Make a Custom iPhone Ringtone from YouTube

Default iPhone ringtones are boring because everyone uses the same ones. You can fix this by turning a clip from any YouTube video into a personalized ringtone. It’s a quick way to add personality to your phone without needing complex audio software.

First, ensure your iPhone has the Screen Recording tool. If you don’t see the icon in Control Center, long-press the area to add it, then select Screen Recording. This is necessary because you’ll be capturing the audio directly from the browser.

Open YouTube and find the song you want. In the example, the speaker chooses a Cypress Hill track. Start the screen recording, play the specific segment you want to use, and stop the recording once you have the clip. The video will appear in your Photos app.

Next, edit the video to isolate just the audio portion you want. Trim the start and end points to get the exact phrase or melody. Save this as a new clip. Now, tap Share and select Save to Files. Move the file to a location where you can easily find it, like the Files app.

Here is the crucial step: you must rename the file. Double-tap the file name in the Files app. Change the extension from .mov to .m4r. The system will ask if you’re sure because .m4r is not a standard video format. Confirm the change. This specific file type is what allows iOS to recognize the audio as a ringtone.

Finally, long-press the renamed file and select Share again. Look for the option to Use as Ringtone. Once processed, you can assign this new sound to any contact in your Phone app settings. Now, when that specific person calls, they’ll hear the custom track instead of the default chime.