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Now if apple let you assign these custom tones to your contacts via address book, one wouldn't have to re do every time you get a new phone.

I used to use this method. But just an FYI... this is actually much more trouble than it's worth most of the time.

If you already have an audio clip that's compatible with iTunes, you can do the following (I'll copy/paste the steps so as not to cross link to another site):

1. Launch iTunes 10
2. Find and select the song you want to make a ringtone out of in iTunes 10
3. Right-click on the song name and select 'Get Info', then click on the Options tab
4. Select the playback period of the song that you want to ringtone to be, make sure it's 30 seconds
5. Now click "OK" and then right click on the song again, and select "Create AAC version" to create a new version of the song with the 30 second interval you specified
6. Locate this newly created 30 second clip in iTunes (at the top of the playlist if you search by 'date added' and right click on the file and then select "Show in Finder"
7. Now in the Finder (or Windows explorer, the process is the same for Windows iTunes 10), rename the file extension from .m4a to .m4r
8. Accept the file extension change to .m4r
9. Now back in iTunes remove the file from the playlist (do NOT move to Trash, select 'keep file') and then re-import the file into iTunes 10 by double clicking the .m4r file within the Finder or Windows
10. The file will now be added back into iTunes as a ringtone and you can do what you want with it

The best part about this is that you can do multiple sounds at once. Especially if you use Automator to rename the file extensions of the files in question. I tried this method and found it MUCH faster, and easier. No GarageBand required.

Philmco, on 01 December 2011 - 11:49 AM, said:

Use iCloud and sync your contacts. The info will be saved with the rest of it

NicholasCross, on 01 December 2011 - 12:02 PM, said:

THe garageband method will make sure you stay in the correct time and do the AAC and file naming for you when you do the export. So it really isn't that more trouble

Good tips. Is there a similar set-up for the start-up sound on a Lion equipped Mac?

Philmco, on 01 December 2011 - 11:49 AM, said:

CBZinger, on 03 December 2011 - 05:35 AM, said:

They do. If your phone is not lost or stolen, make a backup of your iPhone before you get your new phone. All your custom ring tones carry over with the backup. I had the same fear but when I backed up my iPhone before swapping it out, I restored it and came to find out that all my Contacts maintained their custom ringtones without issue.

I have not managed to make a custom ringtone for my iPhone 3GS since the newest updates for either iTunes or iOS 5. It seems that since then iTunes doesn't allow you to import custom ringtones any longer. For example both methods:
1. via Garageband - "Send Ringtone to iTunes".
2. with create AAC Version and change file extension to .m4r.

In the past I was able to use both, but now...no more. Has anyone else encountered this problem?

Any Solutions?

Thanks for your answers in advance!