Rude awakening: Ever fall asleep watching TV? If you have a Roku, press the asterisk button on your remote to open the menu. Scroll to Volume mode and use the arrows to change it. Leveling makes sounds even so things like ads won’t jolt you awake. Night mode makes quiet sounds like whispering louder and lowers more intense sounds, like shouting.
Lost your phone on silent? Make it ring anyway
You’ve checked your pockets, torn apart the couch, even dug through the laundry. Nothing. Here’s how to make your phone ring at full volume, even if the ringer’s off.
Sound check: This is incredible. A noisy experiment gone right led to histotripsy, a cancer treatment that uses ultrasound to blast tumors without surgery. FDA-approved for liver cancer, it’s noninvasive, fast and, get this, 95% effective in trials so far. Patients usually go home the same day. The inventor discovered it trying to quiet her lab. Volume down, breakthrough up.
After age 40
Your brain loses about 5% of its volume every decade, making it harder to remember details. One way to fight back? Learn a musical instrument (paywall link). It stimulates memory, coordination and problem-solving all at once, building new neurons and pathways. After all, you can tune a piano, but you can’t tuna fish.
⌚ watchOS 26: New automatic speaker adjustment raises or lowers Siri and call volume based on the ambient noise around you. To check Silent Mode, open the Control Center and tap the bell icon.
🌙 Dim your Android screen: At the lowest brightness, your phone can still feel blinding at night. Go to Settings > Accessibility > Vision enhancements > Extra dim and turn on Extra dim shortcut. Press Side + Volume buttons together to darken the screen, then press again to brighten it back up. Don’t see it? Check Quick Settings.
Control app volumes on Windows: Not everything needs to play at the same level. Right-click the volume icon in the task bar and select Open volume mixer. You can lower system sounds while cranking up Spotify. Just remember the Device slider moves everything at once, so the mix stays the same.
⚡️ 3-second tech genius: Take a screenshot. On iPhone, press the Side button + Volume Up. On Android, it’s usually the Power button + Volume Down.
Stop poking your Echo: Say, “Alexa, volume up” or “volume down” to adjust the sound. Want more control? Say “Alexa, set volume to 5.” The range goes from 1 to 10, so you can dial it in for podcasts (like The Kim Komando Show), playlists or whatever you’re playing.
🐶 Calm your pup: Leaving an anxious dog at home? Try playing soft, low-volume music. Classical music is best. It helps the space feel less empty and can ease separation anxiety. FYI: Start the habit while you’re home, so they link it with comfort.
This is embarrassing: Be careful when you’re talking through Bluetooth in your car. That sound can leak more than you think. Before you say something like, “Doctor, this rash is all over my…” turn the volume way down or hit mute.
🆘 Lifesaving tip: Here’s how to trigger Emergency SOS, fast. On Android, press the power button five times or more. For iPhones, press and hold the side button and either volume button until the slider pops up. Know this before you need it.
🔊 Customize Windows audio: You can control the volume of individual apps right from your task bar. Just right-click the volume icon and select Open Volume mixer. Slide it down for something like System Sounds, and bump it up for Spotify. FYI: The Device slider changes overall volume, but app levels stay put.
Quick Android refresh: Hold the power and volume-up buttons simultaneously to do a soft reboot. Think of it as a fast way to end processes and speed up your phone.
🔊 Master volume control: Is the volume too loud or too quiet but never just right? You can change it in smaller increments.
▶️ YouTube changed its player: It’s rolling out slowly, but people already hate it. Time stamps have buttons, the volume control is on the right and the black gradient is now opaque. Oh, you can’t scroll to adjust the volume anymore or use the up/down arrow keys, all in the name of progress. Shameless plug: Click here to subscribe to my YouTube channel.
🚘 It’s a car, not a phone: Volkswagen gets it. After plenty of complaints, VW is ditching haptic sliders and touch controls and bringing back physical buttons. Climate control, hazard lights and volume will return to good old-fashioned knobs. The change starts rolling out next year.
The 60-60 rule: Docs say these two steps will keep your ears safe while wearing earbuds or headphones. First, keep your volume no higher than 60%. Second, take a short break after 60 minutes of listening.