iPadOS 15.4 to let iPad volume buttons change function based on orientation

What you need to know

Apple’s iPadOS 15.4 will let people change the way their volume buttons work on iPads.
People will be able to have the function of the buttons change depending on the orientation of the iPad.
Apple’s iPad mini already has this option, but other iPads will gain it with iPadOS 15.4 next week.

No more accidentally turning your iPad volume up when you wanted to turn it down.

Apple’s iPadOS 15.4 update will bring one of the iPad mini’s best features to the rest of the iPad lineup — the ability to have the iPad’s volume buttons change function based on the device’s orientation.

Currently, an iPad’s volume buttons are set in terms of what happens when you press them, regardless of how you hold it. That isn’t the base with the iPad mini, however, with Apple allowing people to have the tablet change what each button does based on orientation. Now, with iPadOS 15.4, it appears that feature is coming to other iPads — it’s been tested on an iPad Air and iPad Pro, for example.

Not sure when this got added, but my iPad Pro now lets me do the thing the iPad mini added where volume keys change based on the orientation. I’m too used to the old way, but nice if you switch between devices and want it consistent. pic.twitter.com/d1Fxv2ll3B

— Matt Birchler (@mattbirchler) March 11, 2022

With iPadOS 15.4 installed, the new option lives in the Settings app, under Sound. A new option for “Fixed Position Volume Buttons” can be found at the bottom of the screen.

It isn’t immediately clear when this feature was added but it seems that it was most likely in the release candidate version of iPadOS 15.4 that was made available earlier this week. The final version of iPadOS 15.4 will be made available next week alongside the release of the updated iPad Air. We can expect iOS 15.4 to ship at the same time — ready for the arrival of the updated iPhone SE.

This small change has the potential to be one of the best iPad features of the year, especially for people who find themselves pressing the wrong volume button when holding their iPad in a different way.