I finally got an iPhone 4 and decided to create some custom ringtones to try out on it. The first one that I created, using the method we documented in this previous article, is the sound of a dial-up modem connection. After creating the ringtone by converting an MP3 file to an m4a and then renaming then m4a to m4r I attempted to sync the iPhone to iTunes to copy over the new custom ringtone however it was not available in the Ringtone Sounds configuration section on the iPhone 4. After troubleshooting I finally figured out a solution which is documented below.
Custom iPhone 4 Ringtone Not Showing Up In iPhone Ringtone Sounds Settings:
- Delete Original m4a Version: First open iTunes and delete the original version of the custom ringtone you initially created which will be listed in the Music Library on iTunes.
- Remove Sync Ringtones: Now make sure your iPhone is connected to the computer and displaying in the iTunes left navigation menu. Once the iPhone is connected click on the iPhone, then click on the Ringtones tab, and remove the check from Sync Ringtones as shown in the iTunes example image below.
- Sync iPhone To iTunes: After removing all ringtones from being synchronized from the iTunes Ringtone Library to the iPhone click the Sync button to sync the iPhone to iTunes as shown in the below example image. Make sure to wait until the iPhone has finished syncing to proceed to step 4.
- Add Sync Ringtones: While the iPhone is still highlighted in the left navigation and the Ringtones tab is selected put a check back in the Sync Ringtones (make sure the “All ringtones” radio button is selected) check box as shown in the below image.
- Sync iPhone To iTunes Again: Now that the Ringtones are selected to be synchronized again click the Sync button to begin the synchronization process. This time you should see the m4a file being copied from iTunes to the iPhone during the synchronization process.
- Configure iPhone 4 Custom Ringtone: Once the synchronization process is completed detach the iPhone from the USB cable. Activate the custom iPhone ringtone by clicking the Settings icon, clicking Sounds, clicking Ringtone, scrolling to the top of the list of ringtones, and selecting the ringtone of your choice underneath Custom as shown in the below image.
Your custom ringtone will now display and work without issue. There must be some form of conflict if the original file exists in the iPhone’s Music Library and as a Ringtone so be sure to always delete the original m4a file before syncing the m4r ringtone files to the iPhone from iTunes.
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Thanks Alex!!! I’ve been trying to figure this out for weeks. With this article it took me two minutes to get my custom ringtone on my iPhone 4. The engineers at Apple should read this.
Michael
Hello michael,
No problem. Glad to hear that the article helped you resolve your issue. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you Sir for your quick easy to follow fix for this i phone 4 problem,we have spent hours on this and decided to google our problem and you had it fixed in minutes,thank you very much,big thumbs up.
Just noticed the almost 2 year gap since last comment,obviously Apple are to busy,tossers :)
You are a star!!! Thanks for this. I was also spending ages trying to sort it out. Cheers for putting this fix online!
Hello Neil,
No problem at all. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Cheers.
alex
Does anyone know a way to have multiple custom ringtones on your phone (so you can choose a different one for each person, or simply toggle between them)?
I have them all loaded onto my iPhone4 via iTunes, as above, but I can only see one of them under “custom ringtones” in the list.
Hello Joel,
The way I currently sync multiple ringtones is using my laptop so not sure of another way to do it. If you do locate a method please let us know so others can use the information.
Thanks.
alex
To clarify one important detail… I’m trying to do this without syncing to my laptop. I prefer the manual management of files. I’m aware that you can use the option to “sync all ringtones” if you are syncing. I’m looking for a way to accomplish the same with the manual method. Please and thanks for the help if anyone is able.
J
Hello Joel,
Please see my response above. Hope you find a solution.
Thanks.
alex
You are awesome, man!! I was trying to figure this out for the last 2 days and even arranged a call with Apple, you rock!
Hello Sat,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
THANK YOU.
