Simple hackery enables free iTunes ringtones

Well, this is a handy (and well-timed) find! User Cleverboy over at Macrumors has discovered a simple trick to get your own music onto your iPhone using the just-released iTunes 7.4, and it'll cost you precisely nothing. To get this to work, we hear you only need to rename an AAC track to .M4R, then double click it and iTunes will automagically load it into iTunes for you. Next time you plug in your iPhone to sync up, just check off the song in the Ringtones tab and voila, instant tone gratification. Thanks, Apple -- free ringtones for the songs we already own or ripped from our own CDs, this is how it should have been from the get-go. On a happy note, Macrumor's forum users are reporting the magic works via both Apple and Windows flavors of iTunes, but feel free let us know how you all get on.

[bryan @ Jul 11th 2008 7:08PM]

Is this thing still working, i mean can i stilll create free ringing tones for my iphone using the conversion to AAC format. please reply desperate.

thank

[s_som @ Jun 3rd 2009 9:34AM]

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[fonewiz @ Aug 20th 2009 7:41PM]

Still works 2 years later..

[Quix @ Sep 7th 2007 11:44AM]

And Apple blocks this workaround with another iTunes update in 3...2...1...

[R1cebrner @ Sep 7th 2007 11:43AM]

That will disapear in the next itunes update

[Jason Carroll @ Sep 7th 2007 11:50AM]

Yes, almost guaranteed.

[LegendZ28 @ Sep 7th 2007 12:14PM]

You know, there's no law that says you must download the new version of itunes just because a dialog pops up.

[MacdratsaB @ Sep 7th 2007 1:10PM]

This does work! However, one step was missed. You have to delete the song from your library and then double click on the .M4R file.

We ALL know this will go away soon so as BB would say "Do work son".

[freakscene @ Sep 7th 2007 2:44PM]

I'm not so sure about that. Since the ringtones thing is related to licensing rights with the recording industry, this may be Apple's way of providing a "reasonable" under-the-radar alternative, in the same way that Apple has not tried to block iPhone hackery so far.

[onefastcamel @ Sep 7th 2007 4:25PM]

Where the heck is the ringtones tab?? I updated to the latest version and it is not there. help. I want to get my $100 differnce in ringtones.

[mongoos150 @ Sep 7th 2007 11:45PM]

7.4.1 is here. It did not disappear.

[Cleverboy @ Sep 12th 2007 5:35AM]

UPDATE:
Make any AAC a ringtone without renaming anything.
iPhone Ringtones - What Did iTunes 7.4.1 really do?
http://www.digg.com/apple/iPhone_Ringtones_What_Did_iTunes_7_4_1_really_do

[R1cebrner @ Sep 7th 2007 11:43AM]

Wow ive never been first to post before

[Jonathan Keim @ Sep 7th 2007 11:46AM]

lol, sorry about your luck bud, but the other guy beat you :-)

[Grodesh @ Sep 7th 2007 11:47AM]

And you'll never be. God I wish these pointless posts would disappear...

[Ali @ Sep 7th 2007 11:59AM]

Did you guys ever look at the names? R1cebrner=R1cebrner. Woowww

[R1cebrner @ Sep 7th 2007 12:02PM]

Keim and grodesh,

I hate when people dont read all the posts prior to replying. I made my post then came back noticed it was first.

[Jon @ Sep 7th 2007 12:05PM]

Kill yourself

[Gav @ Sep 10th 2007 10:21AM]

Second that.

[The1 @ Sep 7th 2007 11:45AM]

Great, greedy companies want to nickel and dime people for everything. How dare any company that restricts users from using THEIR OWN ring tones.

[Homeboy @ Sep 7th 2007 11:45AM]

Lol What a surprise, only two days after the event. $teve Job$ won't be happy about this and will likely release an iTunes fix in a matter of days.

The best advise to all of you is to download this version of iTunes and save it in case the hack won't work with the coming iTunes versions.

[randy @ Sep 7th 2007 11:47AM]

This is excellent. But if Apple tries to disable this with an iTunes upgrade, I will deny their request to do so. Just as I deny their requests to reset/upgrade my iPhone simply because I've manipulated it via iFuntastic.

[Boynamedsue @ Sep 7th 2007 11:52AM]

I just love how.. happy jobs looked as he told everyone we could use ringtones by mereley buying the entire song again. He just made it sound so cool.

I was waiting for him to take a shit on the stage and tell is that that was awesome as well, and we all wanted to buy it before our friends.

