How to set any song as a ringtone on an Android phone: Plus create custom ringtones

Setting a ringtone on your Android phone is easy: you simply open Settings, Sound, Ringtones and add one from the list. But what if you want to choose an MP3 stored on your device as the ringtone or, better still, edit that song so you get just the catchy bit or chorus, not the first 30 seconds, for your ringtone? Here we'll show you how to edit an MP3 in Ringtone Maker (free), then set it as your ringtone.

How to create a custom ringtone for Android

Setting a ringtone on your Android phone is easy: you simply open Settings, Sound, Ringtones and add one from the list. But what if you want to choose an MP3 stored on your device as the ringtone or, better still, edit that song so you get just the catchy bit or chorus, not the first 30 seconds, for your ringtone? Here we'll show you how to edit an MP3 in Ringtone Maker (free), then set it as your ringtone. Also see: How to set any song as a ringtone on your iPhone.

Loads of free audio editors are available for Android. Here we're using Ringtone Maker, free from Big Bang, but you can use whichever takes your fancy. Simply open the Google Play store and search for 'ringtone maker', then choose an app and select Install, Open. Also see:Best smartphones of 2014.

Upon its launch Ringtone Maker will display a list of tracks stored on your device. If you want to use an MP3 file you've purchased from Google Play Music, AmazonMP3 or similar you'll first need to download the file using a desktop web browser, then transfer it to the Music folder on your Android smartphone.

Once you've selected a track just tap on the green arrow beside it and choose Edit. The track will open in the Editor, displayed on a scrollable waveform timeline.

 

Tap and drag the Start and End time sliders so the section of the track you want to use is highlighted. Confirm you have the right portion by pressing the Play button below, and use the zoom in and -out buttons to aid fine-tuning.

Once you are happy with your selection tap the Save icon. You can choose to save the clipped audio as a ringtone, alarm, notification or music. Hit Ringtone, give it a name, then press Save. Ringtone Maker will offer to make it your default ringtone, or go to Settings, Sound, Ringtones and select it from there.