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User profile for user: myra_stotle
myra_stotle Author
User level: Level 1
27 points

How on earth do I add Tones to my iPhone? NO INSTRUCTIONS have worked.

I have .m4r files I want to add to my iPhone for custom ringtones and alarm tones. I put them in the iTunes > iTunes Music > Tones folder, where my other tones are located (the ones that are working on my phone right now). That didn't seem to do a darn thing after my phone synced, so I looked around for other instructions. Every article and help answer claims you can drop the files on the phone in Finder to add them. However, when I do that, I get this error:

Some files were not copied to the iPhone “(name)” because they cannot be played on this iPhone.


I am at my wit's end. Why is this so hard?


I am on "Music" version 1.0.6.10 (I hate this app name, so hard to find help--and even Apple still calls it iTunes so... call me confused.)

macOS 10.15.6

iOS 14.4.2


...and sometimes, syncing actually works between the phone and the computer. If I'm lucky.

iPhone 8, iOS 14

Posted on May 29, 2021 10:47 AM

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User profile for user: turingtest2
turingtest2
User level: Level 10
274,564 points

Posted on May 31, 2021 1:50 PM

Hmm, they have worked fine here when testing previously, but I tested again just to be sure and discovered that neither Catalina nor Big Sur would copy a 39 second long ringtone, so I've updated the advice to limit the duration to 30 seconds. A 30 second long AAC format file, with a .m4r file extension, that is not linked to the Music library, should transfer. Drag & drop from one Finder window to the device's general tab in another as given.


tt2

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User profile for user: turingtest2
turingtest2
User level: Level 10
274,564 points

May 31, 2021 1:50 PM in response to myra_stotle

Hmm, they have worked fine here when testing previously, but I tested again just to be sure and discovered that neither Catalina nor Big Sur would copy a 39 second long ringtone, so I've updated the advice to limit the duration to 30 seconds. A 30 second long AAC format file, with a .m4r file extension, that is not linked to the Music library, should transfer. Drag & drop from one Finder window to the device's general tab in another as given.


tt2

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User profile for user: myra_stotle
myra_stotle Author
User level: Level 1
27 points

Jun 1, 2021 10:42 AM in response to turingtest2

Hi, thanks for trying this again. I'm pretty sure my original files were all about 15 seconds, but I went through this process.... changed the extension back to what it was before, threw them in Garageband, exported as AAC checking the lengths, changed the extension back to m4r again. and.... this time it WORKED!


(Well, I also had to connect my phone with a cable, because trying to do it otherwise cause the phone to eject and refuse to sync wirelessly anymore.)


So, I don't know what problem it had before... but I got my files synced, so, it's all good for now. I saved instructions to my Tones folder for the next time I go looking for this :)

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How on earth do I add Tones to my iPhone? NO INSTRUCTIONS have worked.

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