Fun with iPhone Ringtones

I've been having a great time lately playing around with my iPhone ringtones. It's a fun and easy way to customize how your phone talks to you, and allows you to assign specific sounds for individual contacts, particularly the ones you hear from often, so you know who's phoning or texting you without even looking at your phone. In a room full of iPhones, it can help distinguish whether it's actually your phone that's ringing or someone else's. And with some of these tones, it can help you sound super-cool when out in public.

The process of installing these ringtones is simple. Download the file (it's an .m4a audio file), locate it in your Finder, change the extension to .m4r, double click to open it in iTunes, and sync your phone with its new ringtones.

To assign a ringtone to a specific contact, call up that contact in your phone's address book, below his or her phone number, you will see 2 tabs that say ringtone and text tone. Open one up at a time, and browse through the default and custom tones until you select the most appropriate one. Tada!


Napoleon Dynamite Text Tone 1 m4a file - "Uh..Idiot!" the perfect text tone to alert you to when idiots are trying to get ahold of you - 4 seconds

Napoleon Dynamite Text Tone 2 m4a file - "Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know I'm training to be a cagefighter." - 9 seconds

Ron Burgundy Text Tone 1 m4a file - "Hey everyone! Come and see how good I look" - 5 seconds

Ron Burgundy Text Tone 2 m4a file - "I'm kind of a big deal. People know me." - 4 seconds

Mac Boot Chime Text Tone m4a file - That's right, everybody's favourite sound. So gentle, so friendly. For the music dorks out there, it's a rich, wide C Major chord - 3 seconds

Steve! - m4a file - This one's pretty funny, I recorded it myself for a married friend of mine, meant to emulate the sound of his wife hollering at him to take out the garbage. Tongue somewhat in cheek. 8 seconds.

Office Space Text Tone m4a file - "I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people. Can't you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people!" - 8 seconds

You Sexy Thing m4a file - by Hot Chocolate - 18 seconds - Perhaps an appropriate ringtone for your paramour, or maybe a default ringtone to remind yourself of your own sexiness at every call.

Superstitious m4a file - Classic Stevie Wonder riff.

Opening Theme from Grease m4a file - Great attention grabber from one of history's finest movies.

Communication Breakdown m4a file - Opening riff from Led Zeppelin's debut self-titled album, it set the stage for the future of hard rock and heavy metal. Rock On! 11 seconds

Show Me Your Genitals m4a file - Hilarious and probably offensive, it's the chorus of Jon LaJoie comedy song. Obviously a ringtone you want to assign to that special contact(s). Can be embarrassing if it goes off anywhere in public. 12 seconds

Golden Retriever - The Gorillaz m4a file - For your favourite golden retriever or dog lover. Such a dumb and beautiful creature. We all know one. - 28 secs

The Beachcombers Theme - Punk Rock Version m4a file - Who wouldn't want to be able to hearken back on old Nick, Jesse, The Reach and Relic with every ring of your phone. You can use these as alarm tones too. - 17 secs

Giddy Up Go m4a file - Possibly kinda stupid, opening shots from Red Sovine's CB era trucker song. Useful as an annoyance towards people who hate CB Trucker songs. 27 secs

Hey Ya, by OutKast m4a file - "Lend me some sugar. I am your neighbour! Shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it, shake it like a poloroid picture. - 30 secs

O Green World - Gorillaz m4a file - Good songs make for good ringtones.