[Matt @ Sep 7th 2007 12:00PM]

Nicely put Quix. For now in the words of Borat,"Very Nice!"

[Nick Bee @ Sep 7th 2007 11:57AM]

My Nokia N95 keeps getting better and better every day.... ;)

[Aaron415 @ Sep 8th 2007 1:03AM]

yeah and no one gives a shitttttttt

[IAMHE @ Sep 7th 2007 11:19PM]

Oh gosh man please spare me these crappy posts man! The N95 is a worthless BRICK!

[FishGuy @ Sep 7th 2007 12:01PM]

I can't believe they would let such a simple work around slip through the cracks like that

[Jason @ Sep 7th 2007 12:03PM]

If I were you I wouldn't be trying to rip off Apple lest they ban you from purchases or something.

[Jason @ Sep 7th 2007 12:19PM]

Oh wait, this is with your own music? Hah! Carry on!

[Seth Brower @ Sep 7th 2007 12:07PM]

This seems rather similar to how you can add your own files to the "AudioBook" section by renaming the files from m4a to m4b, you do that and it reimport it and its no longer in the "Music" section but rather now in "AudioBook".
So we have:
m4a for music
m4b for audiobooks
m4r for ringtones

[Cleverboy @ Sep 7th 2007 12:30PM]

Seth, exactly what it is. Check your "folder options" in Windows for "file types" and you'll have seen the "ringtones" filetype added. That when I start laughing. I knew it would work, and after I synced, it sure did.

[Seth Brower @ Sep 7th 2007 2:59PM]

I actually hadn't updated my Itunes yet, but I am sure you are right.
Gotta love the one hand wagging it's finger saying no you have to buy, and the other hand waving to get our attention with the simpleness of the setup they have.

[John B @ Sep 7th 2007 12:07PM]

I've tried to get it to work with no success...

[josh @ Sep 7th 2007 12:07PM]

how about just denying the itunes update? will that work

[sectionz @ Sep 7th 2007 12:13PM]

LMAO .. the justice .. it is poetic! Audacity + Trick FTW!

[Pedro @ Sep 7th 2007 12:09PM]

Hooray for 2Pac

[ssuk @ Sep 8th 2007 2:11AM]

going to sit on the bus with your iPhone beatin' out some wick'd tunes for your home boys hile annoying everyone else, eh? die. slowly.

[jowett @ Sep 7th 2007 12:13PM]

Will this work with mp3 files?

[ssuk @ Sep 8th 2007 2:15AM]

sure, import them into iTunes, copy the M4A file out of the iTunes music folder somewhere else, delete the tune from your library then rename $name.m4a to $name.m4r and double click it. Ta-daa!

[Chir @ Sep 7th 2007 12:15PM]

Wait a minute, let me get this straight.

You cannot upload any audio file you want up to the iPhone, and set it as your ringtone?

[Iceburgh @ Sep 7th 2007 12:44PM]

Well now you can :)

[Andrew B. @ Sep 7th 2007 12:19PM]

Maybe Apple new about this and wanted people to find out that way they could tell the record companies they tried.

[Ellianth @ Sep 7th 2007 1:00PM]

don't be dumb.

[Ryan Fortman @ Sep 7th 2007 1:19PM]

Nice

[Sebastien @ Sep 7th 2007 12:20PM]

OK, can someone explain how to do this. I looked at the files I use in iTunes and they are all mp3 files. How do I get a AAC file?

[Cleverboy @ Sep 7th 2007 12:28PM]

In iTunes, right-click it, and say "convert to aac". Then right-click that file in iTunes, and locate it on your desktop. Rename the extension, and double-click it. It should now be in your ringtones tab for your iPhone. If not, check the MacRumors thread for caveats and details.

[Sebastien @ Sep 7th 2007 12:29PM]

Thanks bro!

[Fox McCloud @ Sep 7th 2007 12:34PM]

go to your preferences advanced options, turn importing to AAC format, select your mp3 and go to menu tab advanced / convert selection to AAC. They will show up in your itunes music converted folder.

If you didn't know this already it is a great way to convert audio to AAC, MP3, AIFF, WAV or etc.

[Kyrra @ Sep 7th 2007 12:44PM]

I tried this as well, and it works just fine. Convert my mp3 to AAC using iTunes. Then get the file from the My Music folder (on windows), copy it to the desktop and rename it from .m4a to .m4r and double click it. It then shows up as a ringtone within iTunes.