How to Change the Ringtone on an iPhone
iPhones offer users the option to change the sound they make when an incoming call is received. This sound is called the ringtone
iPhone users can choose from a variety of default ringtones that come preinstalled on the iPhone or new ringtones that are purchased from the iTunes store. A few simple steps for changing the ringtone on an iPhone are listed below, followed by the steps required to download a new ringtone to the phone.
How to Selecting a Ringtone that is Already Loaded on the iPhone
1.
At the home menu on the iPhone, select the “Settings” option, and then tap
“Sounds.” On the “Sounds” menu, press the icon for ringtones. This will
display a list of the ringtones that are available for use on that phone. If one
of these tones is acceptable, select it by tapping on it and choosing to use it
as the default ringer for the phone.
If you want a ringtone that is not on the list, follow the steps in the next section to purchase a new ringtone from iTunes.
2. To assign a different ringtone from the default ringtone to a contact on the contact list, select “Contacts” from “Phone.” Select a contact and then tap “Ringtones” to associate the chosen ringtone with that contact.
From now on the selected ringtone will play when that contact calls the phone.
3. Set the iPhone for ring or silent mode. The switch that determines whether the phone rings or remains silent in the event of an incoming call is located on the side of the phone above the volume buttons.
When in line with the volume controls, the ring switch is set to allow the phone to ring. When in the position that is not aligned with the volume controls, the phone is set to remain silent for incoming calls.
The ability to assign special ringtones to contacts makes iPhone users aware of the calling party without having to view the phone. For calls from numbers without associated ringtones, the default ringtone will sound.
The flexibility of the iPhone allows users to download ringtones from the iTunes store to the iPhone. When a ringtone purchase is made, it is synced with the associated iTunes library.
Use the following steps to acquire a new ringtone for an iPhone. The iPhone requires Internet access to do this.
How to Download a New Ringtone to the iPhone from the iTunes Store
1. Create an iTunes account if necessary. To do this from the iPhone, select “Store” then “Create New Account” from the “Settings” menu. Follow the easy setup procedure to complete the creation of a new account.
2. From inside the iTunes store, browse the selection of available ringtones or use the search function to locate desired ringtones.
3. To purchase a ringtone, tap its price and then tap “Buy.”
4. When prompted, log into iTunes to charge the purchase and to begin downloading the ringtone. The progress of the download is displayed on the “Downloads” screen.
4. The new ringtone is found by going to the “Settings” menu and selecting “Sounds” then “Ringtones.” This will display a list of ringtones available for use on that phone. Select the new ringtone by tapping on it and choosing to use it as the default ringtone for the phone. Go to the next step to set this ringtone for a specific contact.
5. To assign the new ringtone to an entry of the contact list, select “Contacts” from “Phone.” Select the desired contact and then tap “Ringtone” to choose the new ringtone. From now on the phone will play the new ringtone when that contact calls the phone.
6. Set the iPhone for ring or silent mode. The switch that determines whether the phone rings or remains silent in the event of an incoming call is located on the side of the phone above the volume buttons. When in line with the volume controls, the ring switch is set to allow the phone to ring. When in the position that is not aligned with the volume controls, the phone is set to remain silent for incoming calls.
A Couple More Things about iPhone ringtones
Downloading ringtones from the iTunes store to the iPhone requires iPhone software version 3.1 (or newer). If the phone has lower than version 3.1 software installed, check with iPhone support to see if an upgrade is available for the phone.
Ringtones are available for use with the alarm clock function on the iPhone. To change this, tap the “Alarm” picture in the “Sound” menu. All the ringtones should appear in the list. Choose the ringtone that will sound with the alarm.
Another thing to remember is that when the iPhone is playing a video or music selection, an incoming call will cause the ringtone to play through the iPhone speaker and through the headphones (if in use). Setting the phone to silent ring mode will prevent this.
With all the fantastic applications and features available with the iPhone, forgetting some of the basic functionality is an easy thing to do. As with most features on this phone, setting, changing, and adding ringtones is easy and fun.