4 Easy Ways to Change Your Ringtone on an iPhone

Download Article

Show off your musical tastes with a custom iPhone ringtone

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: March 7, 2024 Fact Checked

Download Article

Setting a Built-in Ringtone

|

Downloading a Ringtone

|

Making a Ringtone

|

Setting Ringtones for a Contact

|

Video

|

Q&A

|

Tips

If you’re tired of the default melody your iPhone plays when someone’s calling, you can select a new ringtone from a few different built-in options. If you don't want the built-in options, you can download ringtones from the iTunes Store or create a custom ringtone in iTunes. Here's how to set ringtones on an iPhone.

Things You Should Know

To set ringtones on an iPhone, go to "Settings" → "Sounds & Haptics" → "Ringtone" → select a new ringtone.
You can purchase ringtones directly from the iTunes store or create one in iTunes or the Music app.
You can also set individual ringtones for each contact you have.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Setting a Built-in Ringtone

Download Article

This will launch the control panel.
2
Tap Sounds & Haptics. You can find this underneath Notifications.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- You’ll see several different sound events you can customize.
Advertisement
3
Tap the current ringtone. This is next to Ringtone underneath the Sounds and Haptic Patterns header.
- If you want to change the tone you hear when you receive a text, tap Text Tone instead.
4
Select a ringtone from the list of built-in options. To sample each tone, tap its name. Put a check next to the tone of your choice to select a universal ringtone.
- The new ringtone will be set immediately.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Downloading a Ringtone

Download Article

You can download ringtones from many sites and apps, but they are often filled with spyware, viruses, and copyright-protected music that could get you in trouble. Your safest bet is to use the iTunes store right from your phone. If you’re using another app or site you’ve researched and trust, the instructions should be similar to those in this method.
2
Open the iTunes Store app on your iPhone. This looks like a white star with a purple background.
- If you don't have the iTunes Store app, download it from the App Store.
Tap “More” at the bottom of the screen and select “Tones.” You can now search by genre, top ten lists, or featured ringtones. Tap each tone to hear a sample.
4
Download a ringtone. Tap the price of the ringtone to download it to your phone. Once you agree to the purchase, you’ll be asked what you’d like to do.
- Tap Set as Default Ringtone to make your new ringtone the universal sound for all incoming phone calls.
- Tap Assign to a Contact to choose a person in your contacts list who you'd like to be associated with this ringtone. This means that every time that person calls you, you’ll hear this new ringtone. All other calls will still use the current ringtone.
- Tap Done to simply download it without changing your ringtone. If you choose this option and later want to change your ringtone to this file, open the Settings menu and select Sounds then Ringtone. You’ll now see this ringtone file as an option. Tap it to set it as your ringtone.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making a Ringtone

Download Article

1
Open iTunes on a computer. Be sure to use the computer you use to sync your iPhone with iTunes. You'll also need music in your iTunes library.
- If using a Mac, open the Music app.
2
Select the track you want to turn into a ringtone. The maximum length of a ringtone is 30 seconds, so you’ll need to designate which part of the song you want.
- Take note of when your 30-second segment begins and ends.
- The exact time is right beneath the song information at the top of the screen. If the part you like begins when the timer is at 1:40, that’s the number you’ll write down.
- Keeping the 30-second limitation in mind, decide where you want to stop. Write down the stop point timer number. If you want to end the song at 2 minutes and 5 seconds in, write 2:05.
With the song selected, click Get Info and then click Options.
Ensure the two boxes next to the numbers have checkmarks inside them. Click OK to create your ringtone.
Right-click (or Command-click) the song and select Create AAC version. This will create a new version of the song that consists of only the segment you’ve chosen. It will appear as a duplicate in the library, right above or below the original song. The only difference will be the length—the ringtone you just made will be much shorter.
Right-click the original (longer) song and choose Get Info. Go to the Options tab and remove the checks and numbers next to Start and Stop.
Right-click (or Command-click) the shorter copy and select Show in Windows Explorer (Windows) or Show in Finder (Mac).
8
Rename the file from .m4a to .m4r. Right-click (or Command-click) the file in the folder and select “Rename.” Type the name of the song (or whatever you’d like your ringtone to be called) followed by .m4r.
- For example, “UnclePhranc.m4r” if the name of your song is “Uncle Phranc.”
- The extension .m4r will convert your file to a ringtone.
9
Add the song back to the iTunes library. Move the .m4r file into the <Media Folder>\Tones folder.
- If you’re using iTunes 11 or earlier, click the Tones button on the top right of iTunes and make sure Sync Tones and All Tones are selected. Click Apply.
- On Mac, open the Finder and select the General tab. Drag and drop or copy and paste the .m4r from the Finder window into the General tab.
10
Sync your ringtone. Make sure to connect your iPhone to your computer with the proper cable.
- If you’re using iTunes 11 or earlier, click the Tones button on the top right of iTunes and make sure Sync Tones and All Tones are selected. Select Apply and the sync will begin.
- If you’re using iTunes 12 or newer, click the Tones button at the top left of iTunes and then drag your ringtone over to your iPhone to sync.
Open the Settings menu on your iPhone and select Sounds & Haptics. Tap Ringtone and select the name of the song you just created.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Setting Ringtones for a Contact

Download Article

You'll see a list of all your added contacts.
This will be in the top-right corner.
It should say Default if you haven't changed it.
4
Select a ringtone for this contact. You can select any ringtone, including those you’ve downloaded or custom-made. Downloaded or custom-made ringtones will show beneath the built-in options.
- You can also set a custom vibration pattern for your contacts. On the Ringtone page, tap Vibration and then choose a Standard one or make your own by tapping Create New Vibration near the bottom of the screen.
This will save your changes.

Community Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do I take my phone off the vibrate setting?

Community Answer

There's a switch on the left side of the phone that silences and puts the ringer on, if it is orange it is set to silent, toggle it back to the other position.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 6 Helpful 6
Question

How do you put your own ringtones onto an iPhone?

Community Answer

There are apps you can download with libraries from which you can choose. Some let you use downloaded music.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 5 Helpful 5
Question

How do I set a YouTube video as my ringtone on my iPhone?

Community Answer

You can't set an actual video as a ringtone, but if you want the audio from that video, download it onto your PC and convert it into an MP3 file. Then, follow the standard steps for converting an MP3 into an MP4 through iTunes.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 5 Helpful 2

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

Ringtones must be 30 seconds long or less, which is why you can’t simply select just any song from your phone to use as a ringtone.

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0