I’ve had the same problem with my iPhone 4 so this was mega helpful:D
Now I can use custom ringtones, booh yah
Hello steph,
No problem at all! Glad you were able to get your iPhone custom ringtones worked out because of this article and appreciate you taking the time to let us know.
Thanks.
alex
i tried to sync 7 ringtones all are also shown in itunes list on my laptop but when i see the list in my iphone4 it only shows just 1 custom ringtone
Hello Amit Abichandani,
You might try Wee Meng’s method below to see if that works for you.
Thanks.
alex
Hi,
I prefer the manual file management also and that’s why I did not select ‘Sync Ringtones’. This is what I have done: “Drag the ringtones to the iTunes folder first, then drag them to the iPhone. There is some glitch/bug if you try to drag them directly from your desktop to the iPhone.”
In other words:
1) drag ringtone “A” to LIBRARY-> Ringtones folder
2) drag ringtone “A” from LIBRARY-> Ringtones to iPhone-> Ringtones folder
3) delete ringtone “A” from LIBRARY-> Ringtones folder, add ringtone “B” to LIBRARY-> Ringtones folder
4) drag ringtone “B” from LIBRARY -> Ringtones folder to iPhone ->Ringtones folder and delete ringtone “B” from LIBRARY->Ringtones folder
5) continue to add more ringtones
Perhaps we could add all ringtones in LIBRARY in one-go and drag to iPhone one by one. I have yet to try this.
Hello Wee Meng,
Thanks for the details regarding this method of syncing iPhone ringtones with iTunes.
Thanks.
alex
Wow. Thanks a lot Wee. This is a stupid glitch but I’m glad you found a way around it. I added all of to library first and then moved them one by one. Thanks.
thanx Alex n Wee Meng….
but trying dis way, i have 1 more problem i had installed some applications from outside and now when i try to copy purchases from iphone to pc it doesnt copies anything…n if i sync tunes from library it says “all apps will be removed” so if i do it i’
ll lose all apps. So 1st can u tell me any other ways to copy apps from iphone to pc?
Hello Amit,
Which way are you using specifically? If your iPhone is already synced to iTunes with this profile then you should not be having this issue. Maybe if you provide more details about how your iTunes sync configuration is configured I could provide more insight.
Thanks.
alex
Hello
I need help, i am very new to I-phone 4, I purchased some ringtones from itune store and want to copy to My library, I have two problem
1- I cannot copy of my purchased ringtones to Library folder Ringtone
2- When i see my device and there is no menus for Sync Ringtone? i can see Music, Videio etc.
when i down loaded software ringtone sync menu is not apearing? Any one can help?
Thanks
Tariq
Hello Tariq,
1. Are the ringtones in m4r format? If you are not sure what m4r is then list the entire name of the ringtone file.
2. It sounds as if you need to update the iPhone OS maybe. Syncing ringtones has not been possible in all iOS versions. What version of software is installed on your iPhone? What iTunes version do you have installed on the computer you are attempting to sync with?
Thanks.
alex
Thanks for the help man…worked perfectly
Hello Brian,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you so much, you must be the only place on the web that actually realises this problems exists and helps out with it! Life saver!!
Hello Taylor,
No problem. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
This is the only solution that worked for me after trawling the net for a good hour pondering this problem.
Thanks buddy.
Hello Ron,
Great to hear. Thanks for leaving us feedback.
Thanks.
alex
This article was of great help. Fixed my problem. Was wondering why ringtone not showing up even after following all the steps.
Thanks,
Prakash
Hello Prakash,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Hi, I have 3 ring tones but am not able to copy them to the ringtones folder.
I also do not get a ringtones tab or sync ringtones option
I am on a new Iphone4 with vers 10 of itunes.
Any help is greatly appreacated
Hello Kurk,
The Ringtone folder will not display until you have at least one ringtone copied to your iTunes Library. So just drag the .m4r (ringtone file) into your iTunes Library and you will see the Ringtones folder afterwards. Hope that helps.
