Personalizing your Android Phone with Ringtones and Notification Alerts
Isn't it amazing to live in a world where everything is a finger tap away and can be tailored to your heart's
content, even your ringtone? Lucky for you, all android phones give users an option to set any Mp3 file as a
ringtone or a notification alert. The great thing about android phones is that they are highly customizable,
however, the recent Samsung Phones are not as simple.
Yes, we know that all phones come with an array of ringtone choices but maybe none of the options suit us. Some of
us love customization to the extent that we want a separate ringtone for our most important contacts or maybe a fun,
quirky sound for work emails just so they sound less ominous. It may not come across as an important feature but
definitely helps users personalize their phones.
Before we proceed with the step-by-step guide on how to customize your ringtone, it is important to know that our
instructions work on phones with android 4.1 jellybean and higher. These include Galaxy Note, Galaxy Note 2 and
Galaxy S3 - a range that we have tested personally and hence we are mentioning them also.
It is also important to note that the mp3 file you want to use should already be on your phone.
Selecting a Ringtone Through Settings:
1. Go to your phone settings, tap on Sound and then tap the 'Device Ringtone' button. Your phone's default
ringtones will be visible to you. These will not include your mp3 files.
2. Launch the Media Manager App by tapping 'add'. If your phone contains more than one Media Manager Apps and
files, select the Music Player from the Pop-up box.
3. You will be able to see all of your mp3 files and you can select your favorite and tap 'done'.
4. Ta-dah! Your selected mp3 file will now be your ringtone
5. Before going through all of the steps mentioned before, make sure to copy your Mp3 file to your phone. If
you are using a Samsung Phone, you can check your music files using the Music Player App.
Selecting a Ringtone Using Music Player:
1. If you have your desired mp3 file on your phone, play it using the Music Player App.
2. While the sound is playing, tap the menu button in your Music Player App and open 'Menu'
3. Select 'Set as' and use the particular file for any particular function such as your alarm clock, phone
ringtone or an Email Alert.
Setting Custom Notification Tones:
This is one of the lesser-known ways of selecting a custom notification tone and as with all other methods, you need
to ensure your desired mp3 files are already on your phone.
1. Launch the File Manager App on your android phone
2. Locate your mp3 file in the App and copy it to your Notifications Directory Folder. This Folder will most
likely be located in the Internal Storage of your phone. In case you are unable to find it, manually create the
folder and copy your mp3 files in it.
3. Go to the main Settings of the Phone, select 'Device Notifications' and select your mp3 file on the list
for setting up your custom notification tone.
Setting a Ringtone For a Specific Contact:
1. Go to your contacts and tap on your Contact App's Info Page.
2. When you tap the Contact App's info page, you will see a bunch of different options including
'Ringtones'.
3. Tap on 'Ringtones' to open a Dialogue Box. This Box will have three options to choose from: Default,
Ringtones to select a default ringtone for your contact and a third option, 'Go to My Files' where you will be able
to select from your mp3 files to assign to a particular contact.
4. Tap 'Done' after selecting and you will have completed the said task. That's how easy it is!
Setting Ringtone Through Ringtone Manager Apps:
When you have exhausted all other methods and they do not work for you for some reason or the other, then customize
your ringtone using a Ringtone Manager App. If you currently do not have this app, you can always download it from
the Playstore where you'll have plenty of options. Always check the rating, number of downloads and review of the
app before installing it to ensure that it is suitable. After installing the app, follow these steps:
1. Launch your Ringtone Manager App and find all your mp3 files in the list
2. Locate your favorite sound file and you'll have the option to trim to your favorite part of the file. Most
if not all apps give you the trimming option
3. After you've trimmed the file and replayed it to check that it is as per your requirement, save it.
4. Use this file as a notification alert or ringtone.
We would also like to add that although this article is about personalizing your ringtones using mp3 files, android
phones support most audio formats which include M4A, WAV, and OGG formats. Android's flexible operating system makes
a lot of tasks simple and no matter what phone you are using, there are multiple ways of getting around to any task.
If you're looking for interesting sound files, they are a Google search away. Just search “Download Ringtone” and
you'll find a variety of choices to select from. You can also access ringtones in places like Zedge and Reddit
threads focused on this topic.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Adding M4r Files and Personalizing Ringtones on an iPhone
They say that iPhone users are part of a cult. We don't blame them because a lot of first-time users of Apple products end up being lifetime customers of the company. One of the reasons behind the massive popularity of iPhones is their super-sophisticated user interface. Apple has been at the forefront of cutting-edge features but in spite of all of that, there are limitations when it comes to its products. These limitations are not present in their android counterparts, an operating system that is known to be customizable. However, this article is neither a comparison between the world's two giant operating systems nor an attempt to convert iPhone users.
As an iPhone user, the lack of customization does irritate a lot of users and when it comes to personalizing the phone with customized ringtones, the options are limited. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to set your favorite sound file as your ringtone:
1. Download GarageBand on your iPhone and have your desired music or sound file in the M4r format before proceeding.
2. Launch the GarageBand App on your iPhone and you'll see a '+' sign. Tap it and the app will give you the option of 'Create New Song'.
3. You will be asked to select from one of the 'recording type' options. Select the 'Audio Recorder' option.
4. After following the above step, tap the 'multi track' button. This button will switch you back to the Track View instead of The Recording Interface.
5. The Track View of the App will show you a loop button. Click the Loop button and you can either 'Choose Music' or 'Choose Audio Files'. The difference between both these options is that one would lead you to synced or downloaded sound files while the other will lead you to M4r files in storage such as Dropbox, iCloud, etc.
6. Locate your desired sound file and drag it to the 'Track View' of the app. The App will give you the option to trim the file but not let you exceed 30 seconds, so make sure the sound is within the time limit
7. To save your trimmed audio file, tap the upside-down triangle on the screen. When you go back to your 'My Songs' list, your file will be saved.
8. Tap and hold your saved file until it starts shaking.
9. You will see a share option on the screen. Select it and further tap the 'Ringtone' option
10.Name the saved sound file and tap the 'export' button
11.Go to the main settings of your iPhone, select 'Sound and Haptics', then tap 'Ringtone' to see your saved file.
Additional Methods of Customizing Ringtone
Although iTunes can also be used to have customized ringtones, it is a longer process and involves the usage of a computer. Another way you can manage ringtones is to install the AnyTrans App. AnyTrans is a content transfer app that breaks the sync boundaries and helps you seamlessly transmit data such as your sound files between your iOS devices
