If you are tired of your iPhone's default ringtone related to incoming calls, you can choose a new one from the different options already available to you. But the possibilities to customize your iOS device don't end there: in fact you can choose to configure a different ringtone for each of the contacts in the address book, or, if you feel inspired, you can turn your favorite iTunes songs into custom ringtones. The procedure for setting a new ringtone on iPhone is very simple and is a creative way to set yourself apart from others.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Choose a Built-in Ringtone
Step 1. Launch the Settings app by selecting its icon on the Home screen
A new iPhone Control Panel screen will appear.
Step 2. Tap "Sounds"
Within the "Sounds" screen, you will see a series of alerts listed and the corresponding beep set. All of them can be easily customized.
Step 3. Find out the name of the currently set ringtone
This is the word to the right of "Ring", for example "Opening" (the default ringtone). This indicates that this ringtone is currently configured as a system ringtone. Tap "Ringtone" to view the list of available options.
Step 4. Choose a new ringtone from those available and integrated directly into the iOS operating system
To be able to hear a preview of each one, simply select its name. When you've found the new tune to use as your system ringtone, select it so that a check mark appears next to its name.
Method 2 of 4: Download a New iPhone Ringtone
Step 1. Find out the options available to you
There are countless websites and apps from which you can download new ringtones, but very often you need to be careful as many are vehicles of spyware and viruses and offer tunes taken from copyrighted songs, which could cause you legal problems. The safest option is to access the iTunes store directly from the iPhone. If you have found a trustworthy website or application you can still follow this route, as the instructions should be very similar to those described in this section of the article.
Step 2. Access the iTunes store from the iPhone
To do this, simply select the iTunes icon.
Step 3. View the list of ringtones available for download
Go to the "More" tab at the bottom of the screen, then choose the "Ringtones" option. At this point, you can perform a simple search by genre or by "Featured" or "Charts" categories. To hear a short preview of each ringtone present, select its name.
Step 4. Download a new ringtone
To do this, press the button where the price is indicated. After confirming your willingness to proceed with the purchase, the ringtone will be downloaded to your device and you will be asked what action you wish to take:
- Choose the "Use for default ringtone" option to set the chosen song as the default ringtone for all incoming calls.
- Choose the "Assign to a contact" option to set the selected item as a personalized ringtone for one of the contacts in your address book. This means that the newly purchased ringtone will be played for each call from the person indicated. All other incoming calls will use the system default ringtone.
- Press the "Finish" button to download the ringtone without making any changes to the current settings. If, after choosing this option, you want to set this song as your system ringtone, you need to go to the Settings app, choose the "Sounds" item and tap the "Ringtone" option. At that point, the newly purchased melody will be part of the list of available options; simply tap on its name to set it as the system default ringtone.
Method 3 of 4: Create an iPhone Ringtone with iTunes
Step 1. Launch the iTunes program on the computer you usually use to sync data with the iPhone
This procedure cannot be performed directly from the iPhone: in this case it is necessary to use a computer. You can perform this procedure on both Mac and Windows using music from your iTunes library.
Step 2. Find the song you want to turn into a ringtone
Remember that the maximum length of a ringtone for iOS devices can be 30 seconds, so you can only choose the most significant 30 seconds of one of your favorite songs based on your personal taste.
- Once you've found the right song, make a note of the starting point of the 30-second segment you chose to use as your ringtone. You can find this information by looking at the playback controls bar at the top of the window, just below the song information. For example, if the starting point of the section of the song you are interested in is at minute 1 and 40 seconds, you need to make a note of these numbers.
- Now choose where to end the portion of the song. Remember the 30 second maximum duration limit, then start playback from the point indicated in the previous sub-point and press the "Pause" button when you want to stop. Note the number indicated by the slider in the play bar. For example, assuming you stopped playing at minute 2 and 5 seconds, you will need to make a note of this number.
Step 3. Open the window for the detailed information of the song in question
To do this, select the name of the chosen song with the right mouse button (⌘ Command + Click on OS X systems), then choose the "Info" option from the context menu that appeared.
