Custom Ringtones on iPhone - Proof of Concept

Thats cool, but it doesnt really mean anything to me, unless he tells me how he did it.

The question is whether or not his iPhone still works with iTunes.

I'm really puzzled as to why we haven't heard anything else yet... This is a big development. Even if it is wiped with the next update, this is the closest we've been to something like this? I mean I'm happy with Marimba, but I like the investigating, and prying and efforts to expand.

Maybe it's to early to hear anything more than what we know, but why is no one else reporting this! Macrumors we want this on the front page!

I hope we see a tutorial or application really soon.

I have a feeling you'll barely be able to hear custom ringtones on this phone through that tiny external speaker. Cute, but not very practical when you're missing calls. I'll stick to Marimba...simple...effective.

i cant stand phones that have "real music" as ringtones so childish
like 1 member above stated marimba ...simple...effective.

I don't like Marimba...

I like Sonar

odHbo said:

I don't like Marimba...

I like Sonar

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Right there with you with sonar....

alarm for when the misses calls

Reminds me of something from Lost.

MACsimus19 said:

Right there with you with sonar....

alarm for when the misses calls

Reminds me of something from Lost.

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Funny but I use the barking sound for the wife, somehow it fits

I like the normal sounding ring that's heard on the iPhone commercials.

I like how it's 2007 and it's a big event when someone can put a custom ring tone on their iPhone.

Why the iPhone doesn't have this supported capability astounds me.

Only a guess

ppc_michael said:

I like how it's 2007 and it's a big event when someone can put a custom ring tone on their iPhone.

Why the iPhone doesn't have this supported capability astounds me.

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Apple tries to control everything about their products. I suspect they would think that home-brewed ringers would vary greatly in quality/substance - and potentially make non-iphone users think it came with natively junky ringtones.
A better compromise would be to allow tunes - or sections of tunes - to be used.

uNext said:

i cant stand phones that have "real music" as ringtones so childish
like 1 member above stated marimba ...simple...effective.

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You will have to explain what you mean by that and what you mean by "real music."
Do you mean for example something like "Can you take me Higher" by creed or is that going to include something that is complete instrumental like "Jupiter" from Planets or both?
i personly do not like the "standard" ring tones that are not musical mostly because I have trouble hearing them. On the iPhone the only possible ring tone that I would use would be alert. The rest of them I would either hate using or wouldn't use them because I would have trouble hearing them and they fail completely at a ring tone that can cut though back ground noise. There is a rings the ring tone I use is very different that most people, is musical and something that is very easy to pick up. Mind you the ones I use are either something that would bring a smile to some one face as they remember the old cartoon it from (Alvin and the chipmunks, or duck tails for example) or what my current one is the theme song from transformers the movie and it before any words are said. And yes it many seem stupid but I do have some Christmas ones I use and those are from Trans-Siberian Orchestra but like I have said in other post I am very picky about my ring tones and the iPhones all fail at being a good ring tone for me.

nickofari said:

Apple tries to control everything about their products. I suspect they would think that home-brewed ringers would vary greatly in quality/substance - and potentially make non-iphone users think it came with natively junky ringtones.

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Too much control.

Stella said:

Too much control.

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Exactly. Why not control what wallpaper I use? What apps I have installed? Because it's ridiculous.

Right there with you on this one!

Rodimus Prime said:

You will have to explain what you mean by that and what you mean by "real music."
Do you mean for example something like "Can you take me Higher" by creed or is that going to include something that is complete instrumental like "Jupiter" from Planets or both?
i personly do not like the "standard" ring tones that are not musical mostly because I have trouble hearing them. On the iPhone the only possible ring tone that I would use would be alert. The rest of them I would either hate using or wouldn't use them because I would have trouble hearing them and they fail completely at a ring tone that can cut though back ground noise. There is a rings the ring tone I use is very different that most people, is musical and something that is very easy to pick up. Mind you the ones I use are either something that would bring a smile to some one face as they remember the old cartoon it from (Alvin and the chipmunks, or duck tails for example) or what my current one is the theme song from transformers the movie and it before any words are said. And yes it many seem stupid but I do have some Christmas ones I use and those are from Trans-Siberian Orchestra but like I have said in other post I am very picky about my ring tones and the iPhones all fail at being a good ring tone for me.

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I have used the "OLD PHONE" type ringer on my phones for the last few years. I find that when I was using songs I would hear it but it would not always sink in that my phone was ringing.

I must say that I get a LOT of looks when I answer a cell phone with that ring because people are looking around for a regular phone. I was happy to play the downloaded ring tones and found I like the one the iPhone has.

Now if the apple store will just SHIP my phone.

KauaiBruce said:

I have used the "OLD PHONE" type ringer on my phones for the last few years. I find that when I was using songs I would hear it but it would not always sink in that my phone was ringing.

