How to Set a Custom Ringtone on Android and iPhone: Steps to Follow

Looking for ways to use custom ringtones on your Android phone or iPhone? Although both Android and iOS come with a list of ringtones that you can set as default for all contacts or for specific contacts, you may want to use different ringtones on your phone. Custom ringtones are also worth considering if you want your favorite song or melody to be played when someone calls you. Additionally, setting a custom ringtone can add a personal touch to your phone, making it stand out and make it easier to identify in large crowds.

In this article, we will detail the steps to use a custom ringtone on your Android phone or iPhone.

Ringtone usually plays for 30-45 seconds. Therefore, you may need to trim the audio file. Google Play offers dedicated apps that let you cut your favorite songs or melodies into ringtones. You can also use any audio editor on your PC, such as Audacity, to trim the audio.

How to add a custom ringtone on iPhone using Finder

If you’re running macOS Big Sur or later, you can simply use Finder to transfer ringtones to your phone. Ringtone must be in .m4r format and be no longer than 30 seconds. If you need to edit the file or convert the format first, the next section provides steps you can follow. As long as you have the right audio files, the steps are pretty simple. Here’s what you need to do after you get the .m4r audio file for your ringtone.

1. Connect iPhone to computer.
2. On your Mac, open Finder.
3. Drag and drop the ringtone onto your device.

How to add custom ringtones on iPhone using iTunes

Apple’s iTunes also provides users with a way to create custom ringtones for iPhone. Here are the steps to follow when using iTunes on a Windows PC or Mac.

1. Open iTunes and add the song to your music library that you want to use as your ringtone.
2. Connect your iPhone to your computer and click the iPhone button next to the drop-down menu on the top bar.
3. Scroll down to the Options section on the Summary page and click on the Manually manage music and videos option. hit complete button, then Apply.
4. Return to your music library on iTunes and select the song you want to convert to a ringtone.
5. Right click on the song name and select song information then go to Options tab. Click the Start and Stop checkboxes and select the start and stop points of the audio. Make sure the audio length you choose is 30 seconds in total, otherwise you won’t hear songs longer than that as ringtones. Now, select OK.
6. Select a song and go to document > change > Create AAC version.
7. Right click on the song and select Show in Windows Explorer.
8. Now, rename the file extension of the converted audio from the existing m4a to .m4r. You can only rename a file extension if it is visible on your computer. You can enable them by clicking view > file extension Options in Windows Explorer.
9. Copy the .m4r audio file and return to iTunes again. Go to equipment Then select your iPhone from the left column. Now, right click tone option and then paste. Your custom ringtone is now available on your iPhone.

These steps only apply to Windows PC and Mac computers running macOS Mojave and earlier. On newer macOS versions, Finder can be used as an alternative to iTunes to sync music and other media content.

How to use custom ringtones on iPhone

If you don’t have access to the desktop, or want to create custom ringtones directly from your iPhone without any third-party apps, or connect your iPhone to a PC or Mac, follow these steps.

1. Download the audio file you want to set as your custom ringtone to your iPhone. It can be in the commonly used .MP3 format.
2. Now, download GarageBand from the App Store.
3. Open GarageBand and scroll right to left to select recorder options.
4. tap OK Go to the recording prompt and select the third icon in the upper right corner.
5. Now, make sure the metronome is disabled. It’s located behind the record button on the top panel.
6. Click the loop icon in the upper left corner and switch to document Tab from the top. You can now browse projects from the Files app. You need to select the audio app you want to use as your custom ringtone. Alternatively, you can select songs stored locally in your music library. However, you can’t select songs or podcasts available through Apple Music.
7. Once you select a song, it will appear on the Loops screen. Drag and drop it onto the timeline on GarageBand Recorder.
8. Click the plus sign (+) icon above the timeline — on the far right. This will allow you to change the section length. You need to manually change the part length to 30 bars because the ringtone usually plays for 30 seconds.
9. Now adjust the song by trimming it and moving the clips with your fingers. You can also play the final audio from the top panel.
10. Click the arrow icon in the upper left corner. You will see your GarageBand project. You can rename the project with your desired custom ringtone name.
11. Now, click and hold on the item and select share. You will then see the share song screen where you need to select ring Then click continue Export the final audio as a ringtone. You can also rename the ringtone before exporting it from the app as a ringtone.
12. Once the audio is created, you can use it as a custom ringtone with one click Use sound as… Options in the pop-up window that appears after a successful export. You can also do this by: set up > sound and touch > ring.

If you don’t want to use GarageBand on your iPhone, you can export the songs as custom ringtones using iTunes from a Windows PC or Mac, or sync them through Finder on a Mac computer running the latest macOS version.