Custom iPhone ringtone hacking instructions prepped for noobs

If you can't wait for the eventual Apple update, then by all means have at it weekend hackers: custom iPhone ringtones can now be yours. Disparate hacks have been cobbled together into a step-by-step guide over at the appropriately named hacktheiphone site. The instructions make use of both the iPhoneInterface and jailbreak hacks which opened up full access to the iPhone's UI and filesystem. Unfortunately, the former only works on the Intel-based Macs at the moment. For those of you a bit wary of screwing the $600 pooch somewhere along the 23 steps, take heed: "everyone [they] know has been able to restore their iPhone fully by using iTunes." So go ahead, we double-dog dare ya. Just report back in the comments how it went, mkay?

[Thanks, HaJo and Richard]

[Ed @ Jul 13th 2007 4:53AM]

"...take head."

Please. Get a clue. The word is heed. That's heed. H-e-e-d.

Sheesh.

[DAZA @ Jul 13th 2007 5:04AM]

I will take some head.

[tommy @ Jul 13th 2007 5:07AM]

heed... for the last time.

[Deluxe @ Jul 13th 2007 5:09AM]

It's a disgrace this 'revolutionary' handset was let out the door without custom ring tones in the first place, even with 'future' firmware updates.

Has anyone used the iPhone to make a call yet? I'm interested to know if they included that as standard.

[King T @ Jul 13th 2007 5:12AM]

FIRST!!! lol to take heed that is....

[ssuk @ Jul 13th 2007 5:32AM]

Congratulations, you're an idiot!

[Shmee150 @ Jul 13th 2007 5:45AM]

wohoo, now I can change my ringtone, how exciting. Now can you help me use the phone in the UK... please mr hackers!!!

[silverblackvoid @ Jul 13th 2007 6:01AM]

so mundane. iphone is nothing compared to nokia e90

[fez1975 @ Jul 13th 2007 6:12AM]

I do agree but that is not what we are talking about.

[bobby @ Jul 13th 2007 8:05AM]

best iphone ringtone ever: macaulian.com/WeAreApple.mp3

80s corporate apple theme song / prophecy of the future

[ringtone god @ Jul 13th 2007 8:05AM]

macaulian.com/WeAreApple.mp3

This is the best ringtone ever, put it on your iphone to complete the triforce!

[Mike Caesar @ Jul 13th 2007 8:23AM]

It's a shame all manufactures now days are fucking stupid.

Why lock the device in the first place, you bought the fucking hardware it's yours to run whatever code you want, and when ingenuity finds a way to do something useful they offer a mandatory update or you can’t use the service.

Who the fuck are these assholes to lock you out of features that should be standard, so it caters to their business model.

It's like buying a microwave that will only cook cup noodles that was purchased from their store, and with a service plan of $19.95 you can use it for popcorn also; Assholes.

If people keep putting up with this all is lost for the consumer!

[Ian @ Jul 13th 2007 10:10AM]

Yeah! Piss, damn, crap!

[Justin @ Jul 13th 2007 4:54PM]

Would you like a kleenex or wet-nap for those tears? What an anti-capitalist cry-baby.

[Greg @ Jul 17th 2007 9:14AM]

Down with the capitalist pigs!!!

iPhone owners, correct me if I'm wrong, but can't many of the "missing" features be added with a firmware update? I know I had an iPod that Apple added features to this way.

Unlike most phones, it seems this easy upgradeability would be a significant plus.

I guess time will tell if this actually happens, but I suspect Apple rushed the "not-quite-complete" iPhone because they realize a simple software update will finish the job.

[hydrogen_wv @ Jul 13th 2007 8:46AM]

For the billionth time, you can modify your hardware all you want. That is your right. You paid for it. They can tell you whether you can use their service or not. Their service is not yours. If you want to use your modified hardware, start your own cell phone service.
All this stupid 'Fight the corporation' junk is annoying. If you don't like big corporations, go live in a 3rd world country. I'd prefer to have 'big corporations' everywhere than have to drink my own urine to survive.

