Ever wanted to have your own personalized ringtone on your iPhone and been frustrated to find that the maximum length of the ringtone that iTunes allows you to upload to your iPhone is 39 seconds?
I recently encountered this problem when I tried to upload an Angelus ringtone to my iphone.
Well I have found a clever “work around” for this – and please note: this is not “hacking” and it’s got nothing to do with “jailbreaking”, it’s simply a way to fool iTunes into uploading a longer than 39 seconds ringtone into your iPhone.
http://airmaria.s3.amazonaws.com/_UPLOAD/Angelus_60s.wav
http://airmaria.s3.amazonaws.com/_UPLOAD/Angelus.wav
Firstly we have to ensure that a couple of preferences are set correctly:
Plug your iPhone into the computer and iTunes should open up automatically. If it doesn’t, open iTunes manually.
After iTunes has finished synching with your iPhone, click on “iTunes” and then “Preferences…”
At the end of the row where it says, “When you insert a CD”, there is an “Import Settings” tab – click on it – this opens up a dialogue box.
Under “Import Using:” make sure (or select if not already) “AAC Encoder” is selected. Then press “OK”
Now back in the main dialogue box for “Preferences” ensure that the check box to show “Tones” is ticked. If it is not, tick it and then press “OK” to get out of the preferences dialogue box.
Download the two files (onto the desktop is easiest to work with), “Angelus_60s.wav” and “Angelus.wav” (“Angelus_60s.wav” is actually 30 seconds long, and “Angelus.wav” is 60 seconds long you’ll see why later on).
In iTunes click on “File” and then “Add to Library…”
Find the “Angelus_60s.wav” file you downloaded and select it (remember this is the 30 second version). ITunes should place the file under “Music”
Now left click on the Angelus_60s.wav file you imported into iTunes and select the option, “Create AAC Version”.
It should take a few seconds to convert and then a second song named, “Angelus_60s” will appear.
The first song should already be selected so click on the second song whilst holding down the “shift” key to select both songs. Now left click on either one of them and select, “Delete”.
When the dialogue box pops up, click on, “Keep Files”.
Open up Finder and search on “This Mac” for “Angelus 60s.m4a” (this is the AAC file that iTunes just created) and then left click on the file and select “Open Enclosing Folder”
In the folder opened up you should see the original file you imported (i.e., “Angelus_60s.wav) and the new file iTunes created, i.e., “Angelus_60s.m4a”
Left click on the “Angelus_60s.wav” file and move to trash.
Now click on the file, “Angelus_60s.m4a” to select it and then click again on the actual file name and it will give you option of renaming the file. Change the “a” at the end of the file name to an “r” (so the file should now read, “Angelus_60s.m4r” and press “Enter”. When asked if you want to keep “m4a” or use “m4r” select “Use m4r” (the “r” at the end of the file name denotes that the file is now a ringtone).
Now click and drag the new file, “Angelus_60s.m4r” into iTunes. You should see the green “+” symbol indicating that when you release it will be added to the iTunes library – note, however, that it does not appear in the “Music” – iTunes has recognized it as a ringtone and has copied it automatically into the “Ringtones” folder.
Now click on the “iPhone” button. Across the top you should see the buttons, “Summary”, “Info”, “Apps” and then “Tones”. Click on “Tones”.
Now check the “Synch Tones” box and then click the button, “Selected Tones”. Your “Angelus_60s” ringtone should now be displayed. Click on the check box next to it to select it (please note, if you have other personalized ringtones which you wish to keep on your iPhone you must select them also otherwise they will be erased from your iPhone when you synch it!).
Now press the “Apply” button. iTunes will upload the “Angelus_60s” (which is actually 30 seconds) ringtone to your phone. If you go into your iPhone and into “Settings”, “Sounds”, and “Ringtone”, you will see “Angelus_60s” right at the top. Great, but the ringtone is only 30 seconds long! Play it to see – the 3rd group of 3 bells is cut off midway.
So, now click “Done” in iTunes and this will take you back to the music library section of iTunes.
Now go to the desktop and change the name of the file,“Angelus_60s.wav” to “Angelus_30s.wav” (this is of course the 30 second version and now is appropriately named).
Now rename the file, “Angelus.wav” on the desktop to, “Angelus_60s.wav” (this file is the actual 60 second version you want to upload to your iPhone)
Now drag the new “Angelus_60s.wav” file into iTunes, (or click on “File”, “Add to Library…” etc).
Select the file and then left click and “Create AAC Version”.
Select the old and the new file and delete them both as before – when asked, “Keep Files” as before.
Now open finder and search “This Mac” for “Angelus_60s.m4a”. As before you should see the “Angelus_60s.wav” file in the same folder – delete the wave version of the file.
Rename the “Angelus_60s.m4a” file to “Angelus_60s.m4r” – when prompted select “Use m4r”.
Now drag the “Angelus_60s.m4r” file onto the desktop.
Open the finder again, and search “This Mac” for “Angelus_60s.m4r”.
The finder will locate two versions of the file, one on the desktop – the 60 second version which you just dragged there, and the other is the original 30 second version which was uploaded to your iPhone and which is in the “Tones” folder.
Left click on one and then select “Open Containing Folder”, left click on the other and select “Open Containing Folder”.
Now you have two finder windows open, one with the file located in the “Tones” folder and one on the desktop. Click and drag the desktop file into the “Tones” folder and when prompted, click “Replace”.
So what you have done is now replace the 30 second version which was uploaded to your iPhone with the 60 second version which you want on your iPhone.
Now go back into iTunes, click on the “iPhone” button. Deselect the “Angelus_60s” ringtone and click “Appy”.
Now reselect the “Angelus_60s” ringtone and click “Apply” again.
Bingo – you now have a 60 second Angelus ringtone on your iPhone – might I suggest that the first thing you do is go into your clock and set an alarm for 12:00 PM everyday, call it “Angelus” and select your new ringtone to play – then when it rings pray the Angelus.
Ave Maria!
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