Thanks.
alex
This works!!
I had tried loads of other instructions found on the net, including Apple’s website and nothing else worked but yours did:-)
Thanks
Su
Hello SuW,
Awesome! Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
I have an an iphone 3 running firmware 3.1.2 and had this problem. This works perfectly!! Thanks!
Hello lamaz1928,
Great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to post feedback!
Thanks.
alex
Thank you so much. We spent 3 hours trying to figure it up and finally had to give up because it got so late. Your clear explanation made it effortless. I put this in my favorites on my computer so next time I know what to do!!! Thanks again
Hello donna,
No problem. Glad the article helped resolve your issue. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Hi. I was wondering if any on can help me i hav iphone 4 and wanna set up some custom ringtones. ive imaker from itunes and made a ringtone. It is showing up in the library but i cant set is as a ringtone as there is no ringtones tab. Can some one please help me get to get the ringtones tab.
Hello Simone,
If you simply drag it into the Library in iTunes the Ringtones tab will be created automatically.
Thanks.
alex
I have tried all of these steps but I purchased an album full of 45 ringtones from iTunes, they show up in my Ringtones but will not sync to my Custom ringtones on my iPhone 4. I have tried all of the steps here 4 times and its a no go. Any further suggestions I can follow? Is Apple aware there is a problem with iPhone 4 in this regard because I feel like I have wasted my money buying an album of ringtones I can’t sync. The pics in the suggestions seem to be showing iPhone 3 which may have worked for everyone here but I can’t get this to work at all for iPhone 4 :-(
Hello Barney,
I don’t have any other suggestions right off however I did want to follow up and say that the above steps have worked for me on my iPhone 4 as well as an iPhone 3GS.
Are you able to sync a single ringtone?
Thanks.
alex
I’ve been able to sync 10 ringtones but then nothing more.
Hello Barney,
It is possible there is a limitation on the amount of ringtones that can be synced. I personally have never had more than a couple on my iPhone 4 at any one time.
Thanks.
alex
Hi. I got the same problem, the iphone 4 only appear one custom ringtone.
Hello bern,
You followed the directions in the article? How many ringtones are you attempting to sync? The more details you can provide about ringtones on your iPhone 4 the more likely we will be able to help find a solution.
Thanks.
alex
I called Apple and they identified the problem that the ringtones they sell are in M4A format and will not work unless they are converted to M4R format. Now it begs the question how do I convert M4A files to M4R files so that iPhone 4 will synch them. Audio converter programs are way plentiful but none I could find convert M4A to M4R…now what? This is very frustrating.
Hello Barney,
You should be able to simply rename the file from something.m4a to something.m4r and then sync the ringtones to your iPhone 4.
Thanks.
alex
Thanks Alex. Exactly the info I was after. Cheers.
Hello Craig,
No problem at all. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
HI All,
i just made a ringtone using Itunes and it is showing in the Music tab but i cant move it to the ringtone tab
Any idea??
Hello Nathalie,
I would imagine you need to rename the file you produced from something.m4a to something.m4r. It will work just the same but be recognized as a ringtone for your iPhone.
Hope that helps.
Thanks.
alex
Easy to understand and fixed the problem…thank you!
Hello Siran,
Great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
After i renamed the file from .m4a to .m4r, i still cant see the Ring-tone tab in the Iphone Sync page…
please advise!!
Hello Nathalie,
If you actually take the time to read through the comments you will see the resolution which should be to simply drag the ringtone that you have renamed into iTunes. If that doesn’t work then something else is incorrect with the file that you will need to resolve.
alex
Actually I went through the comments , but it seems I can’t drag the file created (.m4r) from the music to the ringtone folder on iTunes before Sync with IPhone
Thanks
Nathalie
Hello Nathalie,
It sounds like there is a different issue with the file then. I would try downloading a different ringtone that is verified to work with an iPhone and attempt using that so you can rule out however the ringtone is being created as the issue.