[Monekywrestling @ Jul 13th 2007 9:51AM]

your an ignorant prick

[mike @ Jul 13th 2007 9:57AM]

I grew up in a third world country that's just too harsh. I haven't done it yet, but I'd rather drink my own urine than be with people like you.

[hydrogen_wv @ Jul 13th 2007 10:29AM]

No, really, I'm not.. it wasn't meant as an insult. Quite the opposite. The point is, people in industrialized countries have it made, yet we abuse everything we have. We think that everything is ours. If you don't like the fact that you can't use a service because you modded your hardware, go buy another of that same hardware and leave it unmodded.

As far as the 3rd world country thing goes, it sounds harsh but it's true. Mike said he hasn't done it yet... keyword - yet. I'm sure it happens. People there are struggling to survive while we sit over and complain that we can't use this or that service with modded hardware. Try living in a 3rd world country for a while and see what is worse. I guarantee you'll love your unmodded xboxes, iphones, etc after you borderline starve for a while.

[Mike @ Jul 13th 2007 10:44AM]

Your are the problem, you are told to eat that shit sandwich and your told to like it; and you do.

I along with millions of others would love to see the ignorant and happy American stop adding ketchup to the shit sandwich to make it taste better.

We can influence product development.

[Josh @ Jul 13th 2007 10:57AM]

Who exactly made you guys buy an IPhone? By what right do you think you can demand or say what features a company is obligated to make available to you in any given product? It is the job of you ignorant fools to research a product before you spend your money on it and all of this attitude you display, as if Apple somehow owes you something, is just idiotic.

"your an ignorant prick" - Way to call the kettle black. You screwed up in both spelling and capitalization.

"I grew up in a third world country that's just too harsh. I haven't done it yet, but I'd rather drink my own urine than be with people like you." - Harsh? How was his statement harsh? Who was it harsh toward? Granted, 3rd world countries aren't as bad off as he would have you believe. He still has a point. They may not have to drink their own urine but they DO have a slightly more realistic list of priorities and a better sense of what is and is not owed to them I am willing to bet.


"Your are the problem, you are told to eat that shit sandwich and your told to like it; and you do." - Nothing he said was along these lines. And even if it was this goes back to the fact that no one forced you to buy an IPhone and you are ignorant to think you are somehow owed this feature or that.

[Monekywrestling @ Jul 13th 2007 2:54PM]

Sorry Josh, you are an ignorant prick.

[ajftl @ Jul 13th 2007 9:07AM]

WE ARE AAAAAAPPLE WEA ARE AAAAAAAPPLE ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,LOL

[Mike @ Jul 13th 2007 9:12AM]

So far everything is working fine until i get to the step 14. Then the guide falls apart no step by step pics of what's going on. So as i type i get no response like i did on all the other steps.

Going to try from a fresh restore now.

Will let you know my findings.

[Mike @ Jul 13th 2007 9:37AM]

GOT IT!!!! Just redid steps 11 - ugh well all of them really.

But i can confirm it works. The hard part was getting files in M4A format.

Enjoy showing off your ringtones to other iphone users :)

FYI my last post i said that terminal did not respond at step 14. it did the 2nd time around.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jul 13th 2007 9:19AM]

Wow, only 23 steps to add a ringtone?! This must be an example of that legendary ease of use and flawless user experience Apple is so famous for! I feel so deprived on my simple phone where I just select any track on the phone, and set it as my ringtone. I am missing out on the revolutionary fun of all those 21 extra steps.

[Joe @ Jul 16th 2007 11:03AM]

HAHA yea, it's pretty sad that my 50 dollar cheapo phone from Verizon that I bought TWO YEARS ago can do this in 2 steps! The best thing is, I didn't need a computer, and I definitely didn't need to use a command line. I think it's funny that so many people worship this thing, they forget that most of the features this thing has, aren't that "revolutionary".

[Shannon @ Jul 13th 2007 10:45AM]

Big difference between hacker workarounds and updates Apple puts out themselves.

Kind of reminds me of the whole "Windows on Intel Macs" last year...hackers found a roundabout way of doing it, then it all was for nothing when Apple released the much simpler Bootcamp.

