How to make iPhone ringtones for free

gryphondwb’s Xanga Site has laid out instructions for creating free iPhone ringtones and syncing them via iTunes. It’s simple and it works, we tested it.

Instructions:
1. Duplicate and rename any AAC file (or convert other file types to AAC via iTunes).
2. In the Finder, select it and choose “Get Info” from the File menu
3. Change the file’s extension to .M4R
4. If it is already in your iTunes library, delete the original from your iTunes Library (re-import the original back to your library when you’re done)
5. Double-click your .M4R file to automatically add it to your iTunes library
6. Click on your iPhone in your iTunes “DEVICES” list and select the “Ringtones” tab – you should now see your new ringtone
7. Sync to add it to your your iPhone

You can use another application to edit your song, add fades, etc. before proceeding from step 3 to create a “custom” iPhone ringtone.

We’ll see if Apple closes this hole with a future update.

More info, screenshots, and directions for Windows here.

[Thanks to MacDailyNews Readers “Fred Mertz” and “JMS in TX” for the heads up.]

61 Comments

  1. Then there is the Pavlov inspired Human Beat Box method where you train yourself to imitate a human beat box whenever you here your iPhone ring.

    This method is espacially cool if you like RunDMC, FatBoys, 3rdBase, and/or old DOug E. Fresh tunes for you ringers.

    Just my $0.02

  2. One other thing that might need to happen, it does sometimes with Audiobook format, you might need to change the TYPE field using a finder utility such as File Buddy. The new TYPE will probably be, and I’m guessing this as I don’t have an iPhone and thus no ringtones, “M4R “. DON’T MISS THE SPACE AT THE END.

  3. thank the goddess!

    …i mean what use is a touch screen, visual voice mail, and a real internet experience on a phone if i can’t have some shitty american idol contestant screeching out crap whenever someone calls me…..

    MW: there are 2 “types” of people in the world, those that divide everything into 2 categories and those who don’t…

  4. I also take the AAC files into GarageBand to boost the volume.

    Also, there are some good sound samples in GaragaBand including a loud cell phone ring, which I also converted to an iPhone ringtone.

    Oh, and I found a dentist drill sfx in GB which I’ve applied to my mother-in-law’s contact!

  5. Too Fsking cool!!!

    Just made Comfortably Numb my ringtone…”Hello, is there anybody in there?” Used GarageBand to select just the beginning beat to the end of the verse above, with a cool reverb at the end.

    I can’t believe that Apple let this happen (unless it was on purpose figuring most people will just pay the 99 cents).

    @ me: Took me several times to get it right (renaming in finder, importing into iTunes without iPhone connected, etc.)

  6. Comment from: Fred
    I can’t believe ringtones are this popular. i guess a lot of girls and queers like them

    Huh? What kind of sweeping generalization, homophobic sexist comment is that?

    >people< like ringtones. full stop

  7. …and don’t forget the fart noises!

    Actually, this is the one thing that offended me in Apple’s release yesterday: The concept that I must pay 99 cents to use a piece of a song that I already own as a ringtone for my phone. This is complete and utter horseshit and there is absolutely no excuse for it.

    I’m no hippy and even I think that’s fair use…

  8. @ No Squirt For You:

    If I am having fun with my time, I’m getting my money’s worth. Even screwing around like this, bet my time earns me more than you. Not that I’m conceited or anything, just trying to jab back after your elementary comment.

  9. is anybody having a problem importing more than 5 ringtones to the iPhone? i went through and converted 10 songs to .m4r and only 5 of them came through. all 10 showed up in iTunes, but 5 of ’em are on my phone even though i had “sync all ringtones” selected.

    thoughts?

  10. I can’t imagine so.

    Well not all the time.
    Most ACC audio from Apple is DRM.

    I could in reverse TRY, an old mp3… convert it to ACC format usinf QT PRO and do as instructed here. However, I have not purchased the iPhone yet. It is not here in Canada.

    So – can anyone say for sure this ACTUALLY works.

    thx

  11. “You can use another application to edit your song, add fades, etc. before proceeding from step 3 to create a “custom” iPhone ringtone.”

    THIS PART I do not agree with… as this will require re-encoding… something that CAN ONLY occur if you BROKE the musics DRM in the ACC.

    Even if you paid for the song. I don’t think this is allowed or can occur with “another audio editing application”.

    CAN anyone TEST this theory… I would love to KNOW…
    thx

  12. i tried it a bunch of times with bought, non bought, and a garage band thing i made.
    didnt work
    i got as far as seeing it in the sync window, but it would not load it because an m4R is not playable on my iPhone
    but i did download the new itunes that came out today.
    maybe they already fixed it with the new version 7.4.1

    Oh well, too bad so sad

  13. Yep, iTunes 7.4.1 took them away (“wrong format” or something like that). I had used some of the .aiff sound effects files that are included in the iLife installation. Just do a Spotlight search for “iLife Sound Effects.” The conversion, renaming, and syncing had worked flawlessly until 7.4.1 🙁

  14. I wasn’t seeing any of the ringtones appear on my phone and i realized that the songs that i converted to m4r then to m4a removed the actual song from my iphone’s playlist. I renamed the NAME field under Ringtones in iTunes then re-synced, and sure enough, they appeared with the new names. There must be a unique name feature that the iphone uses for ringtones.

  15. You can actually ringtone any song you want, using iTunes 7.4 or higher. Everyone needs to read this and NOT continue using the “renaming” trick, a bug based on the renaming, or unnecessary jailbreaking (if you ONLY want a ringtone). Apple simply made ringtones require special metadata to be set, like TV Shows. I made another blog post about it, although I think people have ringtone technique fatigue by now.

    iPhone Ringtones – What Did iTunes 7.4.1 really do?
    http://www.digg.com/apple/iPhone_Ringtones_What_Did_iTunes_7_4_1_really_do
    Someone should be able to make an easier version of what I’ve posted, but its the raw details and best thing to do in my opinion.

  16. thanks Cleverboy,

    finally someone had sense vs. paranoia on Apple. it’s in the metadata!

    however, i found AtomicParsley too complex. it didn’t work for me either. Amoeba just came out with MakeiPhoneRingtone (see versiontracker.com). for 1st time, after trying it all out there, ringtones showed up in my iTunes-iPhone-ringtones tab, so i was excited & claimed it worked!

    it did not either!!
    iTunes 7.41 comes up with error message upon sync: “cannot be played on this iPhone”

    arrgh! nothing seems to work! why so complicated?!?!!

    anyone with a tip?!

    thx!

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  18. Useful. But I know another one that is named Tipard iPhone Ringtone Maker. It is very easy to use. It provides an all-in-one solution to make ringtone for iPhone with your loved music.This iPhone Ringtone Maker converts almost all mainstream video/audio formats including MPEG, WMV, MP4, DivX, MOV, RM, AAC, WMA, MP3 to iPhone ringtone M4R to create iPhone Ringtone.Then transfer converted ringtones to iPhone directly without iTunes.
    If you are interested, here:
    http://www.tipard.com/iphone-ringtone-maker.html

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