diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/soundd/sound.cc b/selfdrive/ui/soundd/sound.cc
index 49c28373c5..8d5b2b96b0 100644
--- a/selfdrive/ui/soundd/sound.cc
+++ b/selfdrive/ui/soundd/sound.cc
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 // TODO: detect when we can't play sounds
 // TODO: detect when we can't display the UI
 
-Sound::Sound(QObject *parent) : sm({"controlsState", "deviceState", "microphone"}) {
+Sound::Sound(QObject *parent) : sm({"controlsState", "microphone"}) {
   qInfo() << "default audio device: " << QAudioDeviceInfo::defaultOutputDevice().deviceName();
 
   for (auto &[alert, fn, loops] : sound_list) {
@@ -30,22 +30,8 @@ Sound::Sound(QObject *parent) : sm({"controlsState", "deviceState", "microphone"
 };
 
 void Sound::update() {
-  const bool started_prev = sm["deviceState"].getDeviceState().getStarted();
   sm.update(0);
 
-  const bool started = sm["deviceState"].getDeviceState().getStarted();
-  if (started && !started_prev) {
-    started_frame = sm.frame;
-  }
-
-  // no sounds while offroad
-  // also no sounds if nothing is alive in case thermald crashes while offroad
-  const bool crashed = (sm.frame - std::max(sm.rcv_frame("deviceState"), sm.rcv_frame("controlsState"))) > 10*UI_FREQ;
-  if (!started || crashed) {
-    setAlert({});
-    return;
-  }
-
   // scale volume using ambient noise level
   if (sm.updated("microphone")) {
     float volume = util::map_val(sm["microphone"].getMicrophone().getFilteredSoundPressureWeightedDb(), 30.f, 60.f, 0.f, 1.f);
@@ -53,7 +39,7 @@ void Sound::update() {
     Hardware::set_volume(volume);
   }
 
-  setAlert(Alert::get(sm, started_frame));
+  setAlert(Alert::get(sm, 0));
 }
 
 void Sound::setAlert(const Alert &alert) {
diff --git a/selfdrive/ui/soundd/sound.h b/selfdrive/ui/soundd/sound.h
index 7e009d28ad..da9814c543 100644
--- a/selfdrive/ui/soundd/sound.h
+++ b/selfdrive/ui/soundd/sound.h
@@ -27,8 +27,7 @@ protected:
   void update();
   void setAlert(const Alert &alert);
 
+  SubMaster sm;
   Alert current_alert = {};
   QMap<AudibleAlert, QPair<QSoundEffect *, int>> sounds;
-  SubMaster sm;
-  uint64_t started_frame;
 };