Step 4. Enter the start and end points of the desired track portion
Go to the "Options" tab, then enter the starting and ending point of the segment of your interest using the text fields "Start time" and "End time" respectively. Make sure both check buttons next to each of the fields are checked. When finished, press the "OK" button to create your custom ringtone.
Step 5. Convert the chosen track portion to the file format that can be used as a ringtone on the iOS device
Select the song in question with the right mouse button (⌘ Command + Click on OS X systems), then choose the "Create AAC version" option from the context menu. This will create a new version of the chosen track that consists exactly of the selected portion. Within the iTunes library, it will appear as a duplicate of the original track and positioned exactly before or after it. The only difference that distinguishes the two songs is obviously the duration: the version to be used as a ringtone will have a significantly shorter duration than the original one.
Step 6. Remove the "Start Time" and "End Time" indicators
Select the original song (the one with the longest duration) with the right mouse button (⌘ Command + Click on OS X systems), then choose "Information" from the context menu that appeared. Go to the "Options" tab, then uncheck both the "Start Time" and "End Time" fields.
Step 7. Drag the new track you just created (the one with the shortest duration) to your computer desktop
To do this, select it with the mouse inside the iTunes library, then drag it to the desktop and finally release it. You can perform this step on both Mac and Windows.
Step 8. Rename the file on the desktop
Select it with the right mouse button (⌘ Command + Click on OS X systems), then choose the "Rename" option from the context menu that appeared. At this point you have to change the name of the file using what you want, but being careful to use the extension ".m4r" (without quotes). For example, if the original track name is "Song_name", the file will need to be renamed to "Song_name.m4r". The ".m4r" extension identifies the format of ringtones for iOS devices.
Step 9. Return the renamed audio track to your iTunes library
Double-click the file in "m4r" format to automatically import it as a ringtone into iTunes. If you are using iTunes 11 or earlier, you will need to go to the "Ringtones" tab at the top right of the program window to make sure the "Sync ringtones" checkbox and the "All ringtones" radio button are both checked. When finished, hit the "Apply" button.
Step 10. Synchronize the new ringtone
The procedure varies slightly depending on the version of iTunes you are using:
- If you are using iTunes 11 or earlier, go to the "Ringtones" tab at the top of the iTunes window, make sure the "Sync Ringtone" and "All Ringtones" options are checked, then press the "Apply" button to start the synchronization procedure.
- If you are using iTunes 12, select the "Ringtones" item in the left sidebar of the iTunes window, then drag the desired track to the icon for your iOS device. This will start the synchronization procedure.
Step 11. Set the new ringtone as the system ringtone
Launch the iPhone Settings app, then choose the "Sounds" option. Tap "Ringtone" and select the name of the ringtone you just synced. Now you just have to wait for a new incoming call to be able to enjoy your new ringtone.
Method 4 of 4: Set a Custom Ringtone for a Specific Contact
Step 1. Consult the contact list stored on your device
Find the "Contacts" app icon, then tap it to open it.
Step 2. Choose the person you want to set up a custom ringtone for
Tap their name in the contact list, then press the "Edit" button at the top right of the screen.
Step 3. Edit the contact's settings
Scroll through the list that appeared to locate and select the "Default ringtone" item.
Step 4. Choose the ringtone for the selected contact
You can choose any of the present ringtones, including purchased or created ones. The latter will be displayed in the list, after the native ringtones of the iOS operating system.
Step 5. Save your changes
Press the "Done" button at the top right of the "Ringtone" page, then press the "Done" button again on the page that contains the detailed information of the selected contact. At this point, the chosen contact has a personalized ringtone.
Advice
- The duration of a ringtone must be at most 30 seconds, which is why you cannot simply select any of the songs on your device to use it as a ringtone.
- You can also listen and change other warning beeps, such as the one related to receiving an SMS. To do this, go to the Settings app, choose the "Sounds" option, then select the item you are interested in.