Thanks.
alex
Doesn’t work
Hello Lewis,
While its possible you have a different issue the steps in the article above did work for me and have worked for numerous others that have left feedback. You will need to provide more details about what your specific issue is including steps you have taken to try and resolve the problem as well as information about your apple device and iOS version if you are interested in others providing ideas to help you resolve your issue.
Thanks.
alex
hi…how many custom ringtone u attempted?
because i try to put more than 1 ringtones and after it sync it will replace the 1st ringtone and only show 1 ringtone in my phone but i got 2 ringtone on itunes.
i’m kinda frustrated because it seems like it only can save/show 1 custom ringtone on the iphone 4. @@
Hello Seiferz,
I currently have 6 ringtones synced to my iPhone 4 running iOS 4.2. I am able to select and/or assign each of the ringtones as the primary ringtone or as custom ringtones on a per contact basis. This is the same amount of ringtones I had synchronized with the previous version of iPhone OS which was iOS 4.1. You might try reading through the comments including clicking the “Older Comments” link located at the top left corner and bottom left corner of the comment section of this article.
Thanks.
alex
It worked, I’d been trying to add custom ringtones and to being honest I was desperate because I couldn’t, but this blog helped me out. Read very carefully and you’ll get the results that you want it.
Edgar
Hello Edgar,
Good to hear. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Hello, thanks for the info. So, I have 6 ringtones in the ringtones folder when synced, but inly one shows up on my iphone. I really want to follow directions but when I get to the part where you say to check “sync ringtones” it tells me it will remove all my music, etc. Should this happen? Did you also get this message?
Hello Carlos,
No problem. Just make sure you have a backup of the ringtones. Then check the sync ringtones and if they have been removed simply drag the backed up ringtones back into iTunes.
Hope that helps.
Thanks.
alex
First off, thanks for writing to post. I’m wondering about step 4, adding the Sync Ringtones option, my problem is when I clicked Sync Ringtones, it informs me that I would have to delete all my songs and movies to do so. How can I do this apart from syncing the ringtones? I’ve got the latest iphone 4.2.1 software and my iTunes is up to date.
Hello Branton,
No problem. This can be a pain… One thing you can do to transfer application purchases first and then sync. Make sure to backup the iPhone first and then proceed with attempting to sync everything. If you don’t want to sync movies, etc. then you can uncheck each of those sections to only sync what is necessary such as ringtones.
Thanks.
alex
Hello Branton,
I wrote an article on transferring apps that have been installed on your iPhone before syncing them with iTunes which can be read by clicking here. Also make sure to backup all of the data before restoring. You could also locate the folder where all of the movies, songs, etc. are located, copy all of that data to a different location, complete the syncing of apps, movies, songs, ringtones, etc., and then drag any of the items that were removed in the sync back into iTunes. On Windows 7 and Windows Vista the iTunes data will be located at the below paths.
Primary Location:
C:\Users\USERNAME\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\
Secondary Locations:
1. C:\Users\USERNAME\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Music
2. C:\Users\USERNAME\Music\iTunes\iTunes Media\Mobile Applications
Hope that helps.
Thanks.
alex
I’m having the same problem – I no longer have a Ringtones Tab in my iTunes and there is no Custom button on my iPhone 4. Can someone help???
i have the same problem, my itunes does not display a ringtone tab nor does it have a “ringtone” icon on the library while my phone is synced. i have iphone4 and its OS is always up to date. help, anyone?
Hello fabby,
You might try dragging a ringtone file (which has a m4r file ending) into iTunes while your iPhone is connected. This should create the Ringtones folder and sync the custom ringtone to your iDevice.
Thanks.
alex
Awesome! It worked! Thought there’s something wrong with my PC. Thank you! And merry christmas!
