Apple is preparing one of the most practical audio changes in iOS 27, and it could solve a long-running frustration for iPhone users. The update is expected to let ringtone, alarm, timer, and system sound volumes be controlled separately instead of being tied to one combined setting.
That shift matters because iOS has long forced users to balance different sounds with a single volume behavior. Lowering one type of alert often affected another, which made everyday audio management feel less flexible than it should have been.
A familiar complaint, finally addressed
The new controls are reported to live inside Sounds and Haptics in the Settings app. From there, users would be able to assign different levels for ringtone, alarms and timers, and alerts and system sounds.
Apple is also said to include a Match Ringtone Volume option. When that setting is turned on, iOS keeps the older shared-volume behavior, but turning it off opens the door to more independent control.
That means users could keep alarms and timers at one level while making ringtones quieter or louder. It also allows alerts and system sounds to be separated from ringtone volume, which should make the phone easier to adapt to different routines.
Not every alarm gets the same treatment
There is still one important limitation. The alarms and timers control reportedly does not apply to Wake-Up alarms and some other alarms that already use their own volume settings.
The alerts and system sounds category also covers more than standard notifications. Apple includes incoming message alerts, keyboard clicks, camera shutter effects, and similar system audio in that section.
Even with that boundary, the change would be a notable step forward. It does not appear to offer per-alarm volume control for each individual alarm, but it does separate broad categories that iPhone users have wanted to manage on their own for years.
A move closer to Android’s long-standing approach
For many users, the bigger story is not just convenience but parity. Android has offered separate volume controls for alarms, notifications, ringtone, and media for years, while iPhone users have had to work around a more limited setup.
With iOS 27, Apple appears to be adopting a more granular model without abandoning the option to keep the older behavior. That makes the feature feel less like a complete redesign and more like a long-overdue refinement.
The update is part of a broader iOS 27 release that also includes new Apple Intelligence features, Siri AI improvements, Photos updates, parental control tools, and other software changes shown at WWDC 2026.
Apple has already released the developer beta for iOS 27, while the public beta is expected to arrive next month. The timing suggests the new volume controls are moving from a long-requested idea to a feature users may be able to try soon.
For anyone who has missed alarms because the ringtone was too loud, or wanted system sounds reduced without muting notifications entirely, the change could make daily use of the iPhone more practical. It is a modest update on paper, but one that could be noticed often once it reaches users.
