How to get a Christmas ringtone on iPhone (without a song you can’t use)

There are two separate problems.

• Songs from a streaming service are protected. Tracks in Apple Music or Spotify are encrypted and cannot be turned into a file, so no app can trim them into a ringtone. Our guide to Spotify and Apple Music songs explains what you can do instead.
• A song you own is still someone’s work. Many carols are centuries old, but the recording you hear usually belongs to the artist and label. A clip from a purchased song or a film is fine to keep on your own phone and is not something to share or publish.

The simple way round both is a sound that was never a famous recording: your own voice, your own instrument, or a short original tone.

• Record it yourself. Sleigh bells from a drawer, a few notes on a piano or a child saying “Ho ho ho” are personal and nobody else has them. Voice Memos works, and so does Ringsy’s Record screen.
• Use an audio file you already have, such as a recording of your family singing or a jingle you are allowed to use. Any file in Files can be trimmed into a ringtone.
• Use a ready-made sound. Ringsy has a Christmas pack of original tones made for the app, so there is nothing to look up or download from a website.

Whichever you pick, an iPhone ringtone must be under 30 seconds long.

A ringtone repeats for as long as the phone rings, and you will hear it dozens of times a week for a month. A few things decide whether it stays charming:

• Start with something you can hear. A soft build-up means the first seconds of a short ring are silent. Put the bells or the melody at the start.
• Keep it gentle. A shrill jingle repeated every few seconds is tiring by 10 December. A softer bell or a slow music-box tune lasts longer.
• Check it loops. A clip that stops abruptly clicks or jumps at the seam. Our guide to smooth loops explains how to avoid it.
• Remember where you take calls. A cheerful tune is lovely at home and less welcome in a quiet office.

1. 1On Home, tap Sounds. In November and December Ringsy lists the Christmas pack first; the rest of the year it is still there, further down.
2. 2The pack has four sounds: Sleigh Ride, Snowfall Waltz and Fireside are ringtones of about 12, 14 and 14 seconds, and Jingle is a very short alert sound of about 1.4 seconds that suits a text tone. Tap one to preview it.
3. 3Tap Use. The sound opens in the editor, where you can trim it, add a fade or hear it as a call.
4. 4Tap Save & set as ringtone. On iOS 26 and later the share sheet opens and you tap Use as Ringtone. On iOS 17 and 18 Ringsy walks you through the GarageBand steps instead.

If you already have a sound file under 30 seconds, Apple’s own tools are enough.

• iOS 26 and later: in Files or Voice Memos, share the audio and choose Use as Ringtone.
• iOS 17 and 18: import the file into GarageBand, then use Share › Ringtone and choose Use sound as › Standard Ringtone.

Then check Settings › Sounds & Haptics › Ringtone. The new tone is listed at the top, under Ringtones, and tapping it selects it and plays it. Menu names can differ slightly between iOS versions. Our guide to making a ringtone without a computer has the full steps for both routes.

Yes to both. Open Settings › Sounds & Haptics › Text Tone to use a short sound for messages; the 1.4-second Jingle is meant for that. For one person, open the contact, tap Edit › Ringtone and pick the tone, and only that person’s calls use it. Our guide to setting a ringtone for one contact has the steps.

Settings › Sounds & Haptics › Ringtone, then tap your usual tone. If you used a contact ringtone, open the contact, tap Edit › Ringtone and pick another one, or Default. To remove the festive tone from the list completely, see our guide to deleting a custom ringtone.

Previewing every Christmas sound is free. Sleigh Ride is free to use as a ringtone. Snowfall Waltz, Fireside and Jingle need Ringsy Unlimited, a one-time purchase with no subscription. Your first two exported ringtones are free in total, so using the free Sleigh Ride counts as one of them. Sounds are made and rendered on the iPhone and nothing is uploaded.

• iPhone ringtones must be under 30 seconds.
• Songs from Apple Music and Spotify cannot be turned into ringtones; use your own recording or an original sound.
• Ringsy’s Christmas pack: Sleigh Ride, Snowfall Waltz, Fireside and Jingle.
• Choose a gentle sound and hear it loop before you set it.
• Switch back in Settings › Sounds & Haptics › Ringtone.