How to Send Ringtones to Other Users' Cell Phones

Ringtones are an essential element to mobile phone ownership. Through ringtones, users can personalize their phones in meaningful ways for sentiment, nostalgia, or to make a public statement. Regardless of the reason behind a user choosing a ringtone situations arise when people want to trade ringtones.

When this happens, knowing how to send a ringtone to another phone is helpful.

Although the process of sending a ringtone from an older phone is more challenging, newer phones with Bluetooth technology make sending any files, including ringtones, to another phone a simple task.

How to Send a Ringtone from One Bluetooth Enabled Phone to Another

How to Send Ringtones to Other Cell PhonesBluetooth technology is a method of connecting devices together without wires. The most common Bluetooth device is a phone headset. These have the advantage of providing hands free phone use without the cumbersome wires that are associated with traditional headsets.

While other Bluetooth devices are available for use with phones, one of the coolest uses of Bluetooth technology is the ability to transfer files between two Bluetooth phones. This connectivity has revolutionized the way phones are managed.

To use this method to transfer ringtones from one Bluetooth phone to another Bluetooth phone, follow these steps:

  1. Verify that both phones have Bluetooth capability and that Bluetooth functionality is enabled on each of them.
  2. Place the two phones close to each other. Bluetooth connectivity has a range of about twenty feet. To get the best connection, however, get the two phones as close together as possible.
  3. On the the sending phone, browse to the folder that contains sounds and then select and then send the ringtone.
  4. From the options menu, choose “Send,” and then “Send via Bluetooth.”
  5. Wait for the sending phone to search for the destination phone. When it appears on the Bluetooth devices list, select it. The ringtone file is then copied to the receiving phone.
  6. The user of the receiving phone will have to make sure that the ringtone gets copied into the appropriate sound folder of that phone for it to work. The new ringtone is now available as an optional selection on that phone.

How to Send a Ringtone when Bluetooth is Not Available

When one or both phones are not Bluetooth capable, a ringtone transfer is still possible, but the process is not as easy.

The following suggestions might help.

  1. Attach a ringtone file to a text message and then send that text message to the destination phone. Check to make sure both phones can handle text messages with files attached first.
  2. From the sending phone, create an email, attach the ringtone to the email and send it to the recipient. The owner of the receiving phone can then save the ringtone in an appropriate location of that phone. This also works when sending a ringtone from a computer. If the ringtone is available on a computer, try sending attached to an email from it. Contact the service provider for the receiving phone for assistance if the destination email address is unknown.
  3. Post the ringtone on a web site, blog, or personal web site. The receiving user can use the phone-based web browser to download the ringtone from a link on that site.
  4. Phones that have infrared connectivity can beam files like the ringtone from one computer to the other. This is a reliable option if it is available.
  5. Connect the host phone to a computer via the USB cable, then copy the ringtone to the computer. After disconnecting the host phone, connect the destination phone and copy the ringtone from the computer to the destination phone.

Potential Considerations

Some wireless phone service providers want to encourage each user to purchase ringtones from their online store. As part of this effort, the ability to transfer ringtones between phones is sometimes blocked.

Also, some service providers may lock purchased ringtones so that their use is limited to the phone that made the purchase. In this case, the ringtone is not usable if sent to another phone.

To save money, many users create their own ringtones on a computer. This allows for the creation of customized and unique ringtones. When ringtones like these are on a computer already, sending it via email is easy.

Users with great ringtones might consider saving ringtones for use as gifts for birthdays or other special occasions rather than giving them away at random intervals.

Whether a ringtone is purchased or if it is created from a recorded song, copyright laws might restrict its use. Research applicable intellectual property laws to avoid any violations.

Although transferring ringtones between Bluetooth enabled phones is the easiest approach, other methods exist that can facilitate the process when non-Bluetooth phones are involved. Sharing ringtones offers users the chance to build their ringtone collections while at the same time gives them great opportunities to meet new people..