iPad Pro Volume buttons are assigned differently

[DaGoerd]

Hello
I received the new iPad Pro today. Now I noticed that depending on the portrait or landscape mode, the volume buttons are assigned differently. Is this an iPad Os feature? My old iPad Pro with ios 15 definitely did not have this.

Greetings

 

[skyhawkmatthew]

Yes, this is a new feature of iPadOS 16. There’s an option in Settings > Sounds for Fixed Position Volume Controls to lock them to the ”normal” orientation.

 

[aldo82]

I’ve just got an iPad Air 5 coming from and air 3 and I’ve noticed the same thing. I assume it’s a new thing related to iPads with the newer design (no home button). Not sure why they’ve done this, seems a bit unintuitive. But I mostly use my iPad in landscape so got used to it pretty quickly

 

[miamialley]

Yes, this is a new feature of iPadOS 16. There’s an option in Settings > Sounds for Fixed Position Volume Controls to lock them to the ”normal” orientation.

I was really confused as to why my volume buttons switched. I‘m not seeing an option for fixed position volume controls. I’m looking under the Sounds settings. What am I missing?

 

[miamialley]

I’ve just got an iPad Air 5 coming from and air 3 and I’ve noticed the same thing. I assume it’s a new thing related to iPads with the newer design (no home button). Not sure why they’ve done this, seems a bit unintuitive. But I mostly use my iPad in landscape so got used to it pretty quickly

It is really unintuitive. I want to change it back, but am not finding the option to do so.

 

[johntw]

Same. Have an M1 iPad Pro 12.9” and just got the new M2 and the volume buttons in landscape work opposite on the M2 and there is no option to change this in Settings.

 

[miamialley]

Same. Have an M1 iPad Pro 12.9” and just got the new M2 and the volume buttons in landscape work opposite on the M2 and there is no option to change this in Settings.

Thank you! That’s what I’m finding. Really weird. This was never an option on my 2018 11”.

 

[TheLuckiest]

Just confirmed that the option to choose “Fixed Position Volume Controls” is gone on the new M2 iPad Pro

 

[miamialley]

Just confirmed that the option to choose “Fixed Position Volume Controls” is gone on the new M2 iPad Pro

Same. Is this an oversight or intentional?

 

[TheLuckiest]

My best guess is that this is an intentional omission, signaling that the next iteration of the iPad Pro would position the volume / power buttons to prioritize the landscape orientation. That’s just a guess, of course!

 

[aldo82]

What I don’t understand is what’s wrong with the original orientation in landscape mode? Is there some sort of convention that suggests volume up needs to be on the right in landscape?

 

[DFWHD]

It is really unintuitive. I want to change it back, but am not finding the option to do so.

While reading this thread, I realized why they did this. If you have a vertical orientation (portrait mode), increase is up, decrease is down. In a horizontal orientation (landscape mode), increase would be right (or down), decrease is left (or up), correct? At lease it makes sense to me...

 

[MajorFubar]

What I don’t understand is what’s wrong with the original orientation in landscape mode? Is there some sort of convention that suggests volume up needs to be on the right in landscape?

When a traditional physical volume control was vertical, usually pushing it up (or pressing the upper button) was louder and pulling it down (or pressing the lower button) was quieter.
When a traditional physical volume control was horizontal, usually pulling it to the left (or pressing the left button) was quieter and pushing it to the right (or pressing the right button) was louder.
Think about everything you've ever owned with a real physical volume control: that's how they worked. So natural, that you (all of us) didn't even question it. This new behaviour only seems strange initially because in your mind you know it's the same two buttons you learned the function of when you first used your iPad, which almost certainly was in portrait mode, so it now seems weird for their behaviour to change depending on the orientation.

Count me among the users who found the volume control behaviour in landscape iPads completely unintuitive, and I'm glad they've done this.

 

[aldo82]

When a traditional physical volume control was vertical, usually pushing it up (or pressing the upper button) was louder and pulling it down (or pressing the lower button) was quieter.
When a traditional physical volume control was horizontal, usually pulling it to the left (or pressing the left button) was quieter and pushing it to the right (or pressing the right button) was louder.
Think about everything you've ever owned with a real physical volume control: that's how they worked. So natural, that you (all of us) didn't even question it. This new behaviour only seems strange initially because in your mind you know it's the same two buttons you learned the function of when you first used your iPad, which almost certainly was in portrait mode, so it now seems weird for their behaviour to change depending on the orientation.

