold the volume down button and power button at the same time until you see the Apple logo on the screen.
- On iPhone 6s or earlier: Press and hold the home button and power button until the Apple logo appears on the screen.
After your iPhone restarts, check if the volume buttons are working normally and if you got rid of the problem.
5. Reset All Settings
If your iPhone’s volume buttons are still not working, try resetting your iPhone to its factory default settings. Note that it will erase all current settings of your iOS device and return it to their original state. However, your personal media and data will remain safe.
- On iOS 15 and later: Go to Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset -> Reset All Settings.
- On iOS 14 or earlier: Go to Settings -> General -> Reset -> Reset All Settings.
6. Use AssistiveTouch to Adjust Volume on iPhone
While this is not a solution to fix volume buttons, you can use AssistiveTouch to adjust volume on your iPhone with ease. So, if the volume buttons on your iPhone are not working, AssistiveTouch can be a good workaround for your problem.
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone -> Accessibility -> Touch -> AssistiveTouch and select “Assistive touch” switch.
- After that, under the “Special Actions” section “One Tap“and Select”Volume up“. Next, “Double Tap“and Select”Turn the volume down“.
You can now adjust the volume of your iPhone using quick touch gestures. To increase the volume, simply tap the AssistiveTouch icon once. And double tap the icon to decrease the volume. Very useful, isn’t it?
As an alternaive, “One Tap” and Select Open Menu. After that, tap on the AssistiveTouch icon -> Device and then Volume Up/Down button To adjust the volume 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 into the Control center. It’s pretty clean 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 adjust the volume.
8. Adjust Volume Right From Specific Apps
Most audio and streaming apps on iPhone come with a dedicated volume slider that lets you adjust the volume to your liking. So, when using apps like Spotify or the Apple Podcasts app, look for the dedicated volume slider and use that instead of using the physical buttons to adjust the volume.
9. Update Software
Outdated software is often responsible for various difficult-to-explain problems with the iPhone. So if the issue is not fixed yet, try updating the software (and find out how long it took to download the iOS 15 update here). As mentioned above, the volume buttons not working issue can be caused by a rare software bug. So, follow the steps below to update the software:
- Make sure your device has at least 50% battery and is connected to a stable internet connection. Open the Settings app on your iPhone and General -> Software Update.
- After your device checks for available updates, it will give you the option to download and install the latest iOS update.
10. Erase Your iPhone and Restore from Backup
Whenever you encounter a persistent problem that you cannot solve with the basic tips, be sure to try this nuclear solution – Erase and Restore. It erases your iPhone and gives you the option to set it up as new or restore from a previous backup. But before you consider trying this radical solution, be sure to back up your iPhone completely.
With iOS 15 or later, you get free, temporary, unlimited iCloud storage that 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 header -> iCloud -> iCloud backup -> Back Up Now to quickly backup your iPhone. After that, the head Settings -> General -> Transfer or Reset iPhone -> Reset -> Erase All Content and Settings.
- After your device is wiped, follow the setup assistant to set up your iOS device. During the setup process, your iPhone will give you the option to restore your device from iCloud backup.
- As always, you can use Finder/iTunes to backup and restore your device safely. Connect your iPhone to computer using a USB cable, open Finder/iTunes and back up the device. After backing up, “Restore Backup” and select the latest backup.
11. Contact Apple Support
None of the above solutions helped to fix the volume buttons not working issue on your iPhone? Well, if the volume keys on your iOS device are still unresponsive, then it might be a hardware issue. it would be wise Contact Apple Support without any delay to solve the problem. Some hardware components might be broken or damaged so 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 will work again and you can adjust the volume with ease. Often times, basic tips, including a hard reset, can help you overcome the problem. You should also make sure that your case’s buttons are always responsive and that there is no dirt build-up on the volume buttons that could hinder their function. In the meanwhile, let us know the trick that helped you fix the malfunctioning volume buttons. If you have any reliable solutions that are missing from this guide, let us know in the comments section below.
