How To: Create Your Own Custom Ringtones For Your iPhone

This article was previously published on cricketsoda.com by yours truly....

*This will require that you have iTunes installed on your pc. I’m not certain which versions of iTunes this method will be supported by but I have version 8.2.1.6 and it works like a charm. I’m sure it will work with later versions as well.*

*For this to work correctly, you will need to be able to see file extensions when viewing a file from it’s location, e.g. your music folder, etc…

To enable file extension viewing you will need to follow these steps:
(This is using Vista but the instructions will be similar for other os’s as well)

1) From your start menu, go to control panel and then click on ‘Appearance and Personalization’. From there, click on ‘Folder Options’.
2) In ‘Folder Options’, click the ‘view’ tab and then locate ‘Hide extensions from known file types’. Make sure the box next to this is unchecked then click ‘apply’ and close the box. *

Now you’re ready to begin. *Note, the song you wish to use should already be in your iTunes library, If not, add it first. Also, you can use only 39 seconds or less of a song to create a ringtone, otherwise your iPhone will not recognize it as a ringtone. You should listen to the song first and take note of the time of the particular part of the song you wish to use. You will need this time in an upcoming step.*

1) Open iTunes and locate the song you wish to use.
2) Right click on the song and select ‘Get Info’. Then select the ‘Options’ tab.
3) Check the boxes ‘Start Time’ and ‘Stop Time”. Here you will insert the start and stop times you took note of earlier before beginning, remembering that it can only be 39 seconds or less. Do this and then click ‘OK’. (After you have finished creating your ringtone, remember to go back and uncheck those boxes)
4) Right click on the song again and select ‘Create AAC version’. This will create a new, shorter version of the song you want to use. You will see it either above or below the song. Remember, it will be 39 seconds or less so that is how you will distinguish it from the original song.
5) Here comes a bit of a tricky part but it’s not so bad. You need to copy the new, shorter version of the song and put it in a folder outside of iTunes. Be sure to put it somewhere where you know where it is. Once that is done, you need to delete the short version from iTunes. This is an important step, it HAS to be done.
6) After deleting the short version from iTunes, go to where you copied it to. Right click on it and choose ‘Rename’. Here is where you change the file extension (see beginning of this post if you can’t see the file extension)
7) Change the file extension to m4r.
Now copy the file back to your iTunes library and it will show up in your ringtones section. Sync your phone and the ringtone will be there to use.

VOILA!!! That wasn’t so hard, now was it!

p.s. Remember to go back to the original song in your iTunes library and uncheck the start and stop boxes. This method can be used on any song in your iTunes library not just songs purchased through iTunes. I, myself, have never purchased a song through iTunes and have only used songs that were already on my computer.

Let me know how it worked for you!