iTunes

How to Convert M4A to M4R – How to Create iPhone Ringtones

Last updated on November 1, 2019

Looking for a way to convert M4A to M4R audio format and get the latest ringtones playing on your iPhone right now? Here’s a complete guide on why you need to convert audio files to M4R format in the first place, and how you can do it in more ways than one.

No matter what car you drive out on the streets every day, there are always elements of your personality reflected in it. Similarly, a mobile phone is a personal gadget that not only symbolizes your preference but also showcases your likes and style to the ones who look at it. There hasn’t been a greater style quotient in the world of mobile phones since the invention of ringtones, and users have been crazy about it right from the start.

Ever since mobile phones came out with the most basic of features such as voice calling and text messaging, your notification tones and ringtones have been the defining elements. Whether it is about setting up a ringtone that you prefer listening to, or you just want your device to sound different compared to the regular chimes and ripples, custom ringtones are the way to go. While Android users have enjoyed the freedom to download and set up any and all ringtones, the same luxury is not enjoyed by iOS users.

Why Convert M4A to M4R Format?

Right from the start, phone ringtones were available in .MP3 format, and then the newer technology of audio coding (AAC) led to .M4A audio files. While it has become the universal standard for audio files to which all operating systems and devices adhere to, Apple, as it always does, has chosen to take another path.

Apple supports audio ringtone files for iPhone and iPad in .M4R format, which is simply not as common as the universally used M4A audio format. In an attempt to extend its closed environment and limit the content that iOS users can enjoy for free, the brand wants you to subscribe to Apple Music and pay for the ringtones you want. However, there isn’t just one, but multiple ways that allow you to convert M4A to M4R files.

Easiest Method to Convert M4A to M4R Format

If you have been trying to look for a way to convert audio files into ringtones for your iPhone, you are sure to come across several options. The official way to convert M4A files to M4R files is by using Apple iTunes, which is also the only way you can upload ringtones to your iPhone. However, when it comes to the conversion, you’d be surprised to know that you don’t even need a converter software to begin.

Both M4A and M4R file extensions are based on AAC audio encoding, with the only difference being that the M4R format is exclusively used by Apple. While most of the online services that offer conversion may make it seem like rocket science, but the truth is that you can simply change the file extension manually and get any ringtone ready for use with your iPhone within seconds.

Download and save the ringtone you want to add to your iPhone on the computer desktop.
Right-click on the audio file icon and select the Rename option.
Change the file extension from “.M4A” to “.M4R” and click anywhere to save the changes made.

You can now use the iTunes application to upload the newly “converted” .M4R file and add it to your iPhone as a ringtone.

How to Create a Ringtone with iTunes

If you are looking for an easy and convenient way to get ringtones up and running on your iPhone without involving third-party apps and services, you’ll be glad to know that Apple’s very own iTunes allows you to do so. Thanks to the ability to crop sound clips that are built into the software, you can easily create ringtones right then and there.

The feature is rudimentary and does not offer any audio guidance for you select the bits of the song that you wish to turn into a ringtone. However, you just want to turn a couple of verses from the song into a ringtone and know exactly when it starts and begins (in seconds on the timeframe), then iTunes is all that you will need to create an audio ringtone for your iPhone.

Step 1 – Set up iTunes

There’s a good chance that you already have iTunes installed on your computer, but if you don’t, start off by downloading the latest version of iTunes using the link down below.

Download Apple iTunes

Step 2 – Choose the Song

With iTunes installed on your computer, you can choose any of the available ones to create your very own ringtone in minutes. However, since there are no additional controls offered within the app for editing the audio file, you will need to know the exact start and end time within the song.

You can create a ringtone of up to 30 seconds for the iPhone, or have a shorter ringtone play on a loop. Make sure that you listen to the song separately and mark the exact minutes and seconds from start to finish before you begin cropping the song.

Step 3 – Create the Ringtone

Once you’ve found the song that you want to turn into a ringtone, it is time to create your very own custom ringtone from the songs stored with iTunes on your computer.

From the iTunes app screen, click on the Songs tab on the left side of the screen.
Now go ahead and find the song you wish to turn into a ringtone and right-click on the file and select the Song Info option.
On the pop-up window, you should be able to see the Options menu, under which you can start cropping the audio file to create a ringtone.
Set the Start and Stop time for the ringtone clip in minutes and seconds and press OK to confirm.

Step 4 – Convert to AAC File

Once you have cropped the song file into the size and duration that you wish your ringtone to be, it is time to convert it to AAC format. AAC audio format is preferred by Apple for all of its devices, as it creates a smaller file size.

Make sure that you have the cropped song file selected first.
On the iTunes app screen, select the File button on the top bar.
Hover over the Convert tab and then select Create AAC Version and click on it.

The AAC sound file that is now created will be available as a duplicate, so drag and drop it to the desktop. You can then choose to delete the originally cropped audio file that you had created since you only need the AAC audio format file for setting the ringtone.

