Which part of a song makes the best iPhone ringtone? How to pick the right 30 seconds

A ringtone always plays from its first second. If the phone is in a bag or across the room, the beginning is what you hear and what tells you it is a call. A slow intro, a long drum fill or a second of near silence makes the tone sound late, and a call can be answered or go to voicemail before the good part arrives.

So choose a start that already has the melody or the beat. If the sound begins with silence, trim it: our guide to ringtones that start late shows how.

• The chorus is the safe first pick: it is usually the most repeated and most recognisable part.
• A short instrumental hook (a riff, a synth line) often works better than a sung chorus, because it is clear on a small speaker and does not clash with a person talking.
• Skip a long intro, a spoken part, a quiet bridge and the last seconds of a track where the music fades away.
• For a song with lyrics you like, choose a line that makes sense on its own, so it does not stop in the middle of a word.

1. 1Play the song and note where the part you want begins. Aim for the first beat or note, not a second before it.
2. 2Pick an end under 30 seconds. You do not need to use the full length: 15 to 25 seconds is plenty, and a shorter tone ends sooner when a call goes on.
3. 3End on a pause, the end of a phrase or a beat, not in the middle of a word. A ringtone repeats while the phone rings, so a rough cut is heard again and again.
4. 4Add a short fade-out if the ending is abrupt, or a short fade-in if the start is a hard click.

Headphones hide problems. Play the finished tone on the phone's speaker, from a bit of distance, and ask: can I tell what it is within a second? Is the beginning clear? Does the repeat sound natural? Our guide to hearing a ringtone before you set it shows ways to do that. If it is too quiet or too muffled, see our guides on making a ringtone louder and on a distorted ringtone.

In Ringsy you open the song from Files and drag a yellow frame on the waveform. The frame cannot go past 29.9 seconds. Best part suggests the most energetic, most recognisable window, with an Undo if you prefer your own choice, and you can nudge the start and end by 0.1 second. The fade options are off, 0.5, 1 or 2 seconds, and Even out volume is on by default. The editor can also repeat the tone to fill 30 seconds, and Smooth loop looks for a point that repeats cleanly.

Before you set it, “Hear it as a call” plays the finished tone full screen, like an incoming call. Then Save & set as ringtone: on iOS 26 and later the share sheet opens with Use as Ringtone, and on iOS 17 and 18 Ringsy guides you through GarageBand. Best part is a suggestion, not a promise: listen to it, because the app cannot know which part you love. Sounds are edited on your iPhone and are not uploaded. Two exports are free; more than that is Ringsy Unlimited, a one-time purchase with no subscription. Use only music you have the right to use.

• An iPhone ringtone must be under 30 seconds.
• The first second decides whether it sounds right.
• End on a pause and test on the phone's speaker.
• Best part suggests a window; you stay in charge.