[L. M. Lloyd @ Jul 13th 2007 10:57AM]

Yeah, but stop and think for a second about the fact that you are having to find a "hacker workaround" to get a ringtone on a phone in 2007, and I bet you will feel a whole lot better about the $600 you just spent on your phone.

[bradders @ Jul 13th 2007 10:05AM]

I can add all the ringtones I like to this iPhone - but it still wont ring here in the UK :(

[jandrewg @ Jul 13th 2007 10:05AM]

I wonder how long this will last. After a slew of people turned their MS based devices into expensive bricks, MS finally came down on these types of practices. For the ability to add a new ringtone (?), I think I'll pass...

[jay parker @ Jul 13th 2007 10:31AM]

I'm pretty sure I saw a "buy Ringtones" tab in iTunes at some point during one of Steve's Keynotes.. it seems logical to me that this will be an option at some point soon.

[Travis May @ Jul 13th 2007 12:05PM]

I think that Apple will start selling ringtones soon. But whats the fun buying them when you can make your own and hack them in.

p.s. Please keep comments relevant to the article. I get tired of reading the comments and just reading junk. If you are really that bored then step away from the computer and watch a movie or visit a friend or SOMETHING! Engadget is my favorite site too, but we all need a break every now and then.

[craig @ Jul 13th 2007 12:43PM]

** waits for someone to compile a .app that does this for me from within the safety of a GUI.... **

[Reid Sorenson @ Jul 13th 2007 1:58PM]

You guys have to know that Apple would've included something as simple as custom ringtones if their partners would have let them. Think about it. Apple is the #3 music retailer, selling songs for 99 cents a track, but the record labels all want them to sell certain songs for more money. AT&T and other carriers get 3-4 bucks a pop for music ringtones, and they don't want to lose a dime of that revenue to Apple. At some point in the near future, a compromise will be made and they'll find a way to sell ringtones in iTunes... it's just a matter of who blinks first.

Now, none of this is to say why they couldn't offer something as simple as MIDI ringtones, like most phones use.

[ringtone god @ Jul 13th 2007 2:04PM]

http://www.macaulian.com/WeAreApple.mp3

[David @ Jul 13th 2007 4:08PM]

isnt that the exact same song from flashdance?

[Ladd @ Jul 13th 2007 5:48PM]

Worked for me!

[Morgan @ Jul 13th 2007 5:52PM]

i don't know what number I am to post that I got it to work but I did. Unfortunate for me my girlfriend is the one with an Intel Mac and I have a PC so now I'm just waiting until they can figure something out for PC. Not worth formatting to a Mac just to have them release info a week from now for a PC.

[raerae @ Jul 14th 2007 2:17AM]

better version here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbJy0O4UFSM

[mtheory @ Jul 14th 2007 4:23PM]

WARNING TO ANYONE USING THIS... THESE DIRECTIONS HAVE A FEW MISTAKES!!!

To get the ringtones working do NOT make a Ringtones Dir... skip this step completely and just go to:

cd /Library/Ringtones/

do your putfile in this folder. That other one does not work. Other problem with the instructions is that it tells you to do ./jailbreak twice which just isn't correct. Just let it do its thing and when you get the successfully unlocked message you are in. Skip the second jailbreak. Otherwise this works awesome. I have FF7 Fanfare as my ringtone now. KICK ASS!

[jersey @ Jul 14th 2007 7:28PM]

I did this hack, it was a piece of cake,
they lay all the instructions out perfectly.
Make sure you update to iTunes 7.3.1 to avoid the CTRL-C step

MP3s worked fine too.

[Russ @ Jul 16th 2007 10:36AM]

yeah.. worked fine.. very easy actually.. i loaded 30 ringers just so i wouldn't have to do this again before they give us some sweet sumptious software updates....

[Mikayla @ Jul 16th 2007 3:08PM]

yeah, very simple.
i did it in like an hour.
no bugs that i can see.
and its so much better then those stupid ringtones already on the phone.

[mike @ Jul 18th 2007 11:38PM]

I have confirmed this to be true!

Just followed the instructions at http://www.everythingiphone.com/forum/iphone-software/how-to-add-custom-ringtones-by-wjp09-with-pictures-and-videos-5521.html

Worked perfectly. No problems with drive size changing.