One of the new features of iOS 5 is the ability to purchase alert tones from the iTunes Store. Users have long been able to purchase and create custom ringtones, but the ability to customize text tones is new.

The process for creating custom alert tones is identical to creating custom ringtones. iOS 5 now offers the ability to select full-length ringtones as a text message alert. To create a custom Alert Tone, simply make a "ringtone" of the proper length (2-5 seconds) and select it as the text message alert in Settings/Sounds.

itunesringtones
Italian Apple site Melaspazio.it [Translation] noted process was the same as creating ringtones. There are a few ways to create custom ringtones. The easiest option is a dedicated app like Ringer from Pixel Research Labs. This $3.99 app, available on the Mac App Store, creates custom-length audio-files directly from the iTunes Library, including fade-ins and -outs. It converts them properly and sends them directly to iTunes for syncing.

For users who don't want to pay to create a custom ringtone, there is a free option. Simonblog has the full instructions with screenshots, but here's the summary:

- Select a song in iTunes, right-click it and select "Get Info"
- Click the Options tab and use the "Start Time" and "Stop Time" to control the exact length of the sound file you want. Close the Get Info window.
- Right-click the song and select "Create AAC Version"
- Right-click the newly created song and select "Show In Finder"
- Change the file extension from .m4a to .m4r
- Head back to iTunes and right-click the newly created song. Select "Delete" and then click "Remove" to remove the song from the iTunes Library -- but then select "Keep File" so the actual ringtone doesn't get deleted.
- Finally, head back to the Finder and double-click the .m4r file. It will automatically add itself to iTunes as a Ringtone, ready to be synced with your iPhone.

If you're going to use a file as a text tone, be sure to keep it short or you'll be hearing 30 seconds of AC/DC's Back In Black every time you get a text. GarageBand can be used to create custom ringtones as well.

Top Rated Comments

elisedriver Avatar
175 months ago
Better to have different tones from the wife or the mistress :D
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
r2shyyou Avatar
175 months ago
If you're going to use a file as a text tone, be sure to keep it short or you'll be hearing 30 seconds of AC/DC's Back In Black every time you get a text.

Haha!
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kurosov Avatar
175 months ago
GarageBand is still the best method of creating custom tones.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Rodimus Prime Avatar
175 months ago
Welcome to the 21st century Apple is what I have to say to this.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
surf2snow1 Avatar
175 months ago
now I won't have my dad ask me "was that my phone or yours" every time I get a text...

atleast someone's parents know how to text
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rutskiuk Avatar
175 months ago
iOS custom text tones

Spotted this one right away :D

These are the instructions I sent to my mates yesterday:

Tested the custom text tones facility on iOS5. Works a treat with iRinger. Go to http://www.iringer.net/ to get the latest version, import the file you want as a tone, export it as a text tone (CAF) then tick export to iTunes, click go, go to iTunes and drag the alert tone (from ringtones) onto your phone. On the phone go to settings > sounds > text tone > pick your new tone and tada! What's even better is that now if you look at your contacts and edit there is a custom field for text tone so you know who text you just from the alert :)
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

cook trump

Trump Responds to Apple Keeping Diversity Policies

Wednesday February 26, 2025 6:32 am PST by
In an all-caps post on Truth Social today, U.S. President Donald Trump said Apple should fully end its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies. Tim Cook meeting with President Trump in 2017 "APPLE SHOULD GET RID OF DEI RULES, NOT JUST MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THEM," he wrote. Trump's post comes one day after Apple held its annual shareholders meeting, during which a majority of...
apple watch ultra snow

6 Features Coming to the Apple Watch Ultra 3

Tuesday February 25, 2025 9:00 am PST by
The Apple Watch Ultra 3 is expected to launch later this year, arriving two years after the previous model with a series of improvements. While no noticeable design changes are expected for the third generation since the company tends to stick with the same Apple Watch design through three generations before changing it, there are a series of internal upgrades on the way. By the time the ...
iOS 18

Apple Says iOS 18.4 Will Be Released in April With These New Features

Wednesday February 26, 2025 7:15 am PST by
In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 18.4 will be released in April. From the Apple News+ Food announcement:Coming with iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 in April, Apple News+ subscribers will have access to Apple News+ Food, a new section that will feature tens of thousands of recipes — as well as stories about restaurants, healthy eating, kitchen essentials, and more — from the...
iPhone Fold Vertical Feature

Apple's 2026 Foldable iPhone Has No Visible Display Crease – Report

Tuesday February 25, 2025 2:58 am PST by
Apple is making significant headway on its long-rumored foldable iPhone, with a new report suggesting the company has achieved a major breakthrough by effectively eliminating the screen crease that plagues current foldable devices. According to Korean publication ETNews, Apple is finalizing its component suppliers for the foldable iPhone, with the selection process expected to be completed...
trump iphone dictation issue

Apple Fixing 'Trump' Dictation Processing Bug

Tuesday February 25, 2025 1:18 pm PST by
Multiple iPhone owners today noticed a pronunciation processing issue that causes the word "Trump" to momentarily show up when using dictation to send a message with the word "racist." In some cases, when speaking the word racist through the iPhone's built-in dictation feature, the iPhone briefly interprets the spoken word as "Trump" and "Trump" text shows up in the Messages app before being ...
airtag orange

AirTag 2 Rumored to Launch in May or June With These New Features

Monday February 24, 2025 6:11 am PST by
Apple plans to launch a second-generation AirTag in May or June this year, according to a post today from a leaker known as Kosutami. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman previously reported that a new AirTag would be released in mid-2025. May or June would align with that timeframe. Below, we recap three new features rumored for the AirTag 2: With a second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the...
airpods pro purple

Here's When AirPods Pro 3 Are Rumored to Launch

Monday February 24, 2025 9:14 am PST by
According to a post on X today from a leaker known as Kosutami, Apple plans to launch AirPods Pro 3 in May or June this year. The leaker also claimed that an AirTag 2 will launch around the same time. Kosutami is best known as a collector of prototype Apple hardware, but they have occasionally shared accurate information about Apple's future product plans. For example, they accurately...
ios 18 4 carplay

iOS 18.4 Includes a Small But Useful Change for CarPlay

Sunday February 23, 2025 2:23 pm PST by
The first beta of iOS 18.4 is now available, and it includes a small but useful change for CarPlay. As we noted in our list of iOS 18.4 features, CarPlay now shows a third row of icons, up from two rows previously. However, this change is only visible in vehicles with a larger center display. For example, a MacRumors Forums member noticed the change in a Toyota Tundra, which can be equipped...