How to Set a Ringtone or Text Tone for an Android Contact

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Easily set different ringtones for specific people on any Android phone

Written by Hannah Dillon

Last Updated: October 3, 2025 Fact Checked

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Changing a Contact's Ringtone

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Changing a Contact's Text Tone

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Adding a Custom Ringtone

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Video

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Q&A

This wikiHow teaches you how to assign a special ringtone or text tone to an individual contact on your Android. The method is the same no matter what type of Android phone you're on, and it's so quick and easy that anyone can do it. We also go over how to add custom ringtones so you can truly customize your Android, including Samsung Galaxy models. Read on to learn more!

Quick Steps

Open the Contacts app.
Tap the contact you want to change the ringtone for.
Tap the small i button in a circle.
Tap More in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
Choose Change ringtone/vibration.
Tap Ringtone.
Choose a new ringtone from the list of preinstalled options, or choose a custom tone you installed in the Settings app.

Section 1 of 3:

Changing a Contact's Ringtone

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1
Open the Contacts app. The icon for this app may vary depending on which Android model you have.
- You can also do this by opening the Phone app and tapping the Contacts button.
2
Tap a contact. You'll see some options expand below the contact's name in the list.

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3
Tap the small "i" in a circle. You will find this below the contact's name and phone number.
4
Tap More. It's the icon with three vertical dots in the lower-right part of the screen.
5
Tap Change ringtone/vibration. You'll be presented with the options Ringtone and Call vibration. Choose Ringtone to edit the contact's ringtone.^{[1]
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6
Select a ringtone. Choose from one of the built-in ringtones on your Android, or choose a custom ringtone you've added.^{[2]
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- Jump ahead to learn how to add a custom ringtone.

Section 2 of 3:

Changing a Contact's Text Tone

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1
Open the text conversation with the desired contact. You can do this by tapping your Messages app, then tapping on the name of the person you want to change the text tone of.
2
Tap the three dots in the upper-right corner of the screen. This will open a settings menu for your selected conversation.
3
Tap Details > Notifications. Both of these options are near the top of the screen for each menu.
4
Tap Sound. You'll have to scroll down to find this menu item. This will open a new menu where you can select a new text tone.
5
Choose one of the available text tones. You can choose from one of the preinstalled text tones, or you can choose a custom ringtone you've added.^{[3]
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- Jump ahead to learn how to add a custom ringtone.

Section 3 of 3:

Adding a Custom Ringtone

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1
Open the Settings app. You can add your own ringtones and text tones to your Android if you have any audio files on your device. If you've purchased a ring or text tone, make sure the tone's file is transferred to your device (if it wasn't on your phone to begin with).
2
Navigate to Sound and vibration > Ringtone. You'll have to scroll a little bit to find these options.
3
Tap the + in the right-hand corner. This allows you to add a custom ringtone.
4
Choose an audio file. You can either choose the entire file or you can select highlights by toggling the switcher above the sound picker list.
5
Tap Done. You can now use your sound as a custom ringtone or text tone for your individual contacts.^{[4]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How do I set a special ringtone like Give Me Shelter by the Rolling Stones?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

You can download ringtones from the web using tools like Zedge, or create them on your computer using apps like GarageBand or Audacity.

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Question

How do I extend the length of a ring tone?

Community Answer

Load the sound into a sound editor (Audacity, Sound Forge, etc), select the whole sound, Ctrl+C to copy, go to the end of the soundwave, and Ctrl+V as many times as you want it to repeat. Save it with a different name and copy it back to your device. Select the new sound in your device. Done!

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Question

How do I make up words for a ring tone?

Community Answer

You can use Audacity (free for both Linux and Windows), and then record the words yourself, or let someone else do it. Export the file as an MP3 and copy it over to the Android. The Ringdroid app will find it, if it is for a specific contact.

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