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My wife just upgraded her phone from 4s to 5s. When I restored her settings and content to the 5s her ringtone that she had previously purchased a year ago was not transferred. I checked her iTunes (windows) and the iTunes store and it is not listed as a purchase (even tho she did buy it).
How can we restore this ringtone to her phone without having to re-purchase the ringtone? It's only 1.29 but there's a principle involved.
Thanks
Tonight I purchased my first ringtone from the iTunes Store. I was so paranoid I did a new back up to my iPhone 7 on my Macbook because it didn't instantly appear as a Tone in my iTunes Library. After the back up, it appeared. And after it appeared, I saved it to my Mac's desktop. From there, I saved it to 2 external hard drives. Like you, I couldn't locate it as a Purchase on my iPhone.
Ringtones & Audiobooks cannot be re-download for free.
You have to save it on computer iTunes after purchased, you can then sync to your iPhone.
Bummer. Anyway to move the ringtone from the old phone to the new one?
Connect and select iPhone (iTunes Sidebar) with the ringtone to computer iTunes, right click and choose "Transfer Purchases".
Computer iTunes and iPhone should have the same Apple ID.
TThanks. Then I just connect the new phone and sync it to get the ringtone onto the new phone, right?
1. Connect and select iPhone with ringtone to computer iTunes and use Transfer Purchases to copy ringtone from iPhone to computer iTunes.
2. Connect and select another iPhone using the same Apple ID to computer iTunes, select in iTunes the tones you want. Click Sync.
bummer again. The ringtone did not transfer, or at least it did not show up in iTunes under music as an item to sync. Unless there is something I am missing, I guess my wife will have to re-purchase the ringtone.
Thanks
Well, ringtone is still not showing up in the iTunes library.
To recap, this is what I have done via iTunes since acquiring the new phone:
1. backed up old phone
2. restored backup to new phone and transferred all apps/data (all except the ringtone was successfully transferred to new phone).
3. transferred purchases from old phone
4. Checked the 'tone's option in iTunes preferences to display the tones folder.
Since I cannot see the ringtone in iTunes, I have not tried syncing the new phone during this sequence.
Could the fact that my wife bought and downloaded her ringtone directly from her phone without going through iTunes be the problem?
robertfromdumfries wrote:
...
Could the fact that my wife bought and downloaded her ringtone directly from her phone without going through iTunes be the problem?
Ringtone cannot be bought using computer iTunes, it has to be done directly with the iPhone.
In computer iTunes > Preferences... (Windows: Edit > Preferences...) > under General tab > make sure Tones is checked.
Easier to select a device if you switch Show Sidebar ON in iTunes > View > Show Sidebar.
Note: iPhone & computer iTunes must use the same Apple ID.
1. Ringtone cannot be bought using computer iTunes, it has to be done directly with the iPhone
Did not know that. Given the problem being discussed, I was going to have her do that. Brings me back to square one.
2. In computer iTunes > Preferences... (Windows: Edit > Preferences...) > under General tab > make sure Tones is checked.
Done
3. Easier to select a device if you switch Show Sidebar ON in iTunes > View > Show Sidebar.
her default display.
Grasping at straws now. Ringtone is on her old phone. Am Unable to transfer as a purchase. As pathetic this question may be, could the fact that her old phone is no longer be used as a phone have anything to do with the problem?
This may seem like a lot of effort for a $1.29 ringtone, but I can easily this happening again when we change phones in the future; which is why I am trying to come up with a solution now.
Is old phone an iPhone?
Is iPhone Apple ID the same as iTunes > Store > View Account?
One can use an old iPhone as an iPod touch (need to be activated), see link below.
Using an iPhone without a wireless service plan
Normally, if you buy something directly on the iPhone and when you connect the iPhone to a computer to sync, iTunes will inform you that you have something on the iPhone but not in the iTunes Library, you will be given a choice to Transfer Purchases to the iTunes Library.
Old phone is iphone 4s. New phone is iPhone 5s. Apple dis is the same on both phones and iTunes. Phone is operating, just not for phone calls. I,always sync to iTunes via cable. And I always transfer purchases. This is why it is so confusing as to why I having this problem.
I am having the same problem! I have an iphone 4s with many ringtones--I can see them on my phone, select them, and use them--but only 3 are appearing in my itunes under tones. (And yes, I have regularly backed up this iphone. All the ringtones were purchased through itunes on my 4s. I did not convert or make any on my own.) I recently bought an iphone 5s and cannot figure out how to transfer these ringtones to the new iphone because itunes claims I do not have them! I have even re-synced my old iphone 4s with my computer and no luck--the ringtones still will not appear in itunes under tones! I am beyond frustrated. How can I transfer them off of my iphone 4s to itunes and my iphone 5s? There are several that I use for alarms and seasonal ringtones. I should not have to repurchase them because apple cannot get its act together! $1.29 adds up!
Apple is not here. FWIW, I can transfer all my ringtones purchases without any issue and sync with all my devices.
Ringtone(s) is not part of a backup.
See what gets backed up: iTunes: About iOS backups
Cannot find purchased ringtone in iTunes
