Make custom iPhone ringtones work with iTunes 7.4.1
Update: Amazingly, iPhone 1.1.2 update re-enabled the m4r-rename hack. This all works again!
I just tested it quickly by renaming a previous home-made ringtone file to m4r and double-clicking. It imported, synced to and played on my iPhone without any other steps.
Currently there are no known ringtone hacks for iPhone 1.1.1.
Apple, you’re pissing off your fans. Don’t do this. [we'll just be over here pretending you listened!]
This totally seems like it shouldn’t work.
If you’re seeing “cannot be played on this iPhone errors” like this:
![[file] was not copied to the iPhone](http://joemaller.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/cannot_be_played_on_this_iphone.png)
Open your iTunes Library folder and find the Ringtones folder: iTunes Music/Ringtones.
Select your ringtone and change the file extension back to m4a. Yes, m4a.
Sync again and your custom ringtone should be working on your iPhone. Nice.
Update: Confirmed for Windows XP & Vista
Thanks to commenter Robbie, building on steps from Jason Choi, here’s how to get custom ringtones working in Windows:
- Put m4r files into a ringtones folder on my desktop
- Opened iTunes
- Edit > Preferences > Advanced
- Check “Keep iTunes Music folder organized”
- Check “Copy files to iTunes Music folder when adding to library”
- Create playlist called “Ringtones” in iTunes
- Drag the Ringtones folder from my desktop to the playlist I created in iTunes
- Made sure they appeared when in the list on the Ringtones tab in iTunes
- Opened the “Ringtones” folder that iTunes created in
MusiciTunesiTunes MusicRingtones - Renamed all the m4r files to m4a
- Try to sync but it fails because it cannot find the m4r files (this is good)
- Look at playlist created in iTunes with a bunch of X’s next to each ringtone
- Double click each ringtone (hit browse for the file, and selected each m4a file from the folder in my
MusiciTunesiTunes MusicRingtones) - Hit sync again
- Verify they are in your Settings>Sounds>Ringtones
PS: Didn’t try 8.0.1 yet, don’t wanna mess it up, so if anyone tried it with 8.0.1, let us know.
Thanks Guys! Took me a while but I got there. I tried everything and I’d get to a point and couldn’t go any further. In the end I downloaded http://www.dvdvideosoft.com/products/dvd/Free-Video-to-iPhone-Converter.htm, thanks Digit-AL, trimmed my file to 33 seconds and Wa La! Sooooo happy to be rid of the standard ringtones.
A big thanks to everyone for all their effort!
You know I have Windows Media Center and an 8gb iPhone. I wasn’t able to see the Ringtone folder either. So I had a sneaking suspicion that I’d have to BUY a ringtone, to force the program to create the folder. Which, it did. I was then able to drag .m4R files into my ringtone pane in iTunes and sync it perfectly.
Mr 337, you are the man!
thx neesan!! worked for me yay!
i already have my old ring tong but i don’t know how to convert to my itune.
Completed everything OK up to file being in ringtones folder on iphone itself.
Converted, created ringtones folder, the new tone shows in both folders in itunes (library and ringtones folder on phone) then when checking my iphone itself (settings, sounds, ringtone)I cannot find new ringtone – Anyone help, please this is driving me mad !!!
you could just make a 40 second track in garage band then go share and send ringtone to itunes
It works on itunes 8.0.2. you beauty!!
Just a quick question everyone…
I’m a complete technophobe, and my son is currently helping me to sort this iPhone problem. How exactly do I change the “m4a” file to “m4r”??
Thanks in advance
Update:
I didn’t check the “Do not hide known file extensions”, I’m a fool, haha.
To poster 337: Thank you very much sir, you’ve made my day.
5*
337 Post works fine for me on Itunes 8.02 and Software 2.2 on Iphone-Thanks very much!
Sad I know but I wanted my Nokia Ringtone on the I Phone lol
Si
To poster 337 Thank you so much, It works perfectly on my PC with the latest itunes software. Thank you again you are a legend!!!!
Keith.
337 works, and I see the song under my iphone ringtones folder on itunes, but it is greyed out, not selectable in itunes nor in my settings–ringtones folder on the phone.
How do I change it BACK to m4a, does it need to go to the desktop again?
Please advise
i have this woring fine but as soon as i add a ringtone to the iphone it deletes all of my music files and i have to reisync, is there a reason for this??
Thanks
Hello,
Dont know if anyone can help but all of this seems to work on my mates computer but on mine the ‘.m4a’ at the end of the file name isnt showing up so i cant change it to m4r. Does anyone know how i can get round this??
Alright this is kinda tricky, BUT I got about 3 ringtones on my iPhone in about 5 min. using iTunes 8. Ok, first off you’re gonna need some type of program where you can clip the song down to about 20-30 sec. Convert it to .wav. Next, download a program called FormatFactory and it SHOULD have the .m4r extension on the side. Last, pull up iTunes and on the side you should see ‘ringtones’ with a gold/brown bell icon next to it; click it once. Slide the .m4r file over from where ever you saved it and sync. No problems. Oh yeah I’m using Windows Vista.
Cell Phone Ringing ringtone is awesome. But due to a corrupt file I had to restone my iphone yesterday. As of 3/23/09 I am using the latest version of iphone and itunes. Cell Phone Ringing has worked with all iphone version including 2.2.1. However, it apparently does not work with the latest itunes version 8. The ringtone appears and plays under itunes ringtone folder and appears in the iphone ringtone folder in itunes but will not sync to the phone. There is no error just no ringtone. Any ideas? Thanks, –Ed
CORRECTED: See [[ ]]. Cell Phone Ringing ringtone is awesome. But due to a corrupt file I had to restore my iphone yesterday. As of 3/23/09 I am using the latest version of iphone and itunes. Cell Phone Ringing has worked with all iphone version including 2.2.1. However, it apparently does not work with the latest itunes version 8 [[when sync'ing to an iphone that has already sync'ed with itunes running version 8]]. The ringtone appears and plays under itunes ringtone folder and appears in the iphone ringtone folder in itunes but will not sync to the iphone. There is no error just no ringtone. Any ideas? Thanks, –Ed
I realized that the ringtone has to be under 40 seconds to sync with iPhone (iTunes 8.1, iPhone OS 2.2.1)
This is very frustrating. I just bought a new iPhone 3GS and am working on a year old iMac. I have the clip, it’s less than 30 seconds (8 to be precise) and it shows up in itunes but I can not get it to go to the Ringtones folder. I have changed the file extension to .m4r on my desktop and double clicked, it DOES NOT go to the Ringtones folder, which remains empty. Nor can I drag it to the Ringtones folder, nothing happens.