Why Is CarPlay Volume Low? 3 Steps To Make It Louder

If you’re using Apple’s CarPlay, you’ve probably experienced situations where the volume settings were either too low or too high. 

It can be frustrating to have a decent volume on your calls, the Siri starts speaking, and it becomes inaudible. 

CarPlay volume is low due to its settings. You can make it louder with the volume settings on your iPhone or the car volume controls when driving. If you notice a volume difference in the call and radio settings, you can adjust it via the app settings on your phone. 

This guide will expand on why your CarPlay volume is low and how to fix this. 

It will also touch on common issues with CarPlay volume control and give you steps to resolve CarPlay volume adjustment issues you may encounter. 

Why Is Your CarPlay Volume Too Low? 

CarPlay volume is too low because of manual adjustment settings or low voice mode. If you hear no voice commands when using Google Maps as an example, then the volume setting is probably “no voice.” Simply adjusting the volume settings upward will make it louder in most cases. 

How To Make Apple CarPlay Volume Louder 

To make Apple CarPlay volume louder, increase the volume manually. 

You can also adjust the volume to a higher setting in, for instance, Google Maps, or change your iPhone’s Siri and call volume settings, depending on your preference. 

How To Adjust Low Carplay Volume

Adjusting the call volume on CarPlay is a straightforward process. 

You can increase the call volume while on a call. However, it’s better to change it beforehand to avoid awkward situations where you have to explain your issue to the one you’re calling.

To adjust the Carplay volume, follow the steps below: 

1. Open the call settings in your iPhone. 
2. Adjust the volume a notch lower or higher. 
3. Have someone call you to test the volume settings. 
4. If the volume is too low or high, repeat step 2. 

Although the process of adjusting CarPlay volume is straightforward, it differs slightly depending on the platform you’re using. 

Below, I’ll explain how to deal with low CarPlay volume on Siri and Apple Maps. I’ll also discuss how to stop music from interrupting navigation commands. 

🔊 How To Increase Siri Volume on CarPlay

If the Siri volume is too low while you’re driving, you can adjust it using the car radio controls. 

If you’re not driving, you can change it manually before turning on the ignition. 

Fortunately, the first scenario shouldn’t take you too much time to do.

Here’s how to increase Siri volume on CarPlay: 

1. Open a CarPlay app that uses Siri, such as Google Maps. 
2. Wait for Siri to start talking. 
3. Increase the volume using the radio controls. 
4. Wait for Siri to start talking again. 
5. Check whether the volume is right. 
6. Restart the vehicle and close CarPlay. 
7. Open CarPlay again. 
8. Check whether the volume settings have been saved. 

This method only works when Siri is talking. If that’s how you go about it though, you won’t have to adjust the radio or music volume simultaneously. 

This is great if you want a softer Siri volume and louder music or vice versa.

How To Increase Apple Carplay Google Maps Volume

In most cases, Siri volume will already be high, so it’s better to set it low or normal before driving. 

If you don’t want Siri to read out directions, you can always select “no volume.” These changes will only apply to Siri navigation and won’t affect your music. 

Here’s how to increase Apple Carplay Google Maps volume:

1. Open the Settings app on your iPhone. 
2. Select “Maps” 
3. Open “Driving and Navigation.” 
4. Under “Navigation Voice Volume,” select your preferred volume settings. 
5. Select either “normal” or “high” volume. 
6. Test the new volume settings on CarPlay. 

Here’s a YouTube video explaining how to adjust the volume on Apple CarPlay and Android Auto:

But in summary:

1. Ask Siri via Carplay to “tell me a joke”
2. While it’s babbling, adjust the volume to your desired level.   

You can change a range of other Google Maps Carplay settings to help with volume or navigation issues. 

If you’re facing this issue with Apple Maps, we also have a guide to all Apple Maps CarPlay settings to help with this. 

How To Stop Music From Interrupting Navigation Commands

If you’re increasing the volume for Apple Maps, you’d probably rather listen to the navigation commands over the other audio. 

However, this may interrupt your songs, causing an unpleasant driving experience.

The best way to stop music from interrupting navigation commands is to enable the “pause spoken audio” feature. 

The “pause spoken audio” feature will automatically pause the song or podcast when the navigation audio plays. 

This way, you won’t struggle to hear navigation commands over a song. 

You also won’t have to manually pause your audio every time Siri gives a navigation command. 

What if the CarPlay Volume Control Is Too High?

If the CarPlay volume is too high, lower it with your app. To set a lower volume in Maps, select the low volume mode instead of normal or high volume. 

If you don’t want the navigation commands to play at all, you can always turn it off using the “no volume” setting on the Apple Maps app. 

Conclusion

Adjusting the CarPlay volume when it’s too low is straightforward. 

Check the audio settings for the app, and tweak them based on your preference. 

Remember to account for the different music and radio settings as well. Different types of music can require other music presents in your head unit for the best car stereo sounds.