Hello fabby,
Great news. Your welcome. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Hello Kathy,
Have you attempted to sync any ringtones to the device? If not try dragging a ringtone file (m4r) to iTunes while your iPhone is connected which should create the ringtone folder and sync the custom ringtone to your iPhone.
Thanks.
alex
I have bought 7 ringtones from the iTunes store phone and i am having problems setting them as custom ringtones for my friends. I have tried everything that has been posted before me but I am still having trouble. The tones will play on my phone but when I try to set them as my custom ringtones they will not play. I am missing phone calls because of this problem.
Any ideas on how to fix this?
Thanks, Jake
Hello Jake,
Without testing the ringtones it is hard to say exactly what the problem is. I would try some different ringtones and for now set the tones to use some of the default ringtones until you get the problem resolved so you don’t miss any further calls.
Thanks.
alex
YEy! It works.
Thanks
Hello Dan,
Good news! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you for the post. Its working now.No body else in the other posts mentioned to delete the original M4a format which helped me now to resolve my issue.
Thanks
Divya
Hello Divya,
No problem at all. Glad you found the information useful. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you SO much!
Hello Elizabeth,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Alex
Thanks for posting this “how to” article. It rescued me from 2 days of sheer frustration with iTunes refusing point blank to sync legit ringtones to my iPhone. Following your step by step – so clearly written – guide, it fixed the problem and saved my sanity. I’d never have even started to think it might be down to duplicated files….anyway, thanks once again.
Hello David,
No problem. Glad we were able to help out. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
David,
Thanks for your help on this. I’ve created 5 ring-tones so far. It’s great but evrytime I sync only two show up? hope you can help :)
Hello Joaquin,
I would suggest reading through the entire comments section to see what resolved the issue for others. I am guessing that two of your ringtones do not have duplicate files but the other three have duplicate files that are being synced and thus not allowing the ringtone to sync.
Hope that helps.
Thanks.
alex
Alex,
Is there a limit to the number of custom ring tones you can add to the iPhone 4? I had two installed and when I tried to add another it bumped one of the original ones out.
Thanks
Hello Paul,
As far as I know there is not a limitation on the amount of custom ringtones. I currently only have one synced so I cannot verify 100% but everything that I have read says there is not a limitation. I would check for duplicate files such as the same file named .mp4 and .m4r.
Thanks.
alex
Thanks a lot for the post..
It really helps me a lot…Just follow the steps and booyaaahhhh.,…already got 10 custom ringtones already…
This post is realllyyyy100x helpful..
thanx again
Hello Hanzz,
No problem. Glad you got it working. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
I dont really UNDERSTAND much of what i was doing but i followed the steps and it worked so thanks
Hello Sarah,
Great to hear. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
My iphone 4 does not have a tab that says Ringtones when clicked on the phone. Underneath my iphone there is rintones, but nothing is in there.. Any help??
Hello Robin,
It sounds as if you either have not named the files as .m4r files or you have duplicate files that are stopping you from syncing ringtones. I would suggest reading through the article, following the steps, and then reading through all of the comments.
Thanks.
alex
I just got the new iPhone 4 on Verizon and I’ve been trying to set a custom ringtone, but the “ringtones” tab doesn’t come up when I connect my phone. The only tabs there are “Summary,” “Info,” “Apps,” “Music,” “Movies,” “TV Shows,” “Books,” and “Photos. Is it maybe because of my version of iTunes? I have iTunes 10.1.2 (17) apparently. Help!?
Maddie, I just got an iPhone 3GS in the “fire sale” that AT&T is having — it was only $9. I’m having exactly the same problem — no Ringtones tab in iTunes. I’ve spent hours online trying to figure this out, and everybody that tries to answer the question always starts giving complicated advice about file extensions. I don’t think they get the nature of the problem. I’m not interested in creating a ringtone — I BOUGHT a ringtone from iTunes, which promptly sent it to my phone as a song in the iPod. I can’t get it moved to the settings/sounds/ringtones.
