IOS 18.2 Lets You Add Volume Controls to Your IPhone’s Lock Screen
You may have noticed that your iPhone displays a useful playback control widget on the lock screen every time you listen to audio. It’s also versatile because you’ll see it whether you’re listening to music, audiobooks, podcasts, or even videos. I’ve always used this widget to play, pause, go forward or go back, but one thing was always missing – a volume control.
Of course, you can use the volume buttons for this, but I prefer to use the touchscreen for more precise control. In iOS 18.2 , which is in public beta at the time of writing, you can now add a volume slider to the media playback widget.
How to Add Volume Controls to Your iPhone’s Lock Screen
To use this feature, you’ll need to update to iOS 18.2, which is currently in public beta. To find the update, first sign up for Apple’s free beta program if you haven’t already. Then unlock your iPhone and go to Settings -> General -> Software Update -> Beta Updates . I suggest doing this on a backup device if possible to ensure stability on your primary phone.
Once you’re on iOS 18.2, go to Settings > Accessibility > Audio & Video and turn on Always show volume controls .
Now play some music (or any other type of audio) and lock your iPhone. When you turn on the display, you’ll see the same playback control widget as always, but this time it will have a volume slider attached to it. You can still use your phone’s buttons, but now you’ll also be able to adjust the volume to your liking right from the lock screen. This feature makes the widget a little larger, but I didn’t find any other drawbacks. It’s also useful for people who have trouble reaching or pressing the volume buttons, or for people like me whose iPhone case covers all the buttons, which can be annoying to use.