iOS 27 adds independent volume settings for alarms and timers, and for alerts and system sounds

With iOS 27, users will no longer have to rely on a single volume setting for ringtones, alerts, alarms, and system sounds. Here are the details.

More control over different system sounds and alerts

Apple today announced iOS 27, containing hundreds of new features, apps, and improvements to both Apple Intelligence and the system as a whole.

Among the smaller, but very welcome additions, are new settings that let users set separate volume levels for alarms and timers, as well as for alerts and system sounds, independently from ringtone volume.

Up to now, iOS has used a single sound setting for ringtones and alerts. With iOS 27, users will be able to set one volume level for ringtones, another for alarms and timers, and another for alerts and system.

For alarms and timers, Apple says that when the “Match Ringtone Volume” toggle is off, “this volume will not affect Wake-Up alarm and other alarms with their own volume control.”

As for alerts and system sounds, Apple explains that the setting applies to “sounds for alerts, such as incoming texts, and for system sounds, such as keyboard clicks, the camera shutter, and more.”

Right now, there doesn’t appear to be a way to set different volume levels for individual alarms. Still, for users who have never quite found the right balance between ringtone volume, alert volume, and alarm volume, iOS 27 should offer some relief.

We’re digging through the new features on iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS Golden Gate 27, and the other operating systems announced in today’s keynote. Head over to our news hub for 9to5Mac’s full coverage of WWDC26.

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