Volume Problems On Spotify? 3 Known Issues (Solved)

At its core, Spotify is a music library and that is the main reason that people use the app. For this reason, Spotify is constantly finding ways to improve its listening experience.

However, some users have reported problems with Spotify’s volume.

This article will explore those problems in greater detail and offer some helpful troubleshooting tips.

1. Some Songs Have a Lower Volume Than Others on Spotify

Artists record their tracks using different volume levels according to their genre. For instance, love songs are relatively quieter than hip-hop or rock music.

So, when you move between tracks, artists, and albums, there will be a volume change unless they are all of the same genre.

Spotify uses loudness normalization to even out soft and loud tracks, providing a more leveled-out listening experience.

All songs are played at the same perceived volume, but louder portions of more dynamic songs will be at a higher volume level.

If you shuffle or change between songs from different playlists, track normalization occurs.

Here’s how to switch normalization ON/Off:

iPhone and Android 

1. Select the ‘Home’ icon.
2. Hit the ‘Settings’ icon.
3. Choose ‘Playback’
4. Toggle ‘Audio Normalization’ ON/OFF.

Desktop Computer or Laptop

1. Select the ‘Chevron down’ icon which can be found on the top-right and choose ‘Settings’
2. Below ‘Audio Quality’, toggle ‘Normalize volume’ ON/OFF

You can adjust these settings to fit your desired listening experience.

Please also check out our article comparing which streaming platform has the LOUDEST music.

2. The Overall Spotify Volume Is Too Low

Some Spotify users have voiced their frustration with the overall volume of songs being too low. Many people have adjusted their device volumes to the maximum level and the songs are still too soft.

There are a few options that are available to improve Spotify’s volume.

• Spotify’s default volume level is ‘Normal’. If you are a Premium user, you can adjust these settings to suit your taste.
• You would find that alongside the ‘Loud’ option there is a caveat; that it “might reduce dynamics.” Dynamics means the changes between loud and soft on the track. When you tweak the volume to ‘Loud’, dynamics might decrease.

That said, there isn’t much of a change in sound quality and, unless you’re a sound guru, the music will merely sound louder than before.

Here’s how to adjust the overall base level:

iPhone and Android:

1. Launch Spotify.
2. Hit the ‘gear icon’ found in the top-right corner.
3. Select the ‘Playback option’ which appears towards the top of the list.
4. Under ‘Volume level’ you can choose between Loud, Normal, and Quiet.

Mac and Windows PC

1. Launch Spotify.
2. Select the ‘down arrow’ found in the top-right corner.
3. Navigate down until you find ‘Audio Quality’
4. Beneath ‘Audio Quality’, you will find ‘Volume level’. Choose the drop-down bar found on the right of ‘Volume level’
5. Pick either of the Loud, Normal, or Quiet options.

You can adjust your sound settings if you find that Spotify is too soft or not suitable to the environment you’re in.

Additional Spotify Settings for Enhancing Volume:

There are other Spotify settings that you can try to improve the overall sound and volume.

Song Transitions

Sometimes you might find the silence between songs unsettling because it causes a gap between each track. When the next song begins you might even get a bit startled.

• Crossfade is the time between songs when they fade into each other. The slider can be adjusted from 0 seconds to 12 seconds.
• You can toggle ‘Gapless Playback’ on or off. If turned on, songs will play straight after each other without any gaps of silence between them.
• You can also toggle ‘Automix’ on or off. This allows for seamless transitions between tracks on a playlist.

Audio Quality

The quality of the audio could have a bearing on the perceived volume and overall sound.

Scroll down the settings list to find the ‘Audio Quality’ settings. Here you can adjust the quality of your music irrespective of whether it is streamed or downloaded.

With both streamed and downloaded tracks, you can select between Automatic, Low, Normal, High, or Very High. Be careful though; as the quality increases, so does the amount of data or bandwidth you will use. This could lead to additional data charges.

Depending on the quality of your listening devices, such as headphones or speakers, you might not notice much of a change.

However, high-quality equipment, such as top-tier speakers, will pick up on these adjustments making the Spotify volume louder and overall sound better.

If the volume issue is a huge issue for you, you could consider investing in good-quality headphones or speakers.

3. The Spotify Default Volume Doesn’t Match the Genre.

As mentioned previously, Spotify’s default volume is set to ‘Normal’. Sometimes, having the same volume settings across the board doesn’t work for specific genres.

When you are at the club, there is a DJ who mixes different sound settings to enhance the quality of the track.

You, most likely, do not have the luxury of a personal sound technician when you listen to music on your own.

That’s where the sound equalizer function comes in.

By using an equalizer, you can adjust the volume of various noise frequencies to match the genre, track, or speakers that you are using (even high-quality speakers can be improved by customizing equalizer settings).

If you want to be more hands-on with how the bass and treble sound in each track, you can tweak these settings through the equalizer function.

• Changing the level of bass impacts lower-frequency sounds. Increased bass makes the track have a deeper sound deeper. Less bass, on the other hand, makes it sound flat.
• Treble deals with the higher sound frequencies. Increased treble gives the track a brighter and crisper sound. Whereas less treble gives the track a duller and almost soiled sound.

Here’s how to use the equalizer settings:

iPhone

1. Hit the ‘Home’ icon.
2. Select the ‘Settings’ icon.
3. Hit ‘Playback’
4. Tap ‘Equalizer’, and toggle it ON.
5. Select a preset, or manually drag the dots on the equalizer according to your taste.

Android

Equalizer availability differs in accordance with the Android manufacturer.

Also, note that changes made might affect the sound of other apps.

1. Select the ‘Home’ icon.
2. Select the ‘Settings’ icon.
3. Below ‘Audio Quality’, choose ‘Equalize’
4. Adjust the audio settings to suit your preferences.

Bear in mind that you can’t alter the audio settings while using Spotify Connect to listen through another device.

Please also read our article about common reasons why Spotify plays with no sound.

General Pros and Cons of Spotify’s Sound Settings

Pros

Spotify has easy-to-use and customizable sound settings.

If you feel as though the sound quality is not up to standard, Spotify allows you to take control of the sound settings to enhance your listening experience.

You can adjust the level of sound to match your surroundings. For example, you can use the ‘quiet’ option if you are studying in the library, the ‘normal mode’ is perfect for most people and circumstances, and ‘loud’ is a good option for the gym or other noisy environments.

Cons

1. Some tracks are louder than others on Spotify.
2. The overall volume on Spotify is not loud enough.
3. The default Spotify volume settings are not suitable for the genre of music that you are playing.

Final Thoughts

Spotify users should anticipate that their apps’ volume will vary according to their listening device, personal sound settings, and whether they have a Premium subscription or not.

If you have been experiencing any volume issues on the app, be sure to try the troubleshooting tips in this article.

Sources

Track not as loud as others? 
Audio normalization
Spotify Support | Equalizer