Simple hackery enables free iTunes ringtones
Well, this is a handy (and well-timed) find! User Cleverboy over at Macrumors has discovered a simple trick to get your own music onto your iPhone using the just-released iTunes 7.4, and it'll cost you precisely nothing. To get this to work, we hear you only need to rename an AAC track to .M4R, then double click it and iTunes will automagically load it into iTunes for you. Next time you plug in your iPhone to sync up, just check off the song in the Ringtones tab and voila, instant tone gratification. Thanks, Apple -- free ringtones for the songs we already own or ripped from our own CDs, this is how it should have been from the get-go. On a happy note, Macrumor's forum users are reporting the magic works via both Apple and Windows flavors of iTunes, but feel free let us know how you all get on.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joxes @ Sep 7th 2007 11:50AM
Clever boy just made my day !!!
Thanks for this great and useful tip ;-)
joecartoon @ Sep 7th 2007 11:58AM
that is a great trick... im glad i dont have to pay $2 for a ringtone
Paul @ Sep 7th 2007 12:18PM
wow i think AT&T is going to be pissed. As much as this is awesome for users, there goes a nice chunk of revenue for the phone co.
Andrew Eller @ Sep 7th 2007 1:17PM
Where did you read that AT&T got a piece of the ringtone revenue?
Donald @ Sep 7th 2007 3:19PM
There's a reason why at&t's going rate for a ringtone is $2.49...
Paul @ Sep 7th 2007 3:45PM
Your right it's an assumption, but based on the current ringtone business model I think its probably valid.
malvegil @ Sep 7th 2007 12:33PM
Nice.
Tony @ Sep 7th 2007 1:49PM
Nice! At least we get free ringtones until Apple figures out how to block it in their next update.
Donald @ Sep 7th 2007 3:20PM
Which is all you need, really. Unless Apple can reach into the phone and have all the ringtones you've made for yourself BALEETED
derX @ Sep 7th 2007 3:49PM
Hrm, this seems kinda illegal....
Be careful you guys, Jobs'll find out about this because he *is* God, you know *strucked by lightening*, he'll probably, like, take away your $100 refund or something like that.
Thomas Tong @ Sep 7th 2007 4:07PM
so do it after you get your $100 refund.. lol
Rick Spencer @ Sep 7th 2007 4:37PM
I tried this and it did not work for me. I took one m4a, duped it, changed the file extension and added to iTunes (3 different ways), at no time did my iphone seem to recognize that I had any ringtones. Secondarily, when I added it to itunes, the file extension automatically got lopped off.
I'm calling BS, or inadequate instructions (at endgadget)
MacBook Pro, iTunes 7.4
Rick Spencer @ Sep 7th 2007 4:37PM
Update - not QUITE as simple as it sounds. Changing the file extension isn't hard, but there are more explicit instructions on how to get the extension to 'stick' on the macrumors forum site - link here: http://www.macrumors.com/iphone/2007/09/07/free-custom-ringtones-in-itunes-7-4/
Inadequate instructions on endgadget site.
Tero @ Sep 7th 2007 6:07PM
It's just so sad that there are devices that need news like this. "Wanna change your ringtone? Just a little hack!" Pathetic.
steve campbel @ Sep 8th 2007 8:21AM
i use www.create-ringtone.com to make and send custom ringtones, wallpapers, MP3's and Videos for FREE to cell phones around the world