One person advised dragging the ringtone/”song” to the Library; he said the Library would then create a Ringtones folder. It did not.
If you figure this out please let me know
Hello Maddie,
Please read through the older comments. The typical fix for this has been suggested numerous times. It involves having two files named m4a and m4r.
Thanks.
alex
I was so frustrated my ringtones weren’t all syncing, i’m happy you made this tutorial :) now i got all my ringtones!
Hello tv,
It definitely can be frustrating! Glad you got it worked out. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
The tutorial is great, though I have the same problem as Maddie. Reading through and following each step is hard, since the second step requires clicking on a Ringtone Tab that is non-existent. Hmmmm . . . any other ideas?
Hello kathleen,
You likely won’t have a ringtone folder until a ringtone is added to the library. I would suggest reading back through all of the old comments for tips that have helped others.
Thanks.
alex
Alex,
I have added 5 ringtones to my iphone 4 so far, but when I go to my ringtone folder, only ONE ringtone shows up. Only the most recent ringtone shows up. Whyyyyy? :( Thank you for the help!
Hello Liz,
Please read through the older comments. This has been asked numerous time and the resolution has been noted.
Thanks.
alex
I had the same problem with the no ringtone tab, it is in the settings somewhere. You have to go in and checkmark it..cant remember at the moment which screen (on work pc). But ones i checkmarked it the tab showed up and all was good..Thanks for the tutorial, worked like a charm on Verizon Iphone..
Hello Tony,
No problem. Thanks for adding the info as well. I believe what you are talking about is to make the Ringtones actually sync though the ringtones tab underneath the Library (I believe anyhow.. :) ) should display once a non-duplicate ringtone is added to your personal library. What I mean by non-duplicate is a ringtone file that is uniquely named as a m4r and there is not the original m4a file already in the library. Thanks again for adding the extra information though as it encourages others to become familiar with the various options within iTunes!
Thanks.
alex
Thank you for the help…It works great…I finally can change my ringtones on my Verizon Iphone..
Hello Anne,
No problem at all. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Okay, I get all the duplicate issues, but mine is different. When I check the “Sync Ringtones” button, I get a message telling me all my existing songs, movies and tv shows on the iphone will be removed. Obviously I don’t want to remove everything else just to add ringtones. Any help here?
Hello Steve,
This is likely because your iPhone is synced to a different computer. You can right click on the iPhone in the left navigation menu within iTunes and transfer purchases, then make a full backup of the iPhone, and then sync to the computer.
Thanks.
alex
Hi Alex,
My phone is only synced to this computer since the phone is new. But I some how unable to sync the ringtones (music is no problem) I get a pop-up telling me that it doesn’t exists. Althought the ringtones are in the ringtone tab on iTunes it self and the file with the ringtones in it is on this computer aswell. My iPhone doesnt show Custom ringtones either. My software is up-to-date and I’m the proud owner of a iPhone 4.
I hope you can help.
Greetings Daphne
Hello Daphne,
Never seen a popup like that before. Where does it pop up… iTunes or iPhone? When your iPhone is connected to the computer and you have the iPhone highlighted in iTunes does it display a Ringtones tab at the top of iTunes between Apps and Music? What is the exact text of the pop-up error message?
Thanks.
alex
Hi Alex,
Its a pop-up in iTunes. iTunes shows the ringtones tab, but somehow I can’t copy those to my phone. Here below is the link from my pop-up.
http://img193.imageshack.us/i/ituneserror.jpg/
Hopefully you can help.
Greetings Daphne
Hello Daphne,
The pop up error message in iTunes indicates that the ringtone is not compatible with your iPhone just as the message says.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you so much!!! I have been trying for months to sync ringtones to my iphone 4.
YOU ROCK!!!
Hello Patricia,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Oh THANK YOU! I have been sweating over this for so long!
