How to make and install free ringtones for the iPhone 3GS

Making ringtones and installing them on the iPhone 3GS isn't nearly as easy as it is on other devices, but it's still simple enough for most people to pull it off.

The problem, however, is that most people simply don't know all of the steps involved.

In this guide, we'll show you how to make your own ringtones, convert them to an iPhone-friendly format, and then transfer them to your iPhone 3GS using iTunes.

Make a ringtone

First, you need to find a song or other audio file you like and pull a 1 to 30-second clip from the file. There are two easy ways to do this:

• If your track is already in iTunes, right-click it and choose Get Info. Then, on the Options tab, choose a start and stop time no longer than 30 seconds.
• If you have a wave or MP3 file you'd like to pull a more precise clip from, we recommend using Audacity for Mac or Windows. Be sure to export the finished file as an MP3.

Convert the ringtone

Now that you have an audio clip that is between 1 and 30 seconds long, you need to convert it to the appropriate format.

1. Drag your file into iTunes if it's not already in your music library
2. Highlight the file and click Advanced in the top menu
3. Choose Create Apple Lossless Version
4. Find the newly-created M4A file in your iTunes library
   1. On a Mac: User > Music > iTunes > iTunes Music > [Artist Name]
   2. On a Windows PC: My Documents > My Music > iTunes Media > Music > [Artist Name] (make sure "Hide extensions for known file types" within "Folder Options" is unchecked)
5. Rename the file so that the extension is M4R instead of M4A (ex: "ringtone.m4a" becomes "ringtone.m4r")
6. Drag the renamed file into iTunes

Sync the ringtone to your iPhone 3GS

Now you're ready to transfer the file to your iPhone 3GS.

1. Click on the Ringtones item in the left-hand menu column in iTunes — your new ringtone should already be there
2. Connect your iPhone 3GS to your computer using the supplied USB cable
3. Once it appears, click on your iPhone in the left-hand menu column in iTunes
4. Go to the Ringtones tab and ensure that ringtones are set to sync
5. Sync your iPhone

That's it! Your new ringtone will now be transferred to your iPhone 3GS. To configure it as your current ringtone, simply go to Settings > Sounds > Ringtone on your iPhone and choose the new file by name.

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