# Android phone: How do I apply a song to a person as a ringtone? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 1, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655 "2021-11-01T21:44:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/1 "2021-11-01T21:44:39Z")
I’d like to apply a song to a person on my phone as a ringtone. I have searched how to do it and only come up with a zillion apps which you either have to pay for and/or they spam you with ads. I just want 10 seconds of a song as a ringtone for one person. Is there a way to do this easily? I thought is was easy but not seeing it. I’ll pay a few bucks for the music. (Android 12 if it makes a difference) ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/2 "2021-11-01T21:54:45Z")
Choose the contact \> edit \>view more \> ringtone \> custom, choose song from what’s already on the phone (and you can just load a song via USB from your computer if you want and don’t have anything saved on the phone) and it should give you the option of either starting from the beginning of the song or editing a snippet. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/3 "2021-11-01T22:13:13Z")
The problem is, I can’t see how to download a song anymore. You can rent them many ways. But actually OWN the song? How? Again, I will pay for the song if I can figure out how to pay for a song. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/4 "2021-11-01T22:16:36Z")
Yes, easy as that. You only have to have the song or the sniplet in your phone memory. And when you reach the custom stage, you have to find it. In some versions of Android it is not called custom, but a + shows up in the right side of the screen, between “Ringtones” and “default ringtone”. When you hit that +, a list of your songs appears. Choose one. It is better (for me) to load the sniplet beforehand with the specific name (Ringtone for XY), selecting the good part on the phone was too difficult for me. ETA: You can download songs into your computer with a program like ClipGrab, or you can copy CDs with a CD player and a cable. With ClipGrab you can copy songs from the internet, YouTube for instance. The program is free. To transfer the songs between devices you only need a USB cable. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/5 "2021-11-01T22:22:17Z")
You can buy a song and download it to your phone directly using an app like Amazon music. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/6 "2021-11-01T22:34:08Z")
So…I downloaded a song via Amazon Music but cannot find the file. I’ve looked. I’ve poked into corners of my phone I never knew were there. Still…nothing. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/7 "2021-11-01T22:48:33Z")
If you go to your apps and look for “My Files”, and in there there are some “Categories”, you will see “Downloads” - in there will be any file you downloaded to your phone. It should be visible there. It may also show under “Recent Files”. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/8 "2021-11-01T23:14:46Z")
I have a Pixel 5, which is the pure android experience. If you have pretty much any other non-Google phone, it has a layer of proprietary software running on top. You might want to specify your phone model to get precise instructions. Here’s how it works for me: Once I’ve purchased and downloaded a song, I can find it on my Pixel 5 by going into files\>audio, and then they are arranged by date with the most recent first. But to link it to a contact, I go to the contact, click the three dots in the upper right, select “set ringtone” then “my sounds”, then the plus sign in the lower right. That takes me to a file browser which is hard to navigate, but luckily it has a search feature at the top. Put in a word from the song title. Then click the song from the search results. You’ll pop back up a level, where your ringtones are listed, and the song should now be listed among the ringtones as an option. Select it. It should start playing. Click save. My phone does not have a built in option to make a snippet in this process. ---
**Author:** ![Ranch\_Dip](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranch_dip/32/5238_2.png) [@Ranch\_Dip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranch_Dip)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/9 "2021-11-01T23:20:14Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > If you have pretty much any other non-Google phone, it has a layer of proprietary software running on top. This. I had a Samsung Galaxy S5, and it would do that. I now have a Galaxy S9, and it won’t. Which is really annoying. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2021, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/10 "2021-11-01T23:24:48Z")
All this hoofaraw is why I have many, many GB of music in MP3 format on my computers. All I have to do is plug the phone in via USB cable, move the files into whatever folder suits me–and I never, ever, EVER use the folders the phone wants to use–then it’s perfectly simple for me to find and play them or set as ringtones. I like Folder Player as my music handler, it understands how to look through a folder structure to find stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/11 "2021-11-02T00:18:24Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > You might want to specify your phone model to get precise instructions. Google Pixel 6 Pro ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/12 "2021-11-02T00:54:34Z")
What I posted is likely to work, then. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/13 "2021-11-02T04:01:58Z")
> [@eschrodinger](#): > > You might want to specify your phone model to get precise instructions. Samsung Galaxy A32 5g, Android 11. None of the instructions work for me. There is nothing about ringtone under the Contact/Other. ---
**Author:** ![eschrodinger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschrodinger/32/122_2.png) [@eschrodinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschrodinger)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/14 "2021-11-02T04:37:46Z")
You might have missed it, or it might not work for you – I don’t have a Samsung phone – but it’s not under “other” for me. Click on the contact, then click the three dots in the upper right corner. In that menu, select “set ringtone.” There’s nowhere that I select “other.” But, again, it might still have no relevance to how it works for your phone. Just thought I’d mention there’s a difference in the instructions on that point. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/15 "2021-11-02T04:42:41Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > Samsung Galaxy A32 5g, Android 11. That’s exactly my phone and OS so my instructions should work unless the overlay from your provider has something going on. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/16 "2021-11-02T05:43:45Z")
I find I misunderstood your instructions, and also misunderstood which screen I was on. I have found the ringtone setting option, right where you said it was. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![SmartAleq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smartaleq/32/163_2.png) [@SmartAleq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmartAleq)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/17 "2021-11-02T05:44:38Z")
Oh good, glad it worked for you! ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/18 "2021-11-02T13:19:44Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > So…I downloaded a song via Amazon Music but cannot find the file. > > I’ve looked. I’ve poked into corners of my phone I never knew were there. > > Still…nothing. If you have a computer, you might find it easier to download the song on the computer and transfer it to your phone via USB. You would, if desired, be able to use a program like Audacity to edit the sound file if you only want part of it to use as a ringtone. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2021, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/android-phone-how-do-i-apply-a-song-to-a-person-as-a-ringtone/953655/19 "2021-11-02T14:56:06Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > So…I downloaded a song via Amazon Music but cannot find the file. > > I’ve looked. I’ve poked into corners of my phone I never knew were there. To be clear, you need to actually buy the song. If you’re just using Amazon Music for streaming, marking it as download doesn’t save it in a usable format to your phone.