Step 5 – Change the File Extension

The AAC file that you converted with iTunes will be available in .M4A format, and since you need a .M4R format file to work as a ringtone on your iPhone, you need to convert it. Fortunately, all you need to do is edit and rename the file without involving any converter or third-party application to the affair.

Right-click on the audio file and select the option to Rename the file.
Remove the “.M4A” file extension and type in “.M4R” instead.
Click anywhere to confirm your action, which will effectively change the file extension.

Step 5 – Add as Ringtone

With the ringtone cropped, ready, and converted to the supported format, you can use iTunes to easily upload and transfer the audio file to your iPhone.

Open iTunes on your computer and connect your iPhone using a Lightning cable.
Select your connected device from the side tab and then navigate below to find the Tones tab.
Simply drag and drop the converted audio file here and select the checkbox next to it.
Press the Done button and then press Sync to transfer the ringtone to your connected iPhone.

Step 6 – Set Ringtone on the iPhone

Once the ringtone has been synced to your iPhone, you can go ahead and set it as your default ringtone from the device itself.

From the Home screen of your iPhone, head over to the Settings app.
Find the Sounds & Haptics tab and then scroll down to find the Sounds menu option.
You should be able to find the newly converted ringtone right here under the drop-down menu.

Final Words

While iTunes is an official tool that does bring a great deal of confidence with it for the users, it is barely a dependable tool to convert M4A to M4R audio files. While it gets the job done, we recommend that you simply download your favorite audio files online from a reliable source in AAC format and rename the file extension to .M4R for the easiest and effective way to create ringtones and notification tones for iPhone.

Don’t you feel that the least amount of freedom that Apple can allow iPhone users is to create and set their very own personalized ringtone without going through all of this hassle? Be sure to share your thoughts and if you have an easier way to convert M4A to M4R audio format that we haven’t uncovered above, be sure to share it in the comments section right down below.

How to Uninstall iTunes (Windows and Mac)

Last updated on September 19, 2019

Learning how to uninstall iTunes is quite simple. Why do it? Well, that’s up to you to decide, really. But, the truth is that as music streaming apps like Spotify are becoming more and more popular, other apps like iTunes are becoming more and more obsolete. So, we can’t really blame you for wanting to get rid of it.

Other than that, you may also want to simply re-install it or have one less thing to worry about. In any case, here’s how to uninstall iTunes on Windows and Mac!

How to Uninstall iTunes on Windows 10

Uninstalling apps in older versions of Windows was quite a bit tiresome, to say the least. Thankfully, Microsoft heard our pleas and made it much easier to do so in Windows 10.

Here’s how to remove iTunes in the latest version of Windows:

Click on the Windows icon (lower left part of the screen) or hit the Windows icon on your keyboard
Go to settings by clicking on the gear icon
Go to Apps
Scroll down until you find iTunes
Click on “Uninstall”
Confirm and follow any on-screen instructions
Done

In case that there are other Apple apps that you don’t need, you can remove them with the exact same method. Just repeat the uninstallation process and you should be good to go.

If you wish to install iTunes again, all you have to do is head over to its official website, download it, follow the installation instructions (Mostly just pressing on “Next”) and you should be good to go in no time. Just do keep in mind that you’ll need your log-in credentials (Apple ID and password).

How to Uninstall iTunes on Mac

Mac computers come with iTunes pre-installed. It’s considered a vital part of the operating system, so, do not uninstall it unless you absolutely have to. Obviously, that doesn’t apply for Windows.

That being said, if you simply wish to fix something that went wrong and re-install it, try running the installer first and see if that fixes the issue. In case you insist on uninstalling it, keep on reading, but don’t blame us in case that certain functionalities start breaking apart.

So, to uninstall iTunes on Mac, go to:

Finder
Applications
iTunes
Drag it to “Trash”
Click on “Trash” while holding down the “CTRL” key
And click on “Empty trash”

Chances are that you don’t have the required permissions to get rid of iTunes. And in that case, you’ll probably get a warning that looks like this:

In order to bypass that, we need to change iTune’s permissions. And in order to change the permissions, you’ll have to be an administrator (One who knows the password as well).

In order to do that:

Hold down CTRL while selecting iTunes
Click on “Sharing and permissions”
Click on the lock icon
Type in your password (Admin)
Set the read and write permissions to “Everyone”

And now you should be able to uninstall iTunes.

If you’re still unable to uninstall it to system restrictions, then it’s for the best to stop right here. Tinkering with system files is not for the faint of heart. Preferably, only for those who know what they are doing.

Wrapping Up

That’s all for now. Quite simple really. But, again, do be careful with Mac. If you’ve got any questions, let us know about them in the comments section down below and we’ll try to get back to you.

