Create Custom Ringtones for Verizon Phones
Posted on July 14, 2008
Almost all of my family and friends have cellphone plans with Verizon Wireless. Thanks to their In calling plan, I can talk to all of these folks for free. Which is great. What is not great is the lack of customization possible with their phones.
I recently got a new phone, the Motorola RIZR Z6tv. A co-worker of mine has the same phone model through T-Mobile and was able to easily connect his phone to his PC and move over MP3 files to be used as ringtones. However, when I tried to do this with my Verizon phone, I found it was impossible to set the MP3 files as ringtones. I eventually found a process which allowed me to add custom ringtones to my phone; the best part about this process is that you can use all free software to create your custom ringtones and add them to your phone.
Step 1. Create your song
The first step is to actually create your song. This can be a personal recording or an edited version of your favorite song. [ad name=”250×250″]
To edit your ringtone, you can use the free cross-platform audio editor, Audacity. Mac users can even use Garage Band which comes already installed with Mac computers.
Just make sure your ring tone is between 20-30 seconds max. This length works best for ringtones and will make sure your file size is small enough to store on your phone’s internal memory.
Once your audio file has been edited, render the file as an MP3 at 128kbps.
Step 2. Send your song
Open up your email program of choice and send the song via email to your phone at the Verizon Pix address, which will be your_number@vzwpix.com:
For example: 1234567890@vzwpix.com
Sometimes the pix messages will get lost or held-up on the Verizon server. If you don’t receive the tune after a few moments, simply re-send it to yourself.
Step 3. Save your song as ringtone
Once you receive the tune, open the message and click to save in your My Sounds menu on your phone. Navigate to the song in the My Sounds menu and click Set Ringtone.
This step may vary slightly depending on your phone model. Typically, you’ll want to attempt to save the tone as a Sound and then set as ringtone from there. The tone should now appear in the Ringtones menu along with the built-in ringtones.
From my sounds, you aren’t able to set them as ringtones.
I have a chocolate 2.
I have a Razor, and have the same problem as Josh. The only option I have in My Sounds is to erase the sound. I am still unable to find a way to set the file as the ring tone.
YES FINALLY!!! Thank you for giving me a solution that works! I’ve been going crazy!!!
I also do not know how to set as ringtone. Only allows me to save as a sound.
Same as Josh and “C”… I have a VU204 and it won’t set ringtones from “My Sounds”… I will never choose Verizon again, the fascists…
I use my SD chip on my verizon phone. The only trick is you have to have a card reader and the converter (which usually comes with the micro chip). As far as I can tell you can get am MP3 file smaller than 350-360. no I don’t know the exact number. Put it on the chip from your computer, put it in the phone and send the SOUND to yourself in a pix message, same as you’d send it to a friend. Then you’re given the option to save as a ringtone (MP3).
So far I haven’t gotten any file larger than 355KB to transfer from a SOUND file to a Ringtone via PIX messages. Sorry if I wasn’t specific enough.
Ok so now I’ve gotten it to send a file up to 425KB! Whooo Hoooo
It works, but the quality isn’t nearly what the VZW ringtones are. Thankfully my phone came with some pretty cool ones, but it’s still unfortunate. I would even be willing to pay a small fee each month for the “luxury” of customizing my ringtones if that’s the compromise it would take. Maybe I’ll just have to buy a micro SD too..
Has anybody tried this with a Motorola V325i? I’ve got a lot of stuff I’d really like to convert to ringtones.
Hum…I have an EnV2.
I had a ringtone ready, and I was trying to email it to myself but everytime it did, I got a email back from MMSC NDR Administrator…idk? Help ^_^
I’m having the same problem as Danise any ideas how to fix this?
I have a voyager and I used to make my own ringtones all the time, ever since this new year started the MMSC NDR Administrator keeps blocking my ringtones, I think its Verizons way of making us buy their ringtones
Lame!!! Sometime it works. But I have not idea how??
once you have the file stored under sounds then forward it to yourself; then when you go to store it a second time it will have a “set as” prompt under the right function button. It worked on my verizon v204 after many hours of trial and error. hope it helps.
This is way to complicated for the average person to figure out and from the responses I’m reading doesn’t work very often. Verizon GTFO.
Thank you so much! Got my favortie song on my blackberry with no probs..and for free!!!
Mishka,
Awesome. Very glad to hear that this worked for you. I know this process doesn’t work for each phone exactly as detailed. But glad to hear that some folks are having success with it.
I got it to work on my VX9200 (eV3) by transferring it by bluetooth to my sounds and then setting it as a ringtone. But on my parent’s VX8360 phones it doesn’t work because you can’t set sounds in my sounds to ringtones. any suggestions??
Great tips, Bro! Thanks for the advice. It worked great! (I think I have the same phone as you)
OMG this actually worked!! THANK YOU!!
Wahoo! It worked, thanks so much for the tip!
I’m GRINNING ear to ear!! YES YES YES… ahem. This worked Great! Finally- thank you so much. As far as poor quality in ring tone, perhaps it is the sound clip itself. I have found that a couple of the mp3’s did not sound good after transferring, but when I got them from another site, VOILA! I have the LG enV Touch 11000. Again, Thank you for this solution!
Yes, it worked for me. Thank you.
Install BitPim and drag your mp3 to the ringers folder! So cool!
Holy crap. I am never paying for another verizon ringtone. Works like a charm on the Voyager Titanium.
I broke my chocolate and now im stuck with this VU204 and its not saving anything. I get aac tones and things from friends and they cant be used as ringtones..It only saves mp3s to use.. how can i use the other ones? is there any way? and is there and website where ican create my own to send to it and use? i found a couple but they dont stay as mp3 when they get to my phone..they become aac. >:[
I have a razr (Motorola) and I can’t do anything besides save it in “my sounds” Nothing from my sounds can be moved to “my ringtones”
My older model razr let me but i guess verizon screwed that up…
HELP?
Awesome!!! I have a bunch of friends who are musicians and I have been dying to find a way to turn their songs into their ringtones… This was Soooo very simple.
I have a Samsung Sway.
Thank you!
Thank you very much!! I just switched to Verizon from ATT and got a Casio Ravine that was supposed to be able to use real music ringers, but what they don’t tell you is that you have to subscribe to their service. They said “That’s the only way.” I knew there had to be another way and they were just trying to gouge me (and everyone else) again, so I found and tried this method and it worked perfectly. Thanks again!
Ummm I have a plan that gets 500 messages per month woulf these count as messages? (text messages)
I have a Samsung Intensity II and it worked perfectly. Once you get the message, go to options>save as sound. In your sound menu (menu>media center>music&tones>my sounds) It should be saved in there. Scroll down to the song>set as> you can choose ringtone or caller ID. Caller ID is specific to that person. Hope this helped ! >o<
it counts as a pic message. here’s the cool thing… if you’re not sure what your address is for your phone, you can always text a message to your email and your address will show up. you can also download AUDACITY- a free & simple program to cut your favorite songs into shorter bits, whatever you want. just export it as an MP3. Then you’re ready to send yourself a text from your email, just attach it.
You may also be interested in googling “how to make an mp3 from a youtube video” if you have movies or live music that you want to use and just upload it the same way, via email!