How to change the ringtone on an Android phone

The default ringtone on your Android device isn’t always the best option. It might be too soft, too loud, or simply annoying, and you might not want to listen to it whenever you get a call. Among Android’s many customization features is the ability to change your phone’s ringtone, add custom ringtones, and even set unique ringtones for specific contacts. Here’s how to change the ringtone on an Android phone.

How to change your ringtone on Android

Go to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Phone ringtone. You will see a list of system ringtones to choose from. Tap an option to preview a ringtone and select it to set it as the ringtone for your phone calls. If you have a dual SIM phone, you’ll have the option to set separate ringtones for the two SIMs, so you have a way to identify which number you’re getting a call on easily.

How to add a ringtone to your Android device

You can manually add a custom ringtone to your device or use customization apps. If you’re downloading or transferring a song or ringtone to your phone, make sure that you save it in your phone’s Downloads or Media folder.

Go to Settings > Sounds and vibration > Phone ringtones > Ringtone from internal storage. You will see a list of all the downloaded audio saved on your phone. Pick the ringtone you’ve downloaded and set it as the default ringtone for your phone.

Remember that the steps might vary depending on the phone you have. On a OnePlus device running Android 12, you will see a section for Custom ringtones in the Phone ringtones menu. Tap From this device and select the audio file you want to set as the ringtone. The phone will automatically sort the audio files saved on your phone into categories like Music and Recordings.

On a Samsung phone running Android 12, go to Settings > Sound and vibration > Ringtone and tap on the “+” icon at the top right corner. Go to the Folders tab to find files in your device’s Downloads folder.

You can also use customization apps like Zedge to find an excellent list of curated custom ringtones for your Android device. Open the app, tap on the hamburger menu icon (three horizontal lines) at the top left corner, and tap Ringtones. Pick a ringtone and tap the download button. You will have the option to set the sound as a ringtone directly from the app or download it to your phone’s media folder.

How to change the ringtone for a specific contact on Android

Open the Contacts app or go to Phone > Contacts. Tap on the contact you want to set a ringtone for, scroll down to Settings > Ringtone, and set the ringtone for that specific person.

Again, the steps might be different, depending on your phone. On a OnePlus device running Android 12, select the contact, tap on the three vertical dots icon at the top right corner, and go to Set ringtone.

Select the contact on a Samsung phone running Android 12 and tap Edit in the bottom bar. Tap View more and scroll down to Ringtone to set a unique ringtone for a specific contact.

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