How to Set a Song as a Ringtone on iPhone XR/8/7

Full guide on how to set a song as a ringtone on iPhone XR, iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 7, and more.

Although there are default tones on your iPhone for you to use, most of you prefer to make your favorite song the iPhone ringtone. But how can you set a song as a ringtone on your iPhone?

As you may know, you are not allowed to set a ringtone on your iPhone from the music library directly. Instead, you need to make a custom ringtone with the song, add the ringtone to your iPhone, and then set it as your iPhone ringtone.

If that's what you want, follow this guide to learn the complete guide on how to make, add, and set ringtones on your iPhone.

Part 1. How to Make Ringtones for iPhone

As mentioned, to set a song as a ringtone, you first need to make a custom ringtone using the song, which needs the help of iTunes. Thus, transfer songs from iPhone to PC first and then follow the steps below to learn how to make custom ringtones for your iPhone XR, iPhone 8, or iPhone 7.

 If you don't want to make ringtones by yourself, go to the next part to learn how to download free ringtones for your iPhone.

To make custom ringtones for iPhone using iTunes:

Step 1. Open iTunes and go to "File" > "Add File to Library" to add the songs transferred from your iPhone to your iTunes library.

Step 2. Click the device icon and tap "Summary". Make sure the option "Manually manage music and videos" is checked.

Step 3. Click the "Back" button and go to "Songs" > "Library". 

Step 4. Right-click the target song and choose "Song Info". In the new window, tap the "Options" tab.

Step 5. Check the "Start" and "Stop" options and set the starting/stopping point of the ringtone (less than 30 seconds).

Step 6. Go back to iTunes library, select the original song, then tap "File" > "Convert" > "Create AAC Version". Afterward, you will see the reduced version of the song.

Step 7. Right-click the shortened version and choose "Show in Windows Explorer" (or Show in Finder on Mac). 

Step 8. Copy and paste the song to your desktop and change the extension from .m4a to .m4r. 

Part 2. How to Add Ringtones to iPhone XR/iPhone 8/iPhone 7

After you make the ringtone, now you can add it to your iPhone XR, iPhone 8, or iPhone 7. Generally, there are two ways for you to get ringtones on your iPhone. You can either sync tones to your iPhone using iTunes or transfer ringtones to your iPhone using a third-party tool.

Method 1. Add Ringtones to iPhone Using iTunes

Step 1. After you change the extension, go back to the iTunes Library and delete the shortened version of the song: Right-click the song and choose "Delete from Library" > "Delete Song" > "Move to Recycle Bin".

Step 2. Connect your iPhone to the computer and go to iTunes.

Step 3. Click the "Device" tab and choose "Tones". Afterward, drag and drop the ringtone from desktop to iTunes.  

Step 4. Drag the ringtone to your device to add the ringtone to your iPhone.

 Method 2. Put Ringtones on iPhone via iPhone Transfer Software

Another way to add ringtones to your iPhone XR, iPhone 8/8 Plus, or iPhone 7 is to use the iPhone transfer software - EaseUS MobiMover. It helps to add ringtones to an iPhone from a computer or another iDevice. Other files, including photos, videos, contacts, music, books, and more, are also supported.

Most importantly, it also serves the function of a video & audio downloader that enables you to download online video & audio files to your computer. Thus, if you want to download ringtones for your iPhone, you can use it to get ringtones from a website to your computer, and then transfer ringtones to your iPhone.

Read the guide on how to download music from SoundCloud and apply similar steps to download ringtones to your computer. Then follow the steps below to put ringtones to your iPhone.

Step 1. Connect your iPhone 8/8 Plus to your computer and run EaseUS MobiMover.

Allow EaseUS MobiMover to access your phone by clicking "Allow" on the program and "Trust" on your phone.

At the Content Management section, click on "Audio" and select "Ringtones" to continue.

Step 2.  Click "Ringtones" and then click "Add Contents" to browse saved ringtones on your PC.

Step 3. Select saved ringtones on your computer and click "Open" to add them to your iPhone.

Wait for the process to finish and you then can go to Ringtones to check the transferred files on your phone. 

Part 3. How to Set a Song as a Ringtone on iPhone XR/iPhone 8/iPhone 7

After you add ringtones to your iPhone, now you can change ringtones on your iPhone with a few simple clicks.

Step 1. On your iPhone, go to "Settings" > "Sounds & Haptics" > "Ringtone".

Step 2. Choose the ringtone you just added and set it as the custom ringtone on your iPhone.

The Bottom Line

The necessary steps to set a song as a ringtone on iPhone are all detailed above. Whether you want to set a song as a ringtone on iPhone 8 or add ringtones to iPhone 8 Plus, you now know how to do it. Specify your need and carry out the solution you like best to make and set a custom ringtone on your iPhone within minutes.