How to adjust volume for media, ringtones, notifications and alarm tones on Galaxy S20?

This Galaxy S20 guide explains the volume slider and how to use it to adjust volume for media, ringtones, notification tones, alarms, and system sound, how to use Galaxy S20 Settings to set sound modes, adjust the volume, and turn on /off some system sound.

Use Galaxy S20 volume slider to adjust volume for media, ringtones, notifications tones, and system sound

We all know we can use the volume keys to adjust the volume for media when playing music or video.

But when you are not playing any media, what happens if you press the volume key (volume up or volume down) on Galaxy S20?

It actually shows the volume slider. By default, it adjusts the volume for the ringtone. Of course, you can change this behaviour (read on)

On most of other Android 9 and 10 phones, the volume keys always adjust the media volume. Google removed the volume slider on the Android Pie (Android 9) in stock Android. But Samsung has kept the similar volume slider on all Galaxy phones for many years (since Android 4.0).

So, this guide only applies to Samsung phones, not other Android phones.

Galaxy S20 volume slider

As shown in the screenshot below, you will see the volume slider once you press volume down or volume up key.

Tap the down arrow to expand it.

In the expanded Galaxy S20 volume slider, you can control and adjust the volume for:

Ringtone
Media.
Notifications (notification tone).
System sound.
Bixby voice.

Please note, you cannot adjust alarm volume in the volume slider. The volume for each alarm needs to be set up individually in the Clock app.

Adjust volume and mute Galaxy S20

You can drag the slider to the right side to increase the volume and left to decrease. If you drag the slider all the way to the left, you are essentially mute that sound.

You may also tap the icon on the left side to mute that sound quickly. For example, you can tap the ringtone icon to immediately mute ringtone. If you tap it again, the volume will be reset to the level before you mute it. So the b behaviour is different from dragging the slider all the way to the left.

As shown in the screenshot shown below, you may also notice the volume sliders for notifications and system are greyed out. When you mute the ringtone, as in this case, Galaxy S20 is in vibration sound mode (read on). In this sound mode, notifications and system sounds are automatically muted.

In other words, you can make Galaxy 20 into the vibration mode using the slider.

Use volume keys for media

Under the sliders, there are two controls related to sound and volume:

Use volume keys for media.
Live caption.

As mentioned, by default, when you press the volume key, Galaxy S20 may adjust volume for media if media is being played, or the ringtone if you are not playing any media.

You can enable Use volume keys for media if you do NOT want to use volume key to adjust volume for the ringtone directly. So, whenever you press the volume key, you always adjust the volume for media if you do not expand the slider.

Anyway, the option of Use volume keys for media lets Galaxy S20 be consistent with Android phones from other manufacturers.

Once you enable this option, when you press the volume key, the icon for the volume slider (before expanded) will default to media, not the ringtone, as shown in the screenshot above.

Live caption

You can enable this option so that you can see the live caption on all media.

Live caption, one of the prominent new features of Android 10, can also be enabled or disabled in Galaxy S20 quick settings. By default, the live caption button is not added in the quick settings panel. You need to add it manually by following steps explained here.

Use Galaxy S20 Settings to adjust volume and set the sound mode

The Galaxy S20 volume slider is a “quick” tool to adjust volume for media, ringtones, system sound and notification tones on Galaxy S20. If you need more controls and customizations on the volume on Galaxy S20, you need to use Galaxy S20 Settings.

On Galaxy S20 Settings, as shown in the screenshot below, tap Sound and vibration to access all settings related to volume and sound modes on Galaxy S20.

Galaxy S20 sound modes

In the sound and vibration controls page, you can find the sound mode settings, as shown above.

As in other Galaxy phones, there are three Galaxy S20 sound modes:

Sound mode.
Vibrate mode.
Mute mode.

Please note, Galaxy S20 sound modes affect the volume for ringtone, notification tone, and system sound. Volume for media, Bixby, and alarms is NOT affected by the sound mode settings.

Besides, Galaxy S20 do not disturb (DND) status will overwrite sound mode settings.

Sound mode

By default, the ringtone is not muted. You can also adjust the volume for system sound and notification tones.

But if you set the volume for the ringtone to 0, then Galaxy S20 will exit sound mode and enter the vibrate mode automatically.

Sometimes, we call the sound mode as “normal” mode. This is the default Galaxy S20 sound mode.

Vibrate mode

In Galaxy S20 vibrate mode, ringtones, notification tones, and system sound will be muted. But the vibration is not muted.

For example, in the vibrate mode, when someone calls, by default, Galaxy S20 will not ring. But it will vibrate if you did not explicitly turn off vibration.

In this mode, the volume settings for notification tone and system sound are greyed out, as mentioned earlier.

You will see the vibrate mode icon in the status bar, as explained here.

Mute mode

Galaxy S20 mute mode will mute both the sound and vibration for ringtone, notification tone and system sound.

Again, the mute mode does NOT mute the media or Bixby.

Normally, you will see the mute mode icon in the status bar if Galaxy S20 is in the mute mode.

Adjust system sound on Galaxy S20

You tap System sound/vibration control on the sounds and vibrations page.

Now, you can turn on or turn off (mute) individual system sound for:

Touch interactions.
Screen lock/unlock.
Charging.
Dialling keypad.
Samsung keyboard.

Besides, you can also turn on or turn off the system vibration for:

Touch interactions.
Samsung keyboard.

To turn on the sound or vibration, drag or tap the switch to make sure it is on the left side. If you enabled Galaxy S20 dark mode, the switch should be in white.

If the switch is on the right side, it means the sound or vibration is enabled.

Use Galaxy S20 Settings to adjust volume for media, ringtone, notification tone, and system sound

You can also adjust Galaxy S20 volume by tapping Volume (marked as 5 in the screenshot shown earlier) in the Sound and vibration page.

The options, as shown above, are similar to the expanded volume slider discussed earlier. The missing one is the live caption

How to adjust volume for alarms on Galaxy S20?

You probably noticed neither the volume slider nor the sound and vibration settings let you set or adjust the volume for alarms on Galaxy S20.

In fact, you need to adjust alarm tones and volume in the Clock app for each alarm individually. Of course, you can use default alarm tone and volume for all alarms.

For example, as shown below, in the alarm settings, you can tap Alarm sound to adjust volume for this alarm.

In the Alarm sound page, as shown above, you can:

Expand Ringtone to choose a new tone for this alarm.
Drag the volume slider to adjust volume for this alarm.

Please note, the alarm tone and volume settings are tied to individual alarm.

The new alarm will, by default, use the last used alarm tone and volume.

By default, Galaxy S20 Do Nort Disturb (DND) adds alarm in the exception list. So, it will not silence alarms unless you uncheck alarms from the exception list. You may check this guide for all details of the Do Not Disturb (DnD) on Galaxy s20.

Can I customize ringtone volume for individual contact on Galaxy S20?

You can choose a different ringtone for individual contact as explained here. But you cannot control ringtone volume for individuals. The volume settings apply to all ringtones.

A possible solution is to edit the sound levels of the ringtone file with some apps like Audacity. So, you can make the music “louder” or quieter at the same volume level. Then use the edited music file as the ringtone for individual contact.

Please note, you can also customize the ringtone for each SIM card as well.

Do you know how to adjust volume for media, ringtones, notifications and alarm tones on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra now?

If you have any questions on adjusting the volume for media, ringtones, notifications and alarm tones on Galaxy S20, S20+, and S20 Ultra, or if you have questions on Galaxy S20 sound modes, please let us know in the comment box below.

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