Surface Earbuds and notifications

[slbailey1]

I am new to the idea of controlling my phone using earbuds. I really do not know what phone features are heard thru the earbuds and which ones are not. I am assuming that notifications are heard thru the earbuds. On my Surface Earbuds, the notifications are not coming thru or they are so low sounding that I do not hear them.

Questions:
1. How do I get notifications to work on the Surface Earbuds at a good volume?
2. In general, what phone features can be heard and controlled by earbuds?

Note: I have set Alexa are my default assistant so that I can use my unlimited Amazon Music subscription with just a touch and hold on the earbuds. I do not know if this is causing problems with the earbuds and notifications. I just wish I can assign a default music app to the triple tap gesture of the Surface Earbuds.