Disney Plus Volume Low: I Finally Fixed It

With Marvel releasing a lot of shows on Disney Plus, a colleague recommended I watch ‘Moon Knight.’

After getting back home, I started up Disney Plus on my TV and once the first episode started playing, I noticed I could barely hear the audio.

I checked the app volume and it was full and my TV was also at around 30%, which is where I usually keep it.

Only when I increased the TV volume to 80% was I able to hear clearly.

I quickly checked some of the other apps, and they worked completely fine at the volume levels that I usually use.

After checking on the internet and asking a few colleagues from work, I managed to fix the issue with the volume levels.

As it turns out, Disney Plus was using Dolby Atmos for audio, which doesn’t work well if you don’t have a 5 or 7 channel speaker system.

If the volume is low on Disney Plus, it might be because the show you’re watching is configured for Dolby Atmos. Click the ‘Settings’ in the top right corner during video playback and change the audio settings to Stereo.

Before going ahead with the fixes, make sure both your device and Disney Plus apps are updated to their latest version. In some cases, this might be the simplest fix.

Change The Audio Settings On Disney Plus

Most new shows on Disney Plus and other streaming services tend to use Dolby Atmos or DTS for audio configuration.

While it is the latest in technology when it comes to audio, its strength lies in quite literally ‘Surround Sound.’

In most cases, the audio is engineered for audio systems with multiple channels or for headphones that can emulate surround sound. For example, Spatial Audio on AirPods or 360 Reality Audio on Sony.

If you have a 5 or 7 channel speaker system, Dolby Atmos should work well, but if you’re using your TV, Laptop, or any speaker with fewer channels, it’s not gonna sound great.

However, if you have a dedicated speaker system that supports Dolby Atmos, then you can skip this step and check your audio configuration.

You can use the following steps to change the audio settings on your TV, PC/Mac or phone/tablet.

Start the video you want on Disney Plus
Click on the ‘Settings’ button on the top right corner of the screen.
In ‘Audio Settings,’ click on Stereo.

The audio should sound much better since it’s now engineered to run on 2 channels.

Additionally, this setting may not be available for every show, as some shows are only available with Dolby Atmos.

Check Your Audio Configuration

For Dedicated Speakers

If changing the audio settings on the app didn’t work for you, or you use a dedicated speaker system that supports multiple sound channels, you might need to check your system’s audio configuration or the cables.

Depending on your speakers model, check the user manual or make a quick Google search based on your model number to ensure your speakers are set to 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound.

Also ensure that none of the cables going from your speakers are damaged or frayed. If they are, you might need to get replacement cables.

Additionally, if your speakers and TV support eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel), make sure your speakers are plugged into the right port.

You can identify an eARC HDMI port on your TV by either looking for eARC written next to the port, or by checking your TVs user manual.

For Earphones/Headphones

If you primarily use earphones and they have surround sound capabilities, make sure it’s turned on in the app for your earphones.

For example, to turn on Spatial Audio on AirPods, open the ‘Control Center’ on your iPhone or iPad and hold down the volume control. Click on Spatial Audio on the lower right to turn it on/off.

If your earphones don’t support any surround sound , you can use stereo output from the video playback as mentioned in the previous section.

For Phones and Tablets

Using stereo output is also recommended for laptops, phones, and tablets if you’re using the device speakers as is.

While iPhones, iPads and most Android devices use stereo sound, some Android phones and tablets support Dolby or DTS surround sound.

And while this sounds great on dedicated speakers or earphones that support it, it’s not great on the device speakers themselves.

So if your device does support these features, you can turn them off by going to ‘Settings’>>’Sound & Vibration’ (may also be called ‘Sound Setting’ or ‘Audio Settings’ on some Android devices), and scrolling to the bottom of the screen to turn it off.

For PC or Mac

Changing the audio settings to ‘Stereo’ within the video playback on Disney Plus should fix the issue with the volume being low.

However, for laptop or PC users on Windows, it’s recommended to check if you have any updates that you haven’t installed.

You can do this on Windows 10/11 by typing ‘Settings’ into the search bar at the bottom of the screen and opening the ‘Settings’ window.

On the left hand side you’ll find ‘Windows Updates’ at the bottom. Click on it and search for updates.

If there are any updates, make sure you install them and restart your computer.

Additionally, right-click on the ‘Windows’ icon on the taskbar and open ‘Device Manager.’

Navigate to ‘Sound, Video and Game controllers’ and look for your audio device. Right-click on the device and select ‘Update Driver.’

If there are any new drivers, you can either let Windows look for them, or if you already have the latest version downloaded, install that as well.

Keep Disney Plus Running Smoothly

Always remember to keep your Disney Plus app as well as the device it runs on, updated to their latest versions.

If you need to replace HDMI cables for your device, look for cables from reputed brands such as Anker or UGreen.

On some TV’s you can turn on a ‘Dialog Booster’ which improves the sound of vocals.

For Samsung TVs, navigate to ‘Menu’>>’Settings’>>’Sound’>>’Sound Effects’>>’Dialog Clarity.’

On LG TVs you can navigate to ‘Home’>>’Settings’>>’Sound’>>’Sound Mode’>>’Clear Voice.’ While on Sony TVs, you’ll need to go to ‘Settings’>>’Advanced Settings’>>’Surround Sound’>>’Equalizer’>>’Dialog Enhancer.’

If by chance none of these fixes worked for you, get in touch with Disney’s Support Team and let them know the issue so they can look into it from their side.

But in essence, these fixes should help you watch any show on Disney Plus without having to strain to hear the dialogues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why are the sound effects on Disney Plus shows louder than the dialogue?

Since the audio for a lot of shows on Disney Plus are mixed in Dolby Atmos, a lot of times the dialogues get drowned out by the sound effects. While it isn’t an issue on surround sound speakers, it can degrade the audio quality on stereo speakers.

Why is there no sound in Disney Plus with bluetooth devices?

If you don’t hear sound on your bluetooth headphones, close the Disney Plus app, reconnect the bluetooth device and open the app again. Now play any video and the audio should be fine.

How to change the Streaming Quality on Disney plus?

On the playback screen, click on the settings icon in the top right corner. Click on ‘Video Quality’ and you’ll be able to choose the streaming quality you want ranging from 480p to 4K depending on your device.