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A new trick to set custom ringtones on your phone
Custom ringtones are making a comeback. Yep, even with dozens of built-in ringer options, we want our own tunes.
⛪️ Pick your songs carefully. Years ago, a friend called me while I was in church, and I was so embarrassed — my ringtone was AC/DC’s “Highway to Hell.”
Android
If you have an Android phone, custom ringtones are pretty simple. You’ll first need to do some prep work to get your audio file from your computer:
- Select a song, sound effect or audio file saved on your Mac or Windows computer.
- Use an audio-editing app like Audacity (free on Windows and Mac) to trim the file to 30 seconds or less (ideal for ringtones).
- Save your edited file in MP3 format.
Now you have to save it to your phone. You can connect your phone to your computer via USB and use File Transfer mode, email the file to yourself as an attachment or upload it to Google Drive. Then:
- On your phone, open Settings, then tap Sound and Vibration > Phone ringtone > My Sounds > the plus icon (bottom right) to select the clip.
You’re all good to go — enjoy your newly customized phone ringtone!
iPhone X or higher
Most folks will tell you to download software to your computer and edit the audio file there. I’ve got a better workaround you can do completely on your phone — no additional software required.
The trick is to screen-record a clip on your iPhone and convert it to an audio file. There are a few steps here, so stay with me.
Record your sound
- First, add this free shortcut to your iPhone. It’ll let you convert any screen recording into audio only. Tap Get Shortcut > Add Shortcut.
- Find your sound. It could be a video in your camera roll, a voice memo or a song from a YouTube video. (The visuals aren’t important; you’ll only be using the sound.)
- Swipe down on your screen to access your phone’s Control Center and long-press the record icon. Tap the microphone to turn on the sound. (Not showing in your Control Center? Add it under Settings > Control Center > More controls.)
- Tap the record icon to start. There’ll be a three-second delay. Once it starts, play the sound or video snippet you want to capture.
- When you’re done, tap the red pill icon in the top left to stop.
- Open Photos, select the screen-recording video, tap the share arrow, scroll down and tap the To Audio shortcut. It’ll open your files. Tap Browse > iCloud Drive, and then tap the three-dot icon > Create new folder. Name the folder Ringtones, and tap Open in the top right to save your sound.
Edit your clip
You’ll need to use GarageBand for this part. The good news is it’s probably already on your phone! (Bonus: Here’s a great video for you to follow along with.)
- Open GarageBand on your phone and swipe over to Audio Recorder > Voice.
- Tap the blue metronome icon to disable it, and then tap the brick wall icon in the top left > the plus icon in the top right > Section A > toggle on Automatic.
- Tap the loop icon in the top right > Files > Browse items > Browse. Open iCloud in the sidebar, and then tap Ringtones. Tap on the .m4a audio file you’ve created and drag it into the GarageBand project.
Now it’s time to edit!
- Drag the start or end of the clip to where you want it. Make sure to drag the whole song and playhead (little line) to the left after you trim it. Pro tip: You can shake your phone to undo any missteps!
- Tap the down arrow in the top left corner > My Songs. Tap and hold down on your song, and then tap the share arrow and select Ringtone. Name your ringtone and hit Export.
Set your ringtone
- Go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone. Your new custom ringtone should show up at the top of the list.
Phew! I know that’s a lot of steps. But once you get the hang of it, the possibilities are endless.
