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The best ringtones for iOS and Android

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Every smartphone comes with a slate of built-in ringtones and alert sounds. But after a while, they can get annoying and confusing. Was that your phone ringing or the guy behind you in line at the grocery store? That’s one reason you may want to create your own ringtones.

But hey, what if you just want a new ringtone without having to do the work? No problem. We gathered a collection of the highest-rated ready-made ringtones and authoring tools for both iPhone and Android devices. These should get you started in installing some pleasing tunes and switching them out whenever you wish.

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Zedge

Though its in-app advertisements can be a bit intrusive and irritating, Zedge remains one of the most popular Android apps for ringtones and notification sounds. There’s a huge variety of ringtones, notification sounds, and alarm tones to choose from across various genres, and the search function makes it easy to find what you’re looking for. The app has wallpapers for your phone, too. You can even upgrade to Premium to banish those pesky ads.

Android

This collection of free ringtones and alert sounds is sure to breathe new life into your Android phone. Use them to set up a sound as a default or contact ringtone, SMS message, notification melody, or alarm sound. It’s all perfectly legal — no copyright issues. Sounds and tones used in the Free Music Ringtones app are under Creative Commons License, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, Public Domain Mark 1.0 License, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, and Creative Commons Attribution 2.5. Generic.

Android

Old Telephone Ringtones

Many of today’s smartphone users probably don’t even know what an old telephone ring used to sound like. The Old Telephone Ringtones app, featuring free retro ringtones, remedies that with the best old classic ringtones for your device. Old rings may be out of style, but they’re the height of fashion. Providing nostalgia for the sounds of old office and home phones, these vintage sounds will help you remember or acquaint you with the good old days. Download free classic ringtones to search among various retro phone ringtones and alarm sounds to personalize your contacts’ ringtones, alarm sounds, or SMS sounds. All sounds are under the Creative Commons License and/or public domain.

Android

Bird Songs: Ringtones

Bird Songs is a free ringtone app for your phone. Get familiar with different bird calls from all over the world and use your favorite ones as ringtones for WhatsApp, Messenger, Line, or Viber. Choose a ringtone, notification, or alarm sound from over 160 high-quality bird sounds — from nightingale to rooster — and many other singing or funny bird sounds for free on your phone or tablet. The built-in search option makes it easy to select and switch out any bird.

Android

Ringtones for iPhone! (music)

Ringtones for iPhone app.
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Never pay for ringtones for your iPhone, as this app touts its unlimited free tone choices. The Ringtones for iPhone app lets you convert music and record tones with your device’s microphone, and it also provides an extensive library of built-in tones. A designer module can convert all MP3 and AAC iTunes music to ringtones. A recorder lets you record voices as ringtones, allowing easy adjustment of start and end markers, fade in and out options, pitch and volume variations, and trim and cut tones. You can share whatever you create on social media. The app also comes with unique wallpapers for your viewing pleasure. The service offers new ringtones every week, in addition to wallpaper and stickers. The first three days are free, but thereafter the app costs $8 per month or $35 per year.  This may be worth it for high-volume users.

iOS

Ringtones for iPhone: RingTune

RingTune app.
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The RingTune app lets you fully customize your phone by choosing or creating your own unique ringtone and adding a live wallpaper to your lock screen. The app’s ringtone catalog offers an easy-to-use live wallpaper and ringtone maker, all-modern iPhone support for iPhone 6S and newer, content updates, and holiday content refresh. Browse thousands of new and popular ringtones for iPhone or create an unlimited number of ringtones using songs from your library.

iOS

Cool Ringtones: Ringtone Maker

Cool Ringtones: Ringtone Maker app.
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Are you looking for fun sound effects, classic ringtones, and special holiday tunes? The Cool Ringtones app lets you find and set your phone ringtones, text tones, email alerts, alarm clock alerts, voicemail alerts, tweet tones, and reminder alerts. The app facilitates the creation of unlimited ringtones, or you can use its ringtone collection to customize your sounds. The app lets you create ringtones from your favorite songs and personalized tune collections, complete with pitch and volume adjustment.  The app adds new tunes and sounds with its frequent updates as well.

iOS

Jackie Dove
Former Contributor

Jackie is an obsessive, insomniac tech writer and editor in northern California. A wildlife advocate, cat fan, and photo app fanatic, her specialties include cross-platform hardware and software, art, design, photography, video, and a wide range of creative and productivity apps and systems. Formerly senior editor at Macworld and creativity editor at The Next Web, Jackie now writes for a variety of consumer tech publications.

Paula Beaton

Freelance technology journalist and writer living in (somewhat) sunny Scotland. Gamer, tea addict, never without a good book.

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