There are all kinds of standard ringtones on your iPhone, but sometimes you prefer to have your own tune. Which can! You can make your own ringtones for your iPhone, even for free, in the Music app or iTunes on the Mac. Follow the steps in this tip to turn your favorite song into a ringtone.
Own song as ringtone
If you want to use a popular music track, you can also purchase paid ringtones from the iTunes Store. But yes, that costs money and then you are stuck with a certain fragment, while you want a completely different part. No problem: you can also get started with your free ringtone yourself. You create it on the Mac and then send it to your iPhone. In this tip we explain which requirements a ringtone must meet and which tools you need for it.
- Ringtone requirements
- Step 1: Choose a song
- Step 2: Shorten number
- Step 3: Save number
- Step 4: Transfer to phone
- More tips
Ringtone requirements
To use a ringtone on the iPhone, the fragment must meet two conditions:
- It must be a maximum of 30 to 40 seconds long.
- It must be an audio file in .m4r format.
- You must have a music track without DRM.
- You have a Mac with the Music app (or iTunes if you're using an older macOS version).
You can get started with the tools and steps below. There are also tools such as WALTR that allow the ringtone to be longer than 30 seconds, although you may wonder if that makes sense.
Step 1: Choose a song
Before you can start you need a song of course. Find a song you want to use as a ringtone. If you can play an instrument or are a (hobby) DJ, you can of course also make something yourself. Listen to the song to see which part you want to use.
Step 2: Trim song
Get the perfect start and end time by trimming your song:
- Open the song in the Music app on your Mac.
- Right-click on the song and choose Get Info.
- Go to the Options tab.
- Choose the desired start and end time.
Step 3: Save number
This sounds like a simple step, but it actually consists of two steps:
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- Right-click the appropriate song and choose Show in Finder.
- Select the file, press enter and change the extension from ‘.m4a’ to ‘.m4r’.
- A pop-up window will appear in which you can confirm your choice.
Step 4: Transfer to phone
Now you need to transfer the ringtone to the phone. This has become a lot more difficult since the disappearance of iTunes, but it can be done:
- Go to the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Browse to Hear & Feel > ; ringtone > Download all purchased tones. Although this is not a paid ringtone, you should still use this button.
- You will now see the ringtone you just created.
- Tap it and set it as your new ringtone.
You can of course also use the sound as a notification tone for new e-mail or something similar.
More tips about ringtones
Read more about creating and using your own ringtone below:
- Own ringtone on your iPhone: this is how it works
- Listen to the unique ringtone of the iPhone X
- Buy new ringtones via iTunes on iPhone and iPad
- Unique ringtone per set contact