Learn how to set an MP3, AAC, or another audio file you created or downloaded from the Internet as your iPhone ringtone to personalize your phone call alerts.
Previous iOS versions offered limited ringtone options if you wanted something different from the built-in tones. You basically had four choices:
- Buy a ringtone from Apple’s iTunes Store.
- Use the Music app to create a ringtone on your Mac and sync it to your iPhone (you cannot use Apple Music tracks for this, as they are DRM-protected).
- Create a ringtone from scratch using Apple’s GarageBand (it’s a complicated process).
- Download a ringtone from the Internet, but then go through the GarageBand process or use your computer to set it as your iPhone ringtone.
iOS 26 and iOS 27 make significant changes and allow you to easily set an audio file as your iPhone or iPad’s ringtone with just a few taps.
Supported file formats and conditions
- You can use an audio file in one of these formats as your iPhone or iPad ringtone: MP3, WAV, M4A, M4R, FLAC, AIFF, AAC, and AMR. This means it supports all popular audio file formats (except WMA, which is Microsoft’s proprietary format anyway).
- The audio file must not be more than 30 seconds long. Keep it to 29 seconds to be on the safe side because the file may be like 30.3 seconds long but only show 30 seconds; iOS, however, will reject it as a ringtone.
Set any song or audio file as your iPhone ringtone
1) Make sure the audio file in question is saved to your Apple Files app or a third-party file manager app, such as Documents.
2) Touch and hold the audio file and select Share.
In third-party apps like Documents, you may have to tap the share icon more than once to get to the iOS Share Sheet.
3) Select Use as Ringtone from the Share Sheet, and it will instantly take you to the Ringtone pane in the Settings app.
4) Tap the audio file so a check mark appears before it, confirming this tone is set as your new iPhone ringtone.
Note: You can also touch and hold an audio file in the Files app, select Quick Look, then tap the share button, and choose Use as Ringtone.
Once you follow the steps above, that audio file becomes part of your iPhone’s ringtone. It will stay there until you delete it manually (explained later).
If you don’t see the option to use an audio file as your iPhone ringtone
This can happen if the audio file is in an unsupported format, is corrupted, or has something unusual about it. In that case, try a different audio file, or re-download this file and try setting it up as the ringtone again.
If the audio file you’re trying to use is lengthy, you’ll still see the “Use as Ringtone” option; however, iOS will throw an error stating the file is too large. It will suggest choosing one under 30 seconds.
How to get free ringtones for your iPhone
The best way to get free ringtones is to create one in your Mac’s Music app, as long as you have an unprotected song file. This lets you select the exact 30-second portion of your favorite track as the ringtone. In the past, I often downloaded themes or intros from my favorite TV shows and used the Music app to turn them into ringtones.
The next best approach is to download a ringtone file from the Internet. Do a quick Google search or use sites like Prokerala, Zedge, Tones7, MobCup, and mobiles24 to find the right ringtone. Since the iPhone now supports using practically any audio as the ringtone, you can even use Android-exclusive websites to get your favorite ringtone instead of looking for iOS-friendly M4R ringtone files.
Delete a ringtone from your iPhone
Deleting the original audio file in the Files app won’t remove the ringtone. Instead, go to Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone and swipe left over an added tone to delete it.
Ringtones let you customize phone calls and messages. For example, you can assign specific ringtones, text tones, and vibrations to specific contacts so you know who’s calling or messaging you without looking at the screen.