Create custom ringtones on iPhone

At last! Apple makes custom ringtones easy

- CARRIE MARSHALL

FOR NEARLY A decade, custom ringtones on iPhone have been a bit awkward. Rather than do things the obvious way by having a custom ringtone option in Settings > Sounds & Haptics, Apple really wanted you to buy ringtones from the iTunes Store (which you can still do). So it parked custom ringtones in GarageBand instead, making you create a new project, import audio, and then export it again as a ringtone.

In iOS 26, you'll be relieved to discover that custom ringtones are much simpler. You don't need to open anything other than the Files app, and you don't need to import or export anything.

In this tutorial, we'll look at both versions: the GarageBand method from iOS 18 and earlier, and the new, much faster version in iOS 26. Whichever option you go for, you'll need to provide a suitable audio file in a format your iPhone can use, such as MP3 or M4A; the GarageBand method also works with WAV, AIFF, and MIDI files.

HOW TO Use a custom ringtone

Get into GarageBand

If you don't have a ringtone sound file that's 30 seconds or shorter, you can make one in GarageBand. Open GarageBand as normal, create a new song, then tap on the Tracks view (the third icon from the left).

Look for Loops

Now open GarageBand's Loop Browser. That's the second icon from the top right, immediately next to the Settings gear icon. Tap on that, and then tap on the Files tab. Now, tap on “Browse items from the Files app”.