How To Make A Ringtone For IPhone

By: Helen Rogers

Break Studios Contributing Writer

You might want to know how to make a ringtone for iPhone if you’re not interested in purchasing them off of the iTunes store. Apple has made it a tad confusing to make your own, but there are ways to get make and use your own ringtones for the iPhone. If you’re ready to start making your own ringtones without having to pay a penny, check out this guide to make a ringtone for iPhone.

To make a ringtone for iPhone, you will need:

  • An iPhone
  • Ringtone Designer (free app in the App Store)
  • Songs in your iPod library on your iPhone
  1. The first step in making your own ringtone for your iPhone is downloading the “Ringtone Designer” app from the App Store. This app is completely free, and it allows you to create ringtones from your iPod library on your phone. The app icon will feature a silver circle with an orange music note inside.
  2. On the opening screen of the app, you will need to tap the orange music note to open your iPod library. Once you see your music library, find a song that you’d like to use as a ringtone and select it. This will import it into the “Ringtone Designer” app and will allow you to cut out a part of the song.
  3. Once you’ve found a clip that you like, simply tap the Save button. This will save the clip to the phone, but you are not quite done yet.
  4. Connect your iPhone to your computer using the USB cord. ITunes should launch and sync your phone. Wait for the phone to sync with the computer.
  5. Select your device from the left hand side of the screen. You should see your device in the left pane of iTunes. You’re going to need to select it so that you can manage your phone.
  6. Once you’ve selected your device, click the “Apps” tab. This should reveal all apps installed on your phone as well as a picture of your device’s home screen.
  7. Scroll down to the bottom of the page of the “Apps” tab. It may not be noticeable at first, but you can scroll to the bottom of the “Apps” page. You’ll notice a section called “File Sharing” as well as a list of apps below it. You should now see the “Ringtone Designer” app there. Click on it.
  8. Once you’ve clicked on the app, you’ll see some files appear. Your ringtones are there! You’ll need to save them to your computer so that you can use them. You can either drag and drop the ringtones to a folder or your desktop, or you can use the Save button below the list of ringtones. Save the ringtone(s) to an easy-to-remember place on your computer.
  9. After you’ve saved all of your ringtones, open the directory that you saved them to. You’re going to need to load them into iTunes so that you can sync them to your phone as ringtones. Simply browse to the location of your saved ringtones on your computer and double-click each one to load them into your “Ringtones” section in iTunes.
  10. Once you’ve loaded all ringtones into iTunes, click on your device again in the left pane and wait for it open on the right. Choose the “Ringtones” tab this time and make sure “Sync ringtones” is checked. All that’s left to do is click “Sync.” Wait for the phone to complete syncing and then unplug the phone.
  11. Lastly, all you have to do is navigate into the “Options” on the iPhone and browse to the “Sounds” section. You will see your new ringtones under the “Custom” section and you’ll be able to use them. Simply tap one to set it as your ringtone!
Posted on: Jan. 13, 2011