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. 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?

  2. 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

  3. “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

  4. 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

  5. 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 🙁

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