# ring tones question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 7, 2008, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147 "2008-08-07T09:33:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/1 "2008-08-07T09:33:11Z")
In this thread [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=478317) They are discussing appropriate somgs to choose as a ring tone for an ex specifically to irritate them. Now, I am aware that you can set up different ringtones for differnt people in your contact list, to easily distinguish between a call from a family member as opposed to say a work colleague. However, as I undertsnad it, the only person who hears the ring tone is the person receiving the call. The person making the call would only hear the standard ring wouldn’t they? I’ve asked this question in the thread, but I don’t want to derail those folks from having fun picking appropriate songs, so I thought I would ask the question again in it’s own thread. ---
**Author:** ![Wheeljack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@Wheeljack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wheeljack)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/2 "2008-08-07T09:41:49Z")
Some services allow you to choose what callers hear in lieu of a ring tone while they’re waiting for you to pick up. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 9:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/3 "2008-08-07T09:49:14Z")
[QUOTE=Wheeljack] Some services allow you to choose what callers hear in lieu of a ring tone while they’re waiting for you to pick up. [/QUOTE] Is this US-centric? Never heard that advertised here in the UK? Would that only work between 2 mobile phones on the same network, or is it any phone calling the person who has this service? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 10:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/4 "2008-08-07T10:51:25Z")
[QUOTE=Wheeljack] Some services allow you to choose what callers hear in lieu of a ring tone while they’re waiting for you to pick up. [/QUOTE] Ah, the potential for evil… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/5 "2008-08-07T11:25:05Z")
[QUOTE=One And Only Wanderers] Is this US-centric? Never heard that advertised here in the UK? Would that only work between 2 mobile phones on the same network, or is it any phone calling the person who has this service? [/QUOTE] No - I tried calling my boss’s mobile near Christmas and it played “We wish you a merry Christmas” instead of ringing, before going to his voicemail. I have no idea how you set this up, but since I was ringing a mobile from a land-line I guess it’s not network-specific. ---
**Author:** ![Cowboy8467](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5e925/32.png) [@Cowboy8467](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowboy8467)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/6 "2008-08-07T14:51:15Z")
I posted this in the other thread but I’ll go ahead and post it here also. They’re called call tones and they are different from ring tones. As far as I know there are no carrier restrictions, and even someone calling you from a land line phone would hear the call tone. [http://www.dukecenter.org/sprint-call-tones.html](http://www.dukecenter.org/sprint-call-tones.html) ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/7 "2008-08-07T15:14:03Z")
[QUOTE=Cowboy8467] I posted this in the other thread but I’ll go ahead and post it here also. They’re called call tones and they are different from ring tones. As far as I know there are no carrier restrictions, and even someone calling you from a land line phone would hear the call tone. [http://www.dukecenter.org/sprint-call-tones.html](http://www.dukecenter.org/sprint-call-tones.html) [/QUOTE] cheers. Now I have a name for them I can look them up. ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/8 "2008-08-07T15:18:24Z")
With Verizon, they’re called ‘ringback tones’. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/9 "2008-08-07T15:47:57Z")
I don’t know about who offers them or how the service works, but the tone you hear on your phone when you call someone is generated by the switch that is trying to connect to that phone. People in the US who call Europe notice that the ring sound and busy signals are different, that’s why. The switch also has enough information to know who is placing the call so could certainly vary the sound by who is calling whom. I suppose you could also create a customized busy tone but I haven’t heard of that one. ---
**Author:** ![Lakai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9de0a6/32.png) [@Lakai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lakai)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2008, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/10 "2008-08-07T22:36:46Z")
Called “answer tones” for at&t. ---
**Author:** ![groman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/73ab20/32.png) [@groman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/groman)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2008, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/11 "2008-08-08T04:13:42Z")
The ones I’ve heard always have an incredibly infuriating disclaimer before them. Something that, at least to me, precludes me from ever using such a service. You get a lady’s voice saying “Please enjoy this song while we connect your call…” and then a song plays. :mad: Like it wasn’t annoying enough… ---
**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:** [August 8, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ring-tones-question/459147/12 "2008-08-08T05:38:10Z")
[T-Mobile styles it “Caller Tunes.”](http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/addons/Services/TzonesDetail.aspx?tp=Svc_Tab_TZones&tsp=Svc_Sub_Music&tssp=Svc_Sub_CallerTunes&osid=24bdb5d5-6718-46fa-8afb-dae07de9b3d2) And it doesn’t have a disclaimer before the song starts. Also, you can’t get ANY tune, just the ones they have available to download, which tend not to be NSFW, lyrically speaking.