Can we have individual volume controls for each app please?

Individual volume control per app is not a feature of macOS. I understand you think this should be a basic feature of macOS but it is not and never has been.

If you need individual volume controls there is a nice app called Sound Source that will do the job.

FernandoE99 wrote:

No more explanation needed other than the title.

I don't know why this isn't a thing.

To be proactive you can submit your Apple Feedback here: Product Feedback - Apple

There exist third party applications that implement this. As has been said multiple times here, we have no power to change how the OS works, but developers have created apps that do what you are requiring. Maybe Apple decides to do this, maybe not, but in the meantime if this feature is important, you can get it - and for free...

"BackgroundMusic" is free and open source.

RogueAmoeba (a long time mac developer company specialized in audio) has "SoundSource", a paid application.

I am sure there are options.

mrpundir wrote:

FYI. This is a basic feature on Windows 11. MacOS should have same

And let see how that is working out for them over at the Microsoft Support forums with just these examples.

• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/system-volume-not-controlling-apps-other-than-mute/87c47e97-3975-4be6-92e0-1e97dcb744b5
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/individual-app-volume-level-is-overwriting-the/672333d5-6b39-44cd-9669-765e185b56ce
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/windows-11-volume-control-problem/fea53a31-30bc-4ff7-8df0-38061d5801e0
• https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-do-i-turn-down-the-volume-of-specific-apps-on/ee9d8ade-13e6-4b5e-9b8d-1a2b668aafcf

Apps such as Apple TV and Music already have this where you can change the volume within the app and that level is saved between uses. Any developer is able to do that with their app as well and requires very little effort. The beauty of this approach is that you actually change the volume level in the app where it makes sense. There is no need for a global setting on the OS to manage each app, when you should be doing it when you are using the app. And this approach actually works without creating any confusion.

If you are not able to control the volume of an app, then contact the Developer, and they can easily add that feature if they find it necessary. If the app is an Apple app, then send Feedback here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Any app is capable of managing volume controls themselves and can provide the setting to control the volume level for their app. Some apps do that, but most just inherit the system settings for volume. In addition to providing feedback to Apple, you can also inquire with the developer of an app requesting the feature. It is not difficult for them to implement and they can easily update their app with that feature.

Apple does this with their Music app. After you set the volume level in the app, it will remain that way even if you close the app or restart your phone.

BackgroundMusic (free, github) as alternative to SoundSource.

mrpundir wrote:

FYI. This is a basic feature on Windows 11. MacOS should have same

You and the OP keep using the word "should." No one in these forums has the power to change macOS or direct Apple to make such changes.

One more time, if you want to pursue this, submit your desires directly to Apple at Product Feedback - Apple

There are third-party apps than can adjust volumes for apps individually.

You can also send a request to Apple.

Feedback - macOS - Apple

Very thoughtful response and thank you for your input. The only thing I would like to emphasize is the apps currently are able to control the volume of their own apps and many of them do. You see this in many games in the App Store that have a Background Music level as well as a game volume level. These settings are relative to the actual System Volume level. Apple also does this with many of their own app such as Music, Apple TV, GarageBand, Quicktime, etc.

It seems the issue is when an app does not add their own volume control. This is not a major hurdle for app developers and I have done it to many of my apps with very few lines of code.

It seems to me that to avoid confusion you would need to have either app control of the volume or a System control for each app, but not both. Since currently apps can control their own volume, adding an extra layer of app volume settings in a System control panel would require those apps to not allow adjusting their own volume.

Any app does have the control to that themselves. This is true even for the Mac OS version of the Music app. If the app does control their own volume level and the OS also controls the volume level of the app, who wins? You can control the System Volume and it will have a relative effect on Apple Music, but does not change the volume level you set in the app. The Apple TV app also works the same way.

It would be overcomplicating to have an app control their own volume and the OS controlling the volume of the app and the OS controlling the overall system volume. How many controls do you actually need? If there is a specific app that you would like to have the volume controlled, then contact that developer and they could easily make that happen if they wished.

App volume can be controlled in the App right now and that is the place where a user would expect to control the volume. It is a terrible idea to and poor design to require a user to go to an OS control panel to change the volume for that app. We have seen the problems with this in Windows 11 in my previous post.

Here are some examples of Apple apps where the volume is controlled in the app like it should be and every developer is capable of using the same approach.

• Music
• iTunes
• Apple TV
• Garageband
• Books - for Audibooks
• iMovie
• Quicktime

You will also see many third party apps already do this with some games even giving finer control with a background music volume and game volume. Even when browsing, each website like Youtube can save their own volume using a cookie to persist the level that you chose. Would you also expect the OS to manage the volume of every website you visit?

If you are confused now, you would really be confused if each app controlled their volume, then the OS also controlled the volume of each app, and you also had a global volume setting to control the volume of all apps.

Feedback would be the way to go here. App developers also have the ability to include volume settings on their apps that could be different than your system volume. You can send feedback to the app developer for a feature enhancement to their app that would allow you to set the volume there if it is an App other than the installed Apple apps on Ventura.

iOS sets a global volume level for 3rd party apps; that is, all apps by default have the same volume. This is different from ringer and alert volume settings, and also different from Siri’s volume and phone call volume. These are all independent.

But the reason Apple can’t provide volume settings within a 3rd party app is they don’t have access to the code in the app. The app developer can control the volume of the app when it is running if they choose to.

ZuleyBoi69 wrote:

definitely should be

You're certainly entitled to that opinion. However, it is not what is currently available. You should let Apple know what you'd like to see here:

Product Feedback - Apple

Thats the whole point.

No reason it shouldn't be a default feature of any OS.

Volume mixers are something easy to implement.

My computer is not an iPhone that only needs 1 master volume control.

You keep arguing to us like we can do anything about it. The only people who can change it is Apple. Complain to them. They aren't here.

All anybody here can do is offer workarounds. None of them are expected to solve your problem as they cannot.