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

iPad Air 4 backside (Image credit: Lory Gil / iMore)

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.

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/d1Fxv2ll3BNot 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 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.

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.