Since its debut in 2007, the iPhone has seen a lot of improvement since then. The process of setting a song to your iPhone’s ringtone or alert has not changed.
You might hear the same iPhone tones over and over again. There are many steps involved in creating a custom iPhone ringtone. Apple still sells ringtones through the iTunes store. We thought we’d remind people that you can also add your own ringtones free of charge to their iPhone.
You can also customize the alerts and tones of your device for a personal touch.
1. Get ready for your song or alert
It’s obvious that you will need to select a song or sound to be your ringtone. This is your source music. It could be an MP3 that you have downloaded or one that’s in your iTunes or Apple Music library.
Any song or sound can be used as long as the file is not protected by DRM. This means that you will need to download or import music from another source to be able to use it as your phone ringtone. You can’t also use songs purchased through iTunes Store.
Once you have the source file, it is time to reduce the song to about 30-seconds for ringtones. You can do this with Apple Music, iTunes, and any other audio editor. Any of these methods can be used.
Apple Music and iTunes
This will only work for music that you have directly imported (from your own files).
Locate the song that you want to use from your library and click Control-click/right-click on it. Then select Get Information. Navigate to the Option tab. Here you will see Start, Stop cues. These can be used to create a shorter version by selecting when playback should start and stop.
Ringtones shouldn’t last more than 30 seconds. After you have selected the range, hit OK.
With the song that you just edited selected, go to File >Convert and choose Create an AAC Version. You should see a duplicate of the song, which is shorter than the original. Drag it to your desktop and then delete it from Apple Music or iTunes. Also, you should go back to the original song by deleting your Stop and Start cues.
If you do not see the option to create AAC Version, open iTunes Preferences or Apple Music and go to Files > Export Settings. Next, set Import Using to AAC Encoder.
QuickTime Player
QuickTime Player for Mac is a powerful tool that has many hidden features. Open any audio file that QuickTime has downloaded, go to Edit > trim, and drag the sliders until you are happy with your selection. You must limit the audio to no more than 30 seconds. Once you are done, go to File > export > audio Only to save the file to your desktop.
Use another audio editor
You will have much greater control over your audio files if you use other audio editors. You can edit audio in a timeline or add effects to increase volume or create something completely new. Our favorite Mac audio editors will help you find the right tool for your needs.
Export to AAC format is the key. If your audio editor is unable to do this, you can use Apple Music or iTunes instead.
- Your audio can be saved to.WAV (uncompressed).
- Import your file using File >Add to Library.
- Select the file that you have just imported and then go to File > Converter > Create AAC Version.
- Drag the AAC file to your desktop and then delete the duplicate.
2. Modify File Extension and Import it
Once you have your audio in AAC format and reduced to size, it is time to fool your computer to make it a ringtone. Locate the file on your desktop and rename it. Change the extension to HTML 4R. You can do this by Control-clicking or right-clicking the file, and clicking Rename.
You may only need the file extension to be added on a Mac. If you do, you will be prompted. Open Finder to see the original file extension.
You can change a setting if Windows doesn’t allow you to see the file extension. Open File Explorer, then go to View > Display and select Name Extensions. You may need to visit start > Control Panel > Appearance & Personalization > File Explorer Options > View. Next, uncheck Hide extensions from known file types and hit Apply.
Now you should be able see file extensions, and more importantly, can change your file from AAC or M4A to . Now all you have to do is to sync your M4R file with your iPhone.
3. Sync Your iPhone
Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone with your computer. When prompted, you will need to agree to trust your iPhone or computer via the popup. If you are using macOS Catalina, or later), then open Finder or iTunes.
Click on your iPhone in the sidebar of Finder or in the top-left corner of iTunes. Next, click on the General tab or the Summary Tab. Allow Manually to manage music and movies.
Drag-and-drop the M4R ringtone files into the General tab or Summary tab. Click Sync then to sync it with your iPhone.
After you are done, open Settings > Sounds and Haptics (or Sounds and Vibration if your device is older) and choose your tone from the Ringtones menu. These ringtones can be used as text tones, new mail notifications, reminders, and other alert tones.
You can also customize other sounds
You can use your new ringtone to send an alert to all contacts or to give specific tones to particular contacts. Go to Phone >Contacts and find the contact to whom you wish to assign a new ringtone. Scroll down until you see Ringtone. Here you can also apply a custom text tone.
