How to Make Songs From Your Playlist Into Ring Tones on the IPhone

Convert catchy tunes from your playlists into ring tones directly from your iPhone using Apple's free GarageBand music-editing app. Unlike other ring tone apps, GarageBand allows you to save your creations directly to the iPhone. You can begin using the ring tones right away without first having to sync your phone with iTunes or connect it to a computer.

Install and launch the GarageBand app on your iPhone.

Tap the arrow in the upper left corner if this is your first time using the app, and then select "My Song" to go to the main screen.

Click the "+" sign on the main screen, and then select "New Song" to begin creating your ringtone.

Tap the keyboard icon to get to the music-editing screen. If you see piano keys on the screen, tap the three horizontal lines on the toolbar to switch to multi-track view.

Click the "+" icon in the upper right corner, tap "Section A," and then toggle the Automatic setting to "On" so that GarageBand will show the entire length of the song when you import it. This setting is useful when you want to create a ring tone from the middle of a song. Tap "Song Sections" and "Done" to return to the editing screen.

Click the loop-shaped icon on the toolbar, and then select "Music" to access your song library. Tap "Playlists" to see your iPhone playlists. Select a playlist, and then touch and hold a song to import it into GarageBand.

Tap the displayed purple box if you want to adjust the length of the ring tone, or to select a clip from the middle of the song. Drag the sides of the box to adjust the starting and stopping points. Click the "Play" button at any time to hear a preview of your selection. To use the first 30 seconds as your ring tone, leave the box at its original location.

Tap the arrow in the upper left corner and select "My Songs" when you're ready to create the ring tone. Tap and hold the "My Song" icon on the next screen until the icon begins to jiggle.

Tap the Share icon, and then select "Ringtone" from the options. Type a name for the new ring tone, and then tap "Export" to add the ring tone directly to your iPhone.

Tap "Use Sound As" on the pop-up screen if you want to assign the ring tone right away. You can choose to make it your standard call ring tone, your standard text ring tone, or assign it to a specific contact. If you don't want to assign the ring tone, click "OK" or "Done" instead.