Fantastic help :) Thanks
Hello Eve,
No problem at all. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
I dont have a ringtones tab…not that i can find anywhere.
any ideas?
Hello Scott,
Click Edit in the top navigation menu and select Preferences from the drop down. On the first tab titled General underneath Sources check Ringtones and it will add a Ringtone tab.
Thanks.
alex
i don’t have a custom tab when i presses sound of settings.I sync it already but its like nothing happened.
Hello melanie,
You might try reading back through some of the comments to see if what others are saying might help you as well. If none of the comments assist you might try taking your taking your iPhone/iTunes computer to a MAC store for assistance.
Thanks.
alex
YOU ARE A GENIUS! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Hello hannah,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thankyou so much!!
Just bought an iphone for my son’s birthday and have been trying to figure this out for the last two days.
Thankyou!
Hello Jet,
Not a problem. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Never been to this site before, just did a google search and found you (after many attempts using other sites)… YOU ROCK.
i tried at least 20 other sets of instructions, none of them worked(although several of them had similar/not quite the same instructions)… Your step by step instructions worked perfectly and the pictures were awesomely helpful too. This is my first iphone and I’ve been trying to learn everything little by little. i have an ipod but haven’t used it in about 4 years… I was a bit rusty with itunes (to say the least). Again thanks so much
~j
Hello Josh,
Thanks so much for all of the kind words. We spend a lot of time writing free articles for others to use so it is always nice to hear feedback related to the articles. We love technology and enjoy spreading as much knowledge to others as possible as it is always a learning process for us as well.
Thanks.
alex
omg!!!!!!!!!!!!thnx alot ive been trying to do this like for the past 2 dayz but it didnt work but u were like a lifesaver!!!!!!thnx alot!!!!!♥♥♥
Hello himtana,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you! This is the solution, Why is this (virtually) impossible on the iPhone 4 and is practically built into the OS on my 2+ year old Blackberry Bold 9000. You can pick any song file on your device and make it a ringtone. Apple should be able to do much better. It seems that the reason is they want to sell you all the 3rd party software to do it through the App Store, following the (dare I say it) Microsoft model.
Hello Bruce,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you! Well written instructions. My ringtones work now!
Hello John,
No problemo. Thanks for the kind words and for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you very much!
Hello Mimi,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Domo Arigato!
Hello TheBomb,
Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Awesome Tip- Thanks!
Hello Mark,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
That worked. Thank you.
Hello MBC,
Good to hear. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
the “custom” folder on “sounds” tab, on my iphone is not showing even after i try the steps below. it does sync the ringtones folder, but it does not show the “custom” button, hence, doesnt let me see/activate the track. Can you please advise?
Hello Nariman,
I would imagine it is a very similar issue to ringtones meaning it is the format or something similar causing the issue. I have yet to do anything with custom sounds outside of ringtones though. When you find a solution let us know what it is.
Thanks.
alex
iPhone Custom Ringtone Not Showing Up, iPhone 4 Ringtone Not Working
Posted by alex in Insights at 10:24 PM
Thanks for the tip. This has been driving me crazy! I had them all and then I only had a few. I still may be crazy but now I’m not stupid too!
Thanks again.
Hello Morg,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thanks alot im glad there are some smart people out there!!!!! Thanks a million!!!!
Hello Jason,
First off… thank you for the nice words but also thanks for taking the time to post feedback. Glad you found the information to be helpful.
Thanks.
alex
Thank you so much!!
Hello CCG,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Many thanks for your inputs, thanks for sharing it with all of us. You have saved so much of time, energy, FRUSTRATION. cannot thank you enough. To get each small little thing done is such a big deal with iphones, like trying to get an SMS software (ready to buy) which provides Signature options, Text Templates and word count. No luck so far, if any of you know of any such software pl. do inform, cheers.
Hello Umesh,
No problem. Glad you found the article useful. Thanks for posting feedback.
