Putting Ringtones on 3G iphone

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Level 1

8 points

Putting Ringtones on 3G iphone

I'm not very technology savy. Yesterday, I swapped my 4 year old flip phone for a 3G iphone and last night I spent 5 hours trying to figure out how to download a new ringtone to my iphone with no success. I've checked youtube, etc but I still can't figure it out.

I purchased a ringtone from the itunes store onto my computer and I successfully downloaded to my phone. Unfortunately, the ringtone was sent to my music file and I don't know how to get it onto my ringtones.

The first problem that I have is that there is no folder for ringtones on itunes on my computer. From searching this forum I've read that the file will appear once you purchase a ringtone. I've done that but there is still no ringtone folder. Do I have to have that in order to download to my ringtones on my phone?

Is there a way that I can move a ringtone from my music file to my ringtones?

I'd appreciate any help that I can get. Please keep it as simple as possible because I'm not tech savy and this is all new to me. Thanks! 😊

iPhone 3GS (8GB), Windows Vista

Posted on Mar 8, 2012 6:58 PM

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Answer 1

Mar 8, 2012 7:04 PM in response to 1aargle

What makes you believe that the song you purchased was a ringtone? If it went into music on the computer and it went into music on the phone, it sounds like it's just a music file, not a ringtone.

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Answer 2

1aargle Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2012 7:13 PM in response to ChuckTommervik

Maybe that's the problem then. I downloaded "The Exorcist" (Tubular Bells) and it was a 28 second clip. I'm not 100% sure that it was a ringtone but why would someone pay for 30 seconds of the song?

I just checked my phone and it says.....Box Office Smashes: Movie Theme Song Ringtones (impersonations).

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Answer 3

roaminggnome

Level 10

106,365 points

Mar 8, 2012 7:13 PM in response to 1aargle

You would have to create a ringtone.

Google will find several free ways to do this.

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Answer 4

randers4

Level 9

63,519 points

Mar 8, 2012 7:13 PM in response to 1aargle

The first thing to do is to see if you really have a ringtone. Open iTunes and locate the "ringtone" in your music library. Right-Click on it and select Get Info. In the window that opens go to the Summary tab and look on the top left to see if it says "Kind: Ringtone". If not, then it's not really a ringtone and that would explain why it isn't appearing in on your phone in Settings>Sounds>Ringtone after you sync.

If it is a ringtone, then you should be able to sync it to your phone by choosing Sync Tones on the Tones tab of your iTunes sync settings, then syncing. See below:

Also, to show the Tones folder in iTunes go to Edit>Preferences, and on the General tab check the box next to Tones. However, purchased ringtones will still appear under Purchased under Store on the left sidebar of iTunes, and will still sync to your phone without being in the Tones folder.

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Answer 5

1aargle Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2012 7:16 PM in response to 1aargle

In Settings - Sounds - Ringtones the only window above Ringtones is "Buy More Tones". I saw on youtube that some iphones have/had a window with "Custom". Not on mine.

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Answer 6

1aargle Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2012 7:28 PM in response to 1aargle

Well, it would appear that I may have been tricked into downloading 29 seconds of a song and not a ringtone........even if it's called a ringtone. I went to itunes and checked my purchases and it is listed as a song. Can this be? What a dirty trick!

Purchased

Songs 1

Recent Purchases 1

RingTicklers Ringtone 1

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Answer 7

randers4

Level 9

63,519 points

Mar 8, 2012 7:56 PM in response to 1aargle

Just convert it to a ringtone and sync it to your phone. Watch this video to see how to do this: http://cnettv.cnet.com/create-free-ringtones-itunes-10/9742-1_53-50093086.html.

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Answer 8

1aargle Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2012 8:51 PM in response to randers4

That you all.......especially randers4!!! 🙂

All of my music files, which is not very many, are mpeg so I can't make ringtones from them. What I'll do though is buy and download a song and make a ringtone from it now that I know how to do it.

This has been a great help.......thank you very much!

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Answer 9

randers4

Level 9

63,519 points

Mar 8, 2012 8:53 PM in response to 1aargle

You're welcome.

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Answer 10

1aargle Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 8, 2012 11:27 PM in response to 1aargle

Nope, that's not going to work either. I followed the vid that you posted and dragged the new ringtone file over to my library and all that it did was create the ringtone file in my music folder. I thought that I'd have to get that ringtone folder in my library somehow so I purchased another song listed as a ringtone and sure enough it showed up in my music folder. I went through the process of changing it to a m4r file, dragging to the library and it still showed up in my music file.

I was able to buy a ringtone with my iphone and it showed up on my phone in ringtones. Once I sync'd my phone with my computer a folder appeared for ringtones under my iphone but not under my library.

I'm beginning to think that I can only get ringtones by buying them on my iphone. Is this possible?

Does anyone know of any ringtones on itunes that are already m4r? I'd like to buy one so a ringtone file will open in my library. If I can get that done maybe everything else will come together for me. 😟

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Answer 11

randers4

Level 9

63,519 points

Mar 9, 2012 9:22 AM in response to 1aargle

As mentioned earlier, to show the Tones folder in the iTunes library, in iTunes go to Edit>Preferences and on the General tab check the box next to Tones. This will bring the Tones folder into view:

As for your ringtone still appearing in music, confim again that it is a ringtone (right-click on it and select Get Info. In the window that opens go to the Summary tab and look on the top left to see if it says "Kind: Ringtone"). If not, then look again at the video and remake it because something went wrong. Also, ringtone you purchased on your phone and then synced to iTunes should appear in the Purchased folder (under Store).

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Answer 12

Mar 19, 2012 9:51 PM in response to randers4

Hey randers4,

I'm having the same problems as above, i've converted to m4r and checked to make sure it's listed as a ringtone which it is, however every time I drag it into tones it goes straight to Music.

Any other tips?

Cheers

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Answer 13

1aargle Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 20, 2012 12:11 AM in response to mdfordcye

md,

I searched the net/other forums to resolve the problem of not having a ringtone folder under my library. You have to manually add it but I can't remember offhand how I did it. It was very easy to add the folder in my library and once I did that the ringtones that I made went to that folder. I'll see if I can find the info about how to do it but in the mean time maybe someone else will know offhand. Try searching for "adding folder to my library" or something similar.

The problem that I have now is that my ringtones are not downloading to my iphone when I sync it.......they are going to the ringtone folder in my library but they just aren't going to my phone when I sync.

I gave up on it for a week now but I might try again tomorrow. sigh.............

EDIT........Have a look at this and read the thread at the bottom...................www.simonblog.com/2010/09/25/why-missing-ringtones-library-in-itunes/

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Answer 14

1aargle Author

Level 1

8 points

Mar 20, 2012 12:51 AM in response to 1aargle

md,

The first thing that you have to do is create a ringtone folder in "My Library". On my phone it is simply "Tones". This should show you how to do that................http://http//www.simonblog.com/2010/09/25/why-missing-ringtones-library-in-itune s/

You know how to make ringtone by going through the process of changing m4a songs to m4r tones so when they show just drag them to your "Tones" folder. If they don't sync with your phone, open the Tones folder in my library and drag the ringtones into the Tones folder under your device.

It worked for for me and I now have the ringtones on my iphone.

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