How to Make a Ringtone From Any Song (iPhone and Android)

Default ringtones are easy to confuse with everyone else's phone. A short clip of a favourite song, a recording of your child laughing or a theme tune makes your phone instantly recognisable. Making one takes a minute; getting it onto the phone takes a few more.

Make the ringtone

1. Open the Ringtone Maker and add a song or recording (MP3, M4A, WAV and other common formats).
2. Select the part you want: the chorus, the intro, the famous riff.
3. Choose the format:
   • iPhone: .m4r, up to 40 seconds.
   • Android: MP3.
4. Keep the soft fade in and out, so the ringtone doesn't start or stop abruptly.
5. Save the file.

How long should a ringtone be?

iPhone ringtones can be up to 40 seconds; most Android phones accept any length. 20–30 seconds is common: long enough to cover the time before a call goes to voicemail, short enough to stay on the catchy part. For notification sounds and alarms, a few seconds is plenty.

Make it loud enough

A quiet recording makes a quiet ringtone. If your clip is soft, raise it with Audio Volume, which can make audio louder or normalize it to full volume without distortion, before making the ringtone.

Pick the right moment

• Start on a strong beat or the first word of a line, not halfway through.
• Avoid long quiet intros: you might miss the call before it gets loud.
• Loop-friendly sections work best, as ringtones repeat.

If you'd like precise control over the start and end, cut the clip first with the Audio Trimmer, then turn it into a ringtone.

Set it on Android

1. Copy the MP3 to your phone, for example via USB, a cloud drive or by downloading it on the phone.
2. Ideally put it in the Ringtones folder of the phone's storage.
3. Go to Settings › Sound (the exact path depends on the phone maker) and choose Phone ringtone.
4. Pick your file from the list, or use the option to add a ringtone from your files.

You can also set different ringtones for individual contacts in the Contacts app.

Set it on iPhone

iPhones don't let you simply download a ringtone and pick it. Common ways to add a .m4r ringtone:

• With a computer: connect the iPhone to a Mac (Finder) or a Windows PC (Apple Devices app or iTunes) and drag the .m4r file onto the device.
• On the phone: import the audio into Apple's GarageBand app and share it as a ringtone.

Then choose it in Settings › Sounds & Haptics › Ringtone. Apple changes these steps from time to time, so check its support pages if a menu looks different.

Copyright and fair use

Using a song as your personal ringtone from music you own is common, but sharing or selling ringtones made from commercial songs can infringe copyright. Keep them for yourself.

Common questions

Can I make a ringtone from a video? Yes. Extract the sound with Video to MP3 first, then make the ringtone.

Can I use a voice recording? Absolutely: a voice note or a recording from the Voice Recorder works just like a song.

Why doesn't my iPhone show the ringtone? Check that the file ends in .m4r and is at most 40 seconds long, and that it was added to the device itself rather than just saved in Files.

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