Thanks.
alex
thank you so much..ive tried everything and this finally worked!!you totally rock!!
Hello chris,
No problem at all. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
I have read these reviews and helpful hints – but still having the same problem. I converted the intro to – car wash – as a ringtone. I know how to convert as I’ve done it before on my other iphone. I just got an iphone 4s. The tone shows up in my itunes library as a tone in my phone — but it isn’t in my phone. There is not a ‘custom’s tab under the ring tones. I’ve tried the intstuctions above. Any helpful hints anyone???
Once again- tone shows up in library – not going into the phone.
Thanks much
Hello Scott,
Unfortunately when I had the same issue the directions displayed above are the steps taken to resolve it so I am not sure why it is not working for you unless you don’t have sync Ringtones enabled in your iTunes configuration for your iPhone. If you were able to resolve the issue let us know what it is so others that run into the same issue can use your solution.
Thanks.
alex
ok thanks, first of all, for walking me through that. I really wanted to add some ringtones to my iphone. However, in the process I some how deleted all my music from my phone. How can I add ringtones in the future without removing my other music? Please help..
Hello Tiffany,
Sorry to hear that. Only sync ringtones instead of syncing both music and ringtones. Also make sure you are set to not erase files on the iPhone.
Thanks.
alex
thank you so much :) it worked for me :)
Hello juls,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Tks a lot, the syncing is tricky but with your help it’s been quite easy
Hello Florencio,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
thank you blud.. :)
Hello waheeb,
I hope blud means something nice… :P No problem. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Thanks so much. I followed a few other instructional webpages, but my ringtones just weren’t showing up. But this did the trick.
Hello Quentin Johnston,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
OK, I don’t even have the ringtone tab on my iPhone4! Now what?!
Hello Amy,
Do you have Sync Ringtones enabled and any Ringtones on the phone? Once you actually sync a ringtone the folder will appear.
Thanks.
alex
thanks :) it worked… i was worried thinking there was a limit for the number of custom ringtones.. and so it doesnt show up when i exceeded it… now i know why :) thanks :)
Hello lavanya,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
After wasting days quite literally trying to get a custom ring tone installed (even ones bought from itunes and synched were not showing! – apple even gave me my money back when I complained!!!!), finally your method of unchecking/sync then rechecking/sync worked ! Thanks a million
Hello dickie,
No problem at all. Thanks for taking the time to post feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Hey,
How do i add custom ringtones to ma iph without syncing or without losing my music library. Whenever i try to add it ask me to sync with itunes and when i sync it warns me with the dialog box of losing music, videos & all.. i don’t wanna lose my music library at any cost. Help me out dude. I know how to create .M4r format and all..
Hello Nishan,
Sounds like your iPhone is synced to a different iTunes. Backup the iPhone and then synchronize with the iTunes where you want to create the ringtones. Or to guarantee you don’t overwrite the current content you could also make sure to synchronize to first iTunes that you had synchronized too. Regardless of what you do make sure you take a backup first by right clicking on the iPhone once its connected to iTunes and then worst case scenario you can always restore the backup.
Thanks.
alex
You all must have some special knowledge?? If I follow the directions above (Where I delete the files BUT never relink/attach/point to/or import) . 1/2 of my custom ringtones never get to my iphone. The other 1/2 do,,, but all play perfectly in iTunes. This is why I hate Iphones. If I had my droid back I could at least make it work.
Hello ECJ,
It sounds like you have something caught in a cache of some sort. You might try removing all ringtones out of iTunes, syncing to make sure they are all removed, and then start moving them back tino being synced a couple at a time to see if that resolves your issue.
Thanks.
alex
super
worked out for me…
Hello raghav,
No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback.
Thanks.
alex
Your explanation was the best ever, I have persevered over 3 days to try and get the custom ringtone to show up on the i-phone and finally, it was your excellent instructions helped me achieve it, many thanks!