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iOS 26 Lets You Set Custom Ringtones Without Using GarageBand

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The dust is beginning to settle on iOS 26, but there is one more smaller improvement that we wanted to make sure that we highlighted: the ability to set custom ringtones on the iPhone without using the GarageBand app.

iOS 18
To set a custom ringtone on iOS 26, open the Files app and tap on an MP3 or M4A audio file that is less than 30 seconds long. Next, tap on the share button in the bottom-right corner of the screen, tap on More, and tap on Use as Ringtone. Then, that audio file will be listed as a ringtone option in the Settings app under Sounds & Haptics → Ringtone.

As noted by Macworld last week, the Use as Ringtone option also appears for audio files in select other apps, including Voice Memos. However, it is not possible to set Apple Music songs as custom ringtones for free, even with a subscription.

Apple continues to sell 30-second song ringtones for $1.29 each through the iTunes Store app on iOS 26, but this is a legacy feature.

iOS 26 is currently in beta.

Related Roundups: iOS 26, iPadOS 26
Related Forum: iOS 26

Top Rated Comments

zorinlynx Avatar
zorinlynx
10 months ago
THANK YOU, was that so hard, Apple?

Freaking 18 years later and you fix it so we don't have to do hacks to set custom ringtones.

Like, part of me is grateful but the other part is like... "Why did something so simple take this long!?" People have complained about this for years.
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)
winxmac Avatar
winxmac
10 months ago
Now I can have the Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista/7/8/10 startup sound as a custom ringtone.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
A
Apple247
10 months ago
This just became the number one thing I'm excited for.
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
zorinlynx Avatar
zorinlynx
10 months ago

I think I would still prefer to set it with GarageBand because you can trim there. But this will help people who are moving on from Android.
Yeah. That's one thing that people who switched from Android complain about a lot. "What do you mean I have to do all this nonsense to set a ringtone?!"

And I completely nod my head in agreement; Apple either didn't realize people wanted this, or had some reason to prevent it.

Now we can finally put this idiocy to bed.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
thejadedmonkey Avatar
thejadedmonkey
10 months ago

Only took 20 years while other brands had this option on day one. 🙄
I used to send wav files from my G4 Mac Mini to my Sony w300i via bluetooth. I had the best ringtones and text tones. It would make this awesome whoosh noise when you flipped it open too. So many fun times with that phone. The iPhone is like a corporate slab in comparison.

Of course I could also use that phone as an actual modem, and I used to add our dial up account on my laptop to dial AOL, so that I could play World of Warcraft while I was on Amtrak. What a time to be alive.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
axantas Avatar
axantas
10 months ago

Is this for making the ringtones..I don't quiet get it? I currently have custom ringtones on my phone...they are .m4a files that I copied over from my Mac.
I did not create ringtones for quite a while, but I just created .m4a files (less than 30 seconds), renamed them to .m4r, moved them into iTunes or the Music-App and they appearead as ringtones...
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
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