How to set a song as ringtone on iPhone in 2023

Jamming on a particular song and want to make it your iPhone ringtone? But is it possible to make a song as your iPhone ringtone without iTunes or your computer? Yes, it can be done! Whether a custom sound like your child’s voice, a music piece, or external ringtones, iPhone allows you to be the decision-maker. In this article, I will take you through the process step by step, so stick along.

Things to know before you set any song as an iPhone ringtone?

• Locally Saved – The track you want as a ringtone should be stored in your iPhone Music Library or the files app. Protected songs (like from Apple Music) cannot be used.
• The app – You’ll need to download and install one of the two apps –
  • Ringtones: Ringtone Maker
  • Apple’s GarageBand app

Now, let’s move on to the next step.

How to create a custom iPhone ringtone with GarageBand

For this tutorial purposes, I have downloaded a ringtone from Zedge. You can use a website or source of your choice.

1. Launch the GarageBand app on your iPhone.
2. Swipe and find Audio Recorder from the options, tap Voice (mic icon). (You can also use Keyboard or Drummer for the purpose)
3. Here, tap View (brick wall like icon) to enter the editing section.
4. Tap the Loop icon; you’ll see three subheadings here – Apple Loops, Files, and Music. Since my ringtone is saved in files, I will be using that tab.
5. Look for the song you want; hold it for a few seconds to import. If you can’t see the song, tap Browse items from the Files app to find it.
6. To edit the song, drag the long vertical bar to your custom ringtone’s desired starting point.
   You may use the play button to achieve the perfect starting point of your tone.
7. Once done, double-tap the song and select Split.
8. Drag the Scissor icon down to cut/divide the song at your chosen point.
9. Delete the unusable part of the song by tapping it twice and then choosing Delete.
10. Now, select the down arrow icon from the top-left corner and tap My Songs.
11. Tap and hold the project and select Share from the list.
12. Here, select Ringtone, then continue, name the song as per your choice, and tap Export.
13. Once the process completes, tap Use sound as… to set it as ringtone directly or OK to do it manually.

Note: While exporting, iPhone automatically trims the ringtone at 30 seconds. If you want to set an endpoint somewhere before 30 seconds, repeat steps 6 to 9.

Set custom ringtone on iPhone without iTunes

If you selected OK previously or you want to use the custom ringtone again, follow these steps:

1. Go to Settings → Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone
2. The recently created tone will be displayed on top of the list under RINGTONES.
3. Tap it to set it as your ringtone.

Successfully set a song as a ringtone on iPhone without iTunes or PC!

I hope this handy trick to set a ringtone of your choice without iTunes or a computer was useful. If you have any queries or face any issues during the process, please share them in the comment section below.

And if this was too much of a hassle, don’t worry! You can check the below articles for alternative hacks: