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iPhone 5, iOS 6... How do I add my custom ringtone via iTunes?

DDustiNN

DDustiNN

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jan 27, 2011
2,618
1,632
With my iPhone 4, I just dragged my .m4r file to iTunes, then it automatically put it onto my phone.

With my iPhone 5, I did the same exact thing. It even shows up under the "Tones" section under my iPhone. Yet it's nowhere to be found on my actual phone.

Has anyone experienced this yet? Or does anyone know how to fix it?

Thanks!
 
Anybody?? :(

Someone has to have tried putting ringtones on their new phone... :confused::confused::confused:
 
What I had to do was in iTunes, use "Add File to Library" (under the file menu) to add the ringtone, this will place it in its own Tones library (if you didn't already have one).

Then you can connect the iPhone, and there will be a specific sync tab for Tones where you can select what you added to the library and then sync it to your phone. :)
 
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quantumleaper said:
What I had to do was in iTunes, use "Add File to Library" (under the file menu) to add the ringtone, this will place it in its own Tones library (if you didn't already have one).

Then you can connect the iPhone, and there will be a specific sync tab for Tones where you can select what you added to the library and then sync it to your phone. :)
Click to expand...

This worked perfectly, thank you so much!

Turns out I was just dragging it to my phone, but not to the iTunes library. Problem solved, thanks for the post :D
 
Had my ringtone for over 3 years on my 3GS, but it will not copy onto my new iPhone 5. It is the Coldplay, Clocks 15 sec intro, which I created myself 3 years ago and is a great ringtone, but have tried all the suggestions here and can't load it. It is an m4r and is in iTunes in Tones but I cant find an Upload Tones option anywhere on iTunes 10.7. The only thing I have not tried is sync to iCloud, as I can't find that either. I don't think of myself as a computer novice, but Apple don't make it easy......
 
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I'm having the same problem. The custom m4r ringtone is sitting in the tones folder in iTunes but I can't get it to show up on the iPhone 5. I've wasted 2 hours on this.

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quantumleaper said:
"...there will be a specific sync tab for Tones...."
Click to expand...

Do you mean the check box for tones in iTunes > Preferences > general preferences?
 
alaskana said:
I'm having the same problem. The custom m4r ringtone is sitting in the tones folder in iTunes but I can't get it to show up on the iPhone 5. I've wasted 2 hours on this.

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Do you mean the check box for tones in iTunes > Preferences > general preferences?
Click to expand...


No, I'm referring to when your iPhone is connected in iTunes, you can select it on the left hand side (under Devices)...once you do that, you will get a series of tabs across the main window specific to the iPhone (Summary, Info, etc.) - one of those tabs should say Tones, and once it is selected you can select to sync all of the tones, or just select ones, from your library, to your iPhone. Once that is set, and you perform a sync, the tones should be transferred to your phone.

Hope that helps! :)

:apple:
 
Trying this now. When I click Sync Tones it says its going to wipe out all of the music, movies and video. If I click "sync tones" they disappear from the status bar even though i didn't change anything else or tell it to sync anything else but tones. Is that really going to happen if i click sync?
 
iOS6 m4r failure (so far)

Hey guys I make ridiculous ringtones in my spare time and have 72 in my phone and climbing all the time...Until the IOS6 update!? :(

I've tried all the usual tricks and a few other things and no love yet!

I'm sure the trick will be discovered soon enough but until then I'm so glad I made them because default ANYTHING phone-wise is $%#$%•¶ §∞∑∂!!
 
Problem solved:)

Of course Garageband is the answer! I usually use logic,Live or Reason but booting up the newer Garageband actually has a RINGTONE PROJECT option! I guess that's one way to get people to use GB heehee... Just made a tone "shared" straight to "tones" in itunes then "sync tones" Thanx for coming :)

Anyone want a 1 off tone? give me a scenario and ill email you my interp..

qb
 
Custom ring tones lost

In my case, iOS6 / iPhone5 lost the rout to my ringtones in iTunes. When I double clicked on the ring tone in the iTunes Tones folder it stated that it couldn't add it because it couldn't find it. I pointed iTunes to the "My Music" folder and found the ring tone. Do a sync and wha-la.
 
got some but not all

I tried to add the m4r files to the library...some showed up as tones while others just got into the music section and couldn't be added to the phone. I don't understand why apple has to make it this difficult...
 
there really should have been proprietory software that allows you to create custom ringtones off of the music in your phone and edit it in your phone too... having to connect to iTunes just to put custom ringtones on it is such a hassle
 
copy or transfer ringtone or tones

Is there a way to transfer or copy ringtones?



Yes, you can copy ringtones.
Go to your tones in itunes, right click the tone, and get info. Find where the file is... usually C: users, <your name> music, itunes, itunes media, and ringtones.
Copy this file to a thumbdrive or external drive, or drag it via network to the new computer
On the new computer, open itunes and File, Add to Library and select the Ringtone file you just copied.. It will import it and show up under Tones in your Library.
When you plug in your phone, you should have the ability to select Tones, and sync it to your phone.
 
I just use Free Ringtone Maker on my MBP.. automatically connects with my library and converts/adds them to iTunes after I select the part of the song I want. Easy peasy.
 
My issue is the custom ringtones appear on my phone in the ringtones column, but not under alerts or messages! Any suggestions?!
 
adding a custom ringtone to iphone5 - itunes11

I just thought I would detail what worked for me.

1. converted my mp3 to m4a then renamed to m4r (lots of how to on web for this)
2. in itunes via the preferences - general - make sure tones is checked.
3. select tones from the top left drop down list in itunes.
4. assuming my ringtone.m4r is on my desktop - i double clicked it - then it showed up in tones pane. Import to library DID NOT do it.
5. Sync as normal to the iphone.
5a - you may need to enable sync of tones if asked.
6. ringtone showed as expected and i could select it.
 
This is ridicilously difficult.
Does anyone know where I can download m4r codec for Adobe Soundbooth? I can´t save in this format because I dont have it.
 
I was able to do it with Garage Band, but I would honestly like to be able to save this format in one program. And I use soundbooth for this stuff.

I would also like to have the file available for sending to other peoples iphones. My mom is requesting her own ringtone now.
 
Thanks a ton

DDustiNN said:
This worked perfectly, thank you so much!

Turns out I was just dragging it to my phone, but not to the iTunes library. Problem solved, thanks for the post :D
Click to expand...

Worked like a charm. Too bad the Apple user manual writers don't read this column. They could learn a lot.
 
replied to wrong post

managed to reply to the wrong post somehow...

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dkierans said:
I just thought I would detail what worked for me.

1. converted my mp3 to m4a then renamed to m4r (lots of how to on web for this)
2. in itunes via the preferences - general - make sure tones is checked.
3. select tones from the top left drop down list in itunes.
4. assuming my ringtone.m4r is on my desktop - i double clicked it - then it showed up in tones pane. Import to library DID NOT do it.
5. Sync as normal to the iphone.
5a - you may need to enable sync of tones if asked.
6. ringtone showed as expected and i could select it.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much dkierans. I followed your instructions to the letter..had pretty much done everything anyway.... simply had not moved the required files to my desktop...just searched for them in my iTunes library, double clicked...but nothing happened. When I moved the files to my desktop... *then* double clicked....they appeared in 'tones'. Thank you!
 
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No-brainer solution to Ringtones issue

.: I decided to go for broke and searched the App store. I found Easy Ringtone Creator. Cost me all of $0.99.

Upload your song(s), choose the starting point and number of seconds you want the ringtone to be, and boom, it's done. Synch your iPhone with the Tones on iTunes, and return to your life, already in progress.
 
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