Before you download a “volume booster” app, know this: most phones that seem too quiet aren’t at their limit. Something is holding them back, whether that’s a setting, a blocked grille or just the way you’re holding the phone. Start with the free stuff.

Check for a hidden volume limit

Phones ship with caps that are easy to forget about. Samsung has a Media volume limiter under Sounds and vibration, then Volume. On iPhone, the limit you might have set lives in the Headphone Safety settings, but that one only affects headphones, so if the speaker is quiet, look elsewhere.

Try the Late Night EQ on iPhone

It sounds like it would make things quieter. It does the opposite. Late Night compresses the music so quiet parts get louder, and for most songs the whole thing feels noticeably bigger through the speaker. You’ll find it in the Music app’s settings under EQ. It only applies to Apple Music, though.

Clean the grille

This is the one people skip, and it’s often the real answer. A grille half-full of lint can easily take a big chunk out of the volume, and it happens so slowly you don’t notice. Run a dust cycle with the phone speaker cleaner, then go over the grille with a dry, soft toothbrush. If the phone has been near water lately, run the water mode too.

Use the room

Old trick, still works. Put the phone in an empty mug or glass with the speaker pointing down into it, and the hard surface bounces sound back out. Cupping your hand around the bottom edge does the same in a pinch. Pointing the speaker at a wall rather than away from you helps more than you’d expect.

Turn off things that fight each other

On Android, Dolby Atmos and other “sound enhancement” modes sometimes make speech clearer but overall volume lower. Toggle them off and compare. And if you’ve installed an equalizer app, check it isn’t pulling the bass or mids way down.

Be careful with booster apps

Apps that promise 200% volume usually just push the signal past the point where the speaker can handle it cleanly. You get loudness and distortion together, and over time you can damage the speaker. If the sound starts to crackle, you’ve gone too far. More on that in why phone speakers crackle at high volume.

When it’s just quiet

Some phones simply have small speakers. If you’ve done all of the above and it’s still not enough, a small Bluetooth speaker will do more than any setting can.