Count me among the users who found the volume control behaviour in landscape iPads completely unintuitive, and I'm glad they've done this.

Ok thanks. I honestly did not know that the convention for volume buttons is right for louder when in landscape. Guess I’ve never really thought about it. When the buttons are vertical it’s obvious

 

[MajorFubar]

Ok thanks. I honestly did not know that the convention for volume buttons is right for louder when in landscape. Guess I’ve never really thought about it. When the buttons are vertical it’s obvious

I guess I'm just old compared to most. I have used various items of hifi, TVs, radios, you name it, over the years, with horizontal sliders (or buttons) for some kind of control, be it the volume control, bass or treble control, or the input levels on a tape recorder. Left is always decrease while right is always increase. Same as anticlockwise and clockwise on a rotary control. When I bought my first iPad in 2012, I was disappointed to find the volume switches didn't swap in landscape mode, and I've always found myself pressing the wrong one.

 

[CharlesShaw]

I guess I'm just old compared to most. I have used various items of hifi, TVs, radios, you name it, over the years, with horizontal sliders (or buttons) for some kind of control, be it the volume control, bass or treble control, or the input levels on a tape recorder. Left is always decrease while right is always increase. Same as anticlockwise and clockwise on a rotary control. When I bought my first iPad in 2012, I was disappointed to find the volume switches didn't swap in landscape mode, and I've always found myself pressing the wrong one.

Good point. since I’m always in landscape mode, I’ll think of the buttons moving the volume in the same direction as the slider on the screen.

 

[GMShadow]

Didn’t the Mini 6 do this from the start?

 

[MajorFubar]

Good point. since I’m always in landscape mode, I’ll think of the buttons moving the volume in the same direction as the slider on the screen.

It screwed with my brain that the virtual volume slider on the screen goes from left to right but in landscape mode I had to press the opposite button.

 

[tobefirst ⚽️]

Didn’t the Mini 6 do this from the start?

Indeed, and it is wonderful.

 

[miamialley]

While reading this thread, I realized why they did this. If you have a vertical orientation (portrait mode), increase is up, decrease is down. In a horizontal orientation (landscape mode), increase would be right (or down), decrease is left (or up), correct? At lease it makes sense to me...

Yeah, that's right. And I do get it. The buttons are consistent with the volume bar on screen, but it's weird that the buttons change assignment. I think of the up volume button being THAT button. Having to remember it changes is definitely weird. I'd like they at least give us the option to change it. Maybe I'll get used to it?

 

[AndyGarton]

It’s the removal of the option that winds me up. Ten plus years of muscle memory will take a long while to unlearn. It’s fine for Apple to think they know best and set a new default, but forcing it, especially when it’s already there as an option in the OS on other devices, is just annoying some of your customers for no good reason. Definitely not “wonderful” in my book!

 

[GMShadow]

It’s the removal of the option that winds me up. Ten plus years of muscle memory will take a long while to unlearn. It’s fine for Apple to think they know best and set a new default, but forcing it, especially when it’s already there as an option in the OS on other devices, is just annoying some of your customers for no good reason. Definitely not “wonderful” in my book!

They'll probably bring the option back. iOS 4.2 changed the old physical switch that iPads had from rotation lock to mute, 4.3 made it an option to choose which you wanted.

 

[alFR]

The toggle is still there on my 11” Pro running 16.1, it’s enabled by default.
Edit: mine is a M1, missed that this seems to be changed only on the M2.

 

[darngooddesign]

Humorously this is something I've been wanting for the longest time. It makes sense to me that regardless of orientation the right side or top button raises the volume. Just have to break years of muscle memory.

 

[AndyGarton]

“They'll probably bring the option back. iOS 4.2 changed the old physical switch that iPads had from rotation lock to mute, 4.3 made it an option to choose which you wanted.”

I doubt it, it’s been gone for a long while on the Mini 6 and Air 5, and despite similar complaints hasn’t been brought back.