I must say that I get a LOT of looks when I answer a cell phone with that ring because people are looking around for a regular phone. I was happy to play the downloaded ring tones and found I like the one the iPhone has.

Now if the apple store will just SHIP my phone.

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wow I have never had that issue and I would be surprised if you would have the problem after a short while of using said song. Reason being is your brain will register that song as your phone ringing and will respond to it very quickly. Now other people knowing it is your phone ringing is another matter. Now it only bad if you choose a popular song that will be played over a radio because when you here it you will naturally reach for your phone thinking it is ringing.

sonar for me

loudestnoise said:

The question is whether or not his iPhone still works with iTunes.

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No it doesn't.

Um...stupid question...how do we know in this case that it is Apple?

I'm not saying it isn't, but to not consider that perhaps AT&T might be involved in the equation (as cell providers just LOVE to have people buy ringtones from them and I'm sure would have a lot of issue with being cut out of that potential revenue stream) is something akin to looking at the elephant in the room while ignoring the giraffe.

Stupid observation....some of us actually use distinctive ringtones as a means of caller id. I like not having to take my phone out of the pocket every single time it rings, and I like not having to have a bulky LCD bluetooth headset to get caller id from it. I like the fact that just hearing the Austin Powers theme, or I'm Only Happy When It Rains, or Riders on the Storm, or Good Times, Bad Times lets me know exactly who is calling without having to take my phone out of my pocket. I guess I'm enough of a prick that I don't care what people think about it. And when you've got a decent amount of contacts in your book, you just run out of the stock supplied ringtones and need something more. But that's just me I guess.

Oh...and as for why there's no big news about this yet.....it's still pretty much in "alpha stage". It can be done, but you need custom software, possibly custom hardware, and need to be really comfortable messing around the the heart of the OS. Oh, and it'd be relatively easy to brick your phone trying it if you don't know what you're doing...so right now while it 'can be done', we're still a bit of a ways off from simply donwloading a tool, hitting three clicks, and having custom ringtones. THEN you'll see a lot of hullabaloo....still, pretty amazing they've done so much in so little time.

hard-case said:

Um...stupid question...how do we know in this case that it is Apple?

I'm not saying it isn't, but to not consider that perhaps AT&T might be involved in the equation (as cell providers just LOVE to have people buy ringtones from them and I'm sure would have a lot of issue with being cut out of that potential revenue stream) is something akin to looking at the elephant in the room while ignoring the giraffe.

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Well what huts the Apple here in this case is Cingular/AT&T clearly does not have an issue with user installed ring tones on their other phones. I put my own custom ring tones on my Cingular phone and I know plenty of others who have done it and all of it for free by either blue tooth or downloading them for free. (Sony Ericsson for example puts quite a few ring tones on their web sight users can download for their phones and all for free 2)
So base on the pass this looks very much like it is apple fault and not AT&T fault for the ringtone issue.

rainmanbk said:

I'm really puzzled as to why we haven't heard anything else yet... This is a big development.

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Because it's not to the point of putting in on the front page? The tool used to do this is in a barely functional state as it is, and aside from this, you lose many capabilities on your phone. Surely losing the ability to sync with iTunes is a show-stopper, non? It'll be all over the Internet when there's something halfway usable for the general public, that's for certain.

nickofari said:

I suspect they would think that home-brewed ringers would vary greatly in quality/substance - and potentially make non-iphone users think it came with natively junky ringtones.

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About on par with this response. For these reasons I can't wait for the day that I can do this with my iPhone. It'll be my personal payback for making MobileMail.app the bastardised in-bred child of Mail.app.

Rodimus Prime said:

wow I have never had that issue and I would be surprised if you would have the problem after a short while of using said song. Reason being is your brain will register that song as your phone ringing and will respond to it very quickly. Now other people knowing it is your phone ringing is another matter. Now it only bad if you choose a popular song that will be played over a radio because when you here it you will naturally reach for your phone thinking it is ringing.

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My problem was realizing the phone was ringing when it was on the other end of my house. I would hear a pleasant song in the distance and not realize it was the phone for 5-10 seconds and then have to run throught the house. I actually really like the old phone ring also.

Lixivial said:

Because it's not to the point of putting in on the front page? The tool used to do this is in a barely functional state as it is, and aside from this, you lose many capabilities on your phone. Surely losing the ability to sync with iTunes is a show-stopper, non? It'll be all over the Internet when there's something halfway usable for the general public, that's for certain.



About on par with this response. For these reasons I can't wait for the day that I can do this with my iPhone. It'll be my personal payback for making MobileMail.app the bastardised in-bred child of Mail.app.

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I wasn't endorsing the presumed position of limiting the ability to create ring tones. In fact, I think time and time again, the mac community pushes the creative limits of the platforms. Regards, Nick.