How to Turn Off Sounds in Super Mario Run on an iPhone

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To turn off sounds in Super Mario Run on an iPhone, open the game, go to the kingdom screen, tap Menu, tap Settings, and turn off Music and Sounds. The game goes quiet, while your ringtone, alerts and other apps keep working as usual.

Nintendo’s Super Mario Run FAQ confirms that Music and Sounds are under Menu > Settings from the kingdom screen. That is the most reliable way to mute the game, because Apple’s iPhone User Guide warns that many games play sounds through the speaker even when Silent mode is on.

Before you start

• Supported iPhones: Nintendo says the game runs on iPhones with iOS 15 or later.
• Internet connection: Nintendo states that Super Mario Run cannot be used offline, so connect to Wi-Fi or cellular data before you open it.
• The kingdom screen: this is the game’s home screen, where you rebuild the Mushroom Kingdom. The sound switches are reached from here, not from inside a course.

These steps follow Nintendo’s current FAQ. Button positions can shift between game updates, so if your screen looks a little different, look for the same labels.

How to turn off music and sounds in Super Mario Run

1. Open Super Mario Run and tap the title screen to continue. Wait for the kingdom screen to load.
2. Tap Menu. A panel of game options opens.
3. Tap Settings. This screen lists the game’s own controls, including the two audio switches.
4. Tap Music so it is set to Off. This is the switch for the background soundtrack.
5. Tap Sounds so it is set to Off. This is the switch for the game’s other audio, such as sound effects.
6. Close the Settings screen to return to the kingdom.

Result: the game plays without audio. The two switches are independent, so you can turn off only Music and keep Sounds on if you still want to hear jumps and coins, or do the reverse.

How to confirm it worked and turn the sound back on

Start any course with the iPhone’s volume turned up. If you hear nothing, both switches are off. If you still hear music or effects, go back to Menu > Settings and check that both switches show Off, not just one.

To undo the change, follow the same path and set Music, Sounds, or both back to On. Nothing else in the game is affected. Your progress, coins and Toads do not depend on the audio settings.

In-game settings vs. Silent mode

You can also quiet an iPhone with Silent mode, but it does a different job. Silent mode is the iPhone setting that stops the phone from ringing or playing alerts. It is not designed to mute games.

Method	What it silences	What still makes sound
Music and Sounds in the game	Super Mario Run only	Ringtone, alerts, and every other app
iPhone Silent mode	Calls, notifications, and system sounds	Clock alarms, audio apps such as Music, and many games
Volume buttons while the game is open	All media audio, including the game	Ringer and alerts, which use a separate volume

Use the in-game switches when you want the game silent every time you open it. Use the volume buttons when you only need quiet for a few minutes.

How to silence your iPhone instead

Apple describes two ways to turn Silent mode on, depending on the model:

• iPhone with an Action button: press and hold the Action button, which is the small button above the volume buttons on newer models. If it is not set to Silent mode, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and turn Silent Mode on.
• Other iPhone models: flip the Ring/Silent switch toward the back of the iPhone. Flip it toward the front to turn Silent mode off again.

Result: calls, notifications and system sounds go quiet, although the iPhone may still vibrate. Apple notes that Clock alarms, audio apps and many games still play sound in Silent mode. If Super Mario Run is still loud, use the in-game switches above or lower the volume. Other games work the same way; for example, here is how to turn off sound in Pokémon GO.

How to lower the volume while you play

Apple’s guide to adjusting the volume on iPhone explains that the volume buttons control media volume while audio is playing, and ringer and alert volume at other times. That timing matters here.

1. Open Super Mario Run and wait until you can hear the game.
2. Press the volume down button on the side of the iPhone until the level reaches the bottom.
3. Or open Control Center, the panel of quick controls, and drag the volume slider down.

Result: the game and other media are silent until you raise the volume again. If you press the buttons before the game is making sound, you may lower your ringer volume instead. To stop that from happening, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics and turn off Change with Buttons. Apple says the buttons then only control media playback.

Other ways to keep the game quiet

• Use headphones: plugging in or connecting earbuds or headphones keeps the sound to yourself.
• Turn off the game’s notifications: Nintendo says the push notification settings are under Menu > Settings > Options. You can also go to the iPhone’s Settings > Notifications, tap the game, and turn off Allow Notifications, as described in Apple’s notification settings guide.
• Save battery too: Nintendo says setting Rendering Setting to Low in Options, under Settings, makes images less smooth but uses less battery.

If you cannot find the Music and Sounds switches

• You are inside a course. Finish or leave the course first. Nintendo’s path starts from the kingdom screen.
• You opened Options. Options is a separate area inside Settings that holds items such as language, notifications and graphics. Go back one screen to see Music and Sounds.
• The game is stuck on the title screen. Check your internet connection, since the game needs one to load.
• The menu looks different. Update the game from the App Store, then look for the same labels again.

If you cannot hear the game at all

Sometimes the problem is the opposite one. Nintendo suggests these checks, in this order, if Super Mario Run has no sound:

1. Make sure the iPhone is not in Silent mode.
2. Check the volume level while the game is open.
3. Check whether the iPhone thinks headphones are connected. If the volume indicator shows Headphones, disconnect them and try again.
4. In the game, go to Menu > Settings and make sure Music and Sounds are both set to On.
5. Close and reopen Super Mario Run.
6. Restart the iPhone.
7. On the game’s start screen, tap Having Trouble? and then Redownload Data.

Warning: do not delete the app to fix a sound problem. Nintendo warns that uninstalling removes your save data unless the game is linked to a Nintendo Account first.

If you are having the same problem on an iPad, see how to fix no sound on iPad.

Frequently asked questions

Does turning off game sounds affect my ringtone?

No. The Music and Sounds switches only affect Super Mario Run. Calls, texts and other apps sound the same as before. To change your iPhone’s own sounds, see how to change your ringtone on iPhone.

Why does the game still make noise in Silent mode?

Apple says many games play sounds through the built-in speaker even when Silent mode is on. Silent mode is meant for calls, notifications and system sounds. To quiet Super Mario Run, turn off Music and Sounds in the game’s settings or lower the media volume while the game is playing.

Can I turn off the music but keep the sound effects?

Yes. Music and Sounds are two separate switches under Menu > Settings. Turn off Music and leave Sounds on.

Do these steps work on an iPad?

Nintendo’s instructions do not differ by device, and the game supports iPads with iPadOS 15 or later, so the same Menu > Settings path should apply. The Silent mode steps are different because iPads do not have a Ring/Silent switch.

Will my sound settings carry over to a new phone?

Nintendo does not say. Its FAQ lists coins, Toads, Rally Tickets and Kingdom Builder buildings as data that carries over when you link a Nintendo Account, but it does not mention audio settings. Plan to check Menu > Settings again after you set up the game on a new iPhone.

Will muting the game stop its notifications?

No. Notification alerts are separate from game audio. Turn them off in the game under Menu > Settings > Options, or in the iPhone’s Settings app under Notifications.

Next step

Open Super Mario Run, tap Menu > Settings, and set Music and Sounds the way you want them. If the game ever goes silent when you did not expect it, come back to the checklist above and work through it from the top.