Songs Playing at Different Volumes? Check Your Streaming App's Volume Normalization

What does volume normalization do?

Spotify's help page says volume normalization balances soft and loud songs so listening feels more even. According to Spotify for Artists, it works by matching each track to a target loudness. Loud masters are turned down, and soft masters are turned up as far as the available headroom allows.

Loudness is the average volume you perceive, measured in LUFS. If the unit is new to you, our article on the production team roles explains how -14 LUFS differs from the broadcast recommendation.

The table below lists the setting names and locations for the three services. Checked on October 23, 2026.

Where do you turn it on in Spotify?

On mobile, tap your profile picture, then Settings and privacy, then Playback. On iOS the item is Enable Audio Normalization, and on Android it is Volume normalization under Volume controls. On desktop, open Settings from your profile picture and find Normalize volume under Audio Quality.

• iOS: Enable Audio Normalization on the Playback screen
• Android: Volume normalization under Volume controls on the Playback screen
• Desktop: Normalize volume under Audio Quality in Settings

Spotify for Artists says the web player and third-party devices do not use loudness normalization. If the setting does not appear in your environment, keep that in mind first.

How do you choose Loud, Normal or Quiet?

Normal is the default. The help page suggests Loud for noisy surroundings and Quiet for quiet ones. Choosing Loud narrows the gap between louder and softer sounds.

Spotify for Artists lists the reference values as -14 LUFS for Normal, -11 LUFS for Loud and -19 LUFS for Quiet. The Loud option also applies a limiter to prevent distortion and clipping. The limiter is listed as engaging at -1 dB with a 5 ms attack and a 100 ms decay.

The -14 LUFS mastering target that the Muckle Sound Labs homepage mentions is the same number as Spotify's Normal reference. That does not mean either group's songs are on Spotify. You can hear the published songs on the official Suno playback pages.

Where do you set it in the Apple Music app?

According to the iPhone User Guide, open the Settings app, tap Apps, then tap Music. There you can choose EQ and Sound Check. Sound Check is the item that normalizes the volume level of your audio.

Apple's user guide has separate pages for each iOS version. If a menu name looks different on your phone, choose your version at the top of the guide and read the same article again.

Why can't you find Stable Volume in YouTube Music?

YouTube's Stable Volume keeps adjusting the volume to reduce the gap between quiet and loud sounds. It is on by default when you watch videos. However, YouTube Help says the feature cannot be used in YouTube Music or on official music videos.

To turn it off for ordinary videos on Android, tap the settings icon at the top of the screen and open More settings. The help page does not say whether the music app has its own separate volume setting.

What should you check if the volume still feels uneven?

In Spotify, check the playback device and then the level option. While you play on another device with Spotify Connect, audio settings cannot be changed, so move playback back to this device and open the settings. If the level is set to Quiet, the sound is tuned for a quiet environment.

In the Apple Music app, open EQ as well as Sound Check. The two items are on the same screen, so you can change them one at a time and compare which one affects the sound.

• Muckle Sound Labs official music introduction