How to make a song your ringtone on iPhone

What you need before you start

• An iPhone on iOS 18.6 or later (iOS 26 works too).
• The song as a file you own: a track bought on iTunes, an MP3/M4A/WAV you downloaded or ripped, or a song someone AirDropped to you. It can live in the Music app, in Files, or in iCloud Drive.
• RingTon101 – MP3 Ringtone Maker (free) and Apple's free GarageBand app, which iOS uses to install custom tones.

Step by step: song to ringtone in about a minute

1. Open RingTon101 and pick the song

   Tap the import button and choose Music to browse your on-device library, or Files if the MP3 is in iCloud Drive or Downloads. You can also long-press an audio file anywhere in iOS, tap Share and choose Ringtone Maker.

2. Find the best 30 seconds

   The waveform shows the whole track. Drag the yellow handles around the hook or chorus — iOS ringtones can't be longer than 30 seconds, and the trimmer won't let you exceed it. Tap play to preview; nudge the start so the tone begins on a beat.

3. Boost the volume (optional)

   If the track is quiet, slide Boost Volume up. Most songs are fine at 1–2×; old recordings and phone videos may need more. Add a short fade-out so the tone doesn't cut off abruptly.

4. Tap Ringtone → Download

   Choose the Ringtone format and tap Download. RingTon101 renders the clip in the AAC/M4R format iPhone needs and opens it in GarageBand.

5. Export from GarageBand

   In GarageBand tap Share → Ringtone, give it a name and tap Export. When asked Use sound as, pick Standard Ringtone (or Text Tone, or Assign to contact).

6. Check Settings

   Go to Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone. Your song is at the top of the list, above Apple's built-in tones. Tap it and you're done.

Why only 30 seconds — and how to make it feel longer

iOS enforces a hard 30-second limit on ringtones (text tones are meant to be a few seconds). A call rarely rings longer than 25 seconds anyway, so the trick is choosing the right 30 seconds rather than fighting the limit.

• Start 1–2 seconds before the chorus so the first ring isn't silence.
• Use a short fade-in (0.5 s) if the song starts mid-note.
• For alarms, the 30-second clip loops automatically — pick a section that loops cleanly.

Can I use an Apple Music or Spotify song?

No — and any app that claims otherwise is either downloading a different copy of the song or won't work. Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music and Amazon Music tracks are encrypted (DRM). They cannot be trimmed or converted, even with an active subscription. Apple's own iOS 26 "Use as Ringtone" feature has the same restriction.

What works instead: buy the song on the iTunes Store (it becomes a DRM-free AAC file in your library), use an MP3 you already own, or use the audio from a video you have saved to Photos — see how to make a ringtone from a video.

Give one person their own ringtone

Custom ringtones are most useful when a specific person gets a specific song. Two ways to do it:

• At the GarageBand export step choose Use sound as → Assign to contact and pick the person.
• Or later: open Contacts → the person → Edit → Ringtone → pick your custom tone. The same screen has a Text Tone row for messages.

Troubleshooting

The song is greyed out when I import

It's a streamed (DRM) track or it's not downloaded to the phone. Download it first, or use a purchased/MP3 copy.

The tone doesn't appear in Settings

Make sure you finished the GarageBand Export step and that the clip was under 30 seconds. Tones over the limit are silently rejected.

My ringtone is too quiet

Re-open the project in RingTon101 and raise Boost Volume, then export again. Also check Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone and Alert Volume.