The many methods for using custom iPhone ringtones

There exists a plethora of options for putting custom ringtones on your iPhone, Apple-sanctioned and otherwise. Some are free, others require the purchase of Apple or third-party software. Also, some are platform-specific (Mac OS X or Windows only). Much of the current guidance on using custom ringtones is scattered or incomplete, so here’s a comprehensive look at the currently available methods:

Buy from the iTunes store. Cost: $.99 per purchased track

This method will cost you $.99-per-ringtone and restrict you to a limited subset of the iTunes Music store library. It does, however, provide drop-dead simple usage, allows the use of (some) DRM-restricted tracks, and allows basic section song segment selection/editing. Here’s how to use it:

1. Search through your current iTunes library to search for purchased tracks that are eligible for ringtone creation. While viewing your iTunes library. Go to the “View” menu and select “View options…,” then check the box next to Ringtones.
   
   
   
2. Click the “OK” button, and you’ll be presented with the following dialog box:
   
   
   
3. You can now click on the ringtone category icon at the top of your music list to organize tracks by whether or not they can be made ringtones. Click on the ringtone icon next to a track to bring up the ringtone editor and start creating a tone. Click through, agree to the iTunes terms of service, then edit a track and create a ringtone.
   
   
   
4. Ringtones can also be purchased from the iTunes store once a track itself has been purchased.
   
5. The track will be added to the “Ringtones” section of
   
   the left-hand pane under “Library.”
   
6. Connect your iPhone then sync it with iTunes, making sure that your new ringtone is selected in the “Ringtones” section.
   
7. On your iPhone, tap Settings > Sounds > Ringtone to select your newly transferred track.

Use GarageBand (Mac OS X only). Cost: $79 for the iLife suite

This method requires Mac OS X and the purchase of Apple’s iLife ($79), which includes GarageBand (version 4.1.1 is necessary). You’ll also need iTunes 8.0 and iPhone with firmware version 1.1.2 or later. Here’s how to use it:

1. Launch GarageBand. You should be presented with “My Song” window. If not, select “New” from the File menu then click “Create a new music project.”
   
2. Save your project.
   
3. Launch iTunes and drag any track into the main GarageBand window. Alternatively, choose a song in the Finder and drag it to the main GarageBand window.
   
4. With your song open in GarageBand, click the cycle region button (looks like two process arrows chasing>
   
5. Adjust the cycle region to the desired length (it must be 40 seconds or less) by dragging the edges of the orange bar that appears above your track. An expansion tool will appear as you hover the mouse over the edge of the bar. You can also drag the entire cycle region selection to a separate part of the song.
   
6. Now, when you press the play button, your cycle region will loop, giving you a rough preview of your ringtone. Tip: to make a smoother-sounding ringtone, look for natural breaks in the music to stop your cycle region indicated by the absence of a waveform.
   
7. Once you have the desired cycle region, select “Send Ringtone to iTunes” from the “Share menu”
   
8. Connect your iPhone then sync it with iTunes, making sure that your new ringtone is selected in the “Ringtones” section.
   
9. On your iPhone, tap Settings > Sounds > Ringtone. Your ringtone(s) will be displayed under “Custom”
   
10. [Here's a video demonstration of the process]

Manual transfer trick. Cost: Free

This method is free and works with any track in your iTunes library, but has a key limitation: you can only use tracks that are less than 40 seconds in length, meaning that you’ll need edit songs with a separate utility (like Audacity for Windows or Fission for Mac OS X) before it function properly. It also requires iTunes 7.5 and an iPhone running firmware 1.1.2. Here’s how to use it:

1. Select a track that is 40 seconds or less. You can do this in iTunes by clicking the “Time” heading to organize by shortest track (If the file is an MP3 or any other format aside from AAC [.m4a], select it and choose “Convert Selection to AAC” from the “Advanced menu in iTunes).
   
2. With the AAC track selected, right-click (Mac or Windows) or option-click (Mac) the track and then select either “Reveal in Finder” in Mac OS X or “Show in Explorer” in Windows.
   
3. Duplicate the track.
   
4. Change the extension of the new copy to “.m4r.” Double-click the file to open it in iTunes. It should automatically appear under the “Ringtones” section.
   
   
5. Connect your iPhone then sync it with iTunes, making sure that your new ringtone is selected in the “Ringtones” section.
   
6. On your iPhone, tap Settings > Sounds > Ringtone. Your ringtone(s) will be displayed under “Custom”

Third-party solutions

These products either circumvent Apple’s normal ringtone addition process or automate it to move audio tracks into the “Ringtones” section in iTunes. None require hacking of the iPhone, but Apple has — either inadvertently or deliberately — disabled their functionality with various iTunes and iPhone software/firmware updates.

• iToner (Mac-only). Cost: $15 With this tool, you drag and drop MP3 or AAC audio files on iToner’s window, click the Sync button, and the items are automatically moved into the iPhone’s ringtones section. It has no method for selecting a portion of the track — you’ll need to edit the file beforehand with a sound editor (like Fission). The latest release features French, German, and Italian localizations as well as other bug fixes and enhancements.
  
• MakeiPhoneRingtone (Mac-only). Cost: Free Same deal: drag and drop any AAC file to the interface and MakeiPhoneRingtone will automatically process it and send it to iTunes where it will be classified as a ringtone. The company behind this program, Rogue Amoeba is also the developer of Fission, which can be used to cut down and edit tracks before transfer.
  
• iPhoneRingToneMaker 2.0 (Windows-only). Cost: $15 Works in a similar fashion: select MP3s, click the “Send to iPhone” button. The new release features ringtone shuffling: random playing of any of iPhone-stored ringtones; and volume boosting, which “applies digital amplification to any desired level.” Price: $15.

After pushing a ringtone with any of the aforementioned tools, connect your iPhone then sync it with iTunes, making sure that your new ringtone is selected in the “Ringtones” section. On your iPhone, tap Settings > Sounds > Ringtone. Your ringtone(s) will be displayed under “Custom.”

Ringtone troubleshooting

• If you can’t get your ringtones to show up on your iPhone after syncing, simply try disconnecting the device, reconnecting it and attempting the sync again.
  
• Some users have reported an issue where ringtones assigned to specific contacts do not work. In other words, the ringtone can be selected and assigned to the contact properly, but when the contact calls, the default ringtone is played. In some cases, this issue may be due to a number mismatch — the number is stored on way on your iPhone but comes in using a different format. For instance, if you have the number stored in full international format, but it comes in as a local number, the correct ringtone may not play. In other cases, the fix is simple: On your iPhone, navigate to Settings, then General, then Reset, then “Reset All Settings.” Note that this will erase your voicemail password and other stored data. Failing that, some users have found success with deleting the contact to which the ringtone is assigned, recreating the contact, then assigning the ringtone again.
  
• Remember that custom ringtones appear above default ringtones in their own list.