Notifications in iOS 17 are too quiet, and there's nothing you can do about it
Malcolm OweniOS 17
Apple's new notification sound is too quiet in iOS 17 and other than some settings in specific apps, there's no way to fix it.
Apple rolled out iOS 17 on Monday, complete with a long list of features and updates. One quiet change was the notification sound, named Rebound, which is a replacement for the well-known Tri-tone alert.
The problem is that it's a literal quiet change. People are complaining that it is not loud enough to be really useful as a notification sound.
In posts to X, formerly known as Twitter, users complain that the default notification tone in iOS 17 is too quiet "even at full volume."
Part of the issue is there's no way to alter the sound. There's no option within the various settings of iOS 17 to adjust just the notification sound to make it louder.
Users who prefer the sound of the Tri-tone alert are also unable to get that back either, as you cannot change the default sound in iOS 17.
At this stage, there's nothing that users can do except complain to Apple about it. It is unclear if Apple will include extra settings in an iOS 17 update that enables notification sounds to be altered, but if there's enough noise about the problem, it could become a reality in the future.
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25 Comments
I complained in the RC beta, as well as the loss of using custom tones in anything but a ringtone. Let’s hope they fix it in an update. It almost seems the RC was rushed as in the beta just before the RC release, I don’t recall the notification change and my custom tones worked fine.
I hate it when people have sound on notifications, with their phones literally making noise every 2 or 3 minutes with some social media telling them there’s a new posting they should look at.
Ooo this is a welcome change! No more constant dings of other people receiving messages or getting updates.
Upgraded to iOS 17 on my for year old 11 Pro iPhone and my four year old 12.9 Pro iPad, and the initial reaction both feel like a new device. I can only imagine what it’s gonna feel like to use the new 15 Pro iPhone on iOS 17….