How to Backup iPhone (Locally or in Cloud)

Last updated on September 3, 2019

Learning how to backup iPhone data is one of the most important things to know. Not only because it’s extremely useful when switching phones, but also because it’s a great way to keep your files safe.

That includes pictures, songs, documents, videos, anything like that. There are multiple effective ways of backing up data both locally and on the cloud, so, keep on reading and choose whatever fits you best!

1: How to Backup iPhone With iCloud

One of the easiest ways of keeping backups with iPhones is by using Apple’s iCloud. However, do keep in mind that all the points that it earns in ease of use, it loses in terms of effectiveness.

That’s because the free plan only gives us 5 GB of data while the backup options are kinda limited. Upgrading to a plan with more data is relatively cheap, but it’s a subscription nonetheless.

Still, the least that you can do is use the free plan – just in case.

To backup your data by using the iCloud, all you need to do is:

Go to Settings
Select your name “Or iCloud; depending on the version of iOS that you’re running”
Enable”iCloud Backup”
And if you think that you’re not going to be using your Wi-Fi for a while, select “Back Up Now”

Depending on how much stuff there is to backup, the process may end up taking a while. So, the best idea is to probably do this before going to sleep.

Just leave that option enabled, stay connected to the Wi-Fi, and the phone should automatically start backing up everything on the cloud. If it doesn’t, you always have the option of selecting the “Back Up Now” option.

Pros:

Very easy to use
Works well with other Apple products
Extremely reliable

Cons:

Not a whole lot of control over what to backup or not
Those with a slow Internet connection may have to wait for a while before a backup finishes
Limited storage for free

2: How to Backup iPhone With Google Drive

Unlike iCloud, Google Drive gives you 15 gigabytes of storage for free while also offering more a few more options on what to backup or not. The catch, however, is that it doesn’t cooperate as “Smoothly” with other Apple products like iCloud does.

That being said, it does work very well with Android devices and other Google services like Google docs. So, if you’re planning on moving from an iPhone to an Android device any time soon, do seriously consider this option.

To backup your iPhone with Google Drive:

Go to the App Store
Download and install it
Log in to your Google account; or create one if you haven’t already
Open the menu by clicking on the icon that resides on the upper left corner of the screen
Go to “Settings”
Select “Backup”
And select “Start Backup”

This is a general backup that will backup contacts, the calendar, and any photos or videos. After that, you can get more control through the navigational menu and selectively backup anything you want.

And in case that 15 gigabytes of storage isn’t enough for you, just like with iCloud, there is always the option of upgrading to a premium subscription with more storage.

By the way, do keep in mind that depending on your Internet connection, the first backup may end up taking a while. Leaving the phone to update and make the backups while you’re sleeping is probably the best course of action here.

Pros:

Still relatively easy to use
Works well with Google services and products
Very reliable
Gives a lot of control over backup options
Offers 3 times the storage that iCloud does for free

Cons:

Those with a slow connection will have to wait for a while
Still need to pay for more storage
Subscriptions seem to be more expensive compared to iCloud (Depends on the region, though)

3: How to Backup iPhone With iTunes (Locally)

Cloud solutions have two big disadvantages:

They rely a lot on Internet speeds
They don’t offer a whole lot of storage for free

So, if that’s an issue for you and you already have a computer sitting at home, why not use it to make a local backup? Just do keep in mind that local backups are generally not as safe as cloud solutions.

After all, if something happens to the computer/drive, everything that’s stored there will be gone as well. As for the whole hacker breach that happened with iCloud accounts a few years ago, well, that’s a different story.

With that being said, here’s how to make a local backup by using iTunes:

In case you have a Windows PC, download and install iTunes first
Connect the iPhone with your computer
A message may come up on the phone which will ask if you trust this device/computer, select “Yes/Trust”
Open iTunes
Select your phone which should have appeared at this point
Then select “Backup now”

As the data transfer happens locally, this method is much faster compared to the cloud. So, chances are that leaving the phone sitting there for the rest of the night is going to be unnecessary.

Just like with iCloud, this option doesn’t give us a lot of options. But, for the most part, it gets the job done.

Pros:

Completely free to use
Very fast; regardless of the Internet connection

Cons:

The process is a tiny bit more complicated to other options
Not a whole lot of choices over the backup

4: How to Backup Locally (Manual Method-Photos Only)

Most of the backup options that we’ve checked out don’t give us a whole lot of options. In most cases, you just press a button and let the software do its thing.

But, as mentioned above, this can turn out to be a time-consuming process. Especially if you got lots of files. In such cases, manually selecting what is desired or not is usually the best course of action.

Overall, if you own a Windows PC and want to make manual photo backups, this is quite possibly one of the best solutions:

Connect the iPhone to the PC with the lightning cable
If a prompt comes up on the phone, select “Trust”
Open the Windows file explorer (Resides on the dock bar of Windows with a folder icon)
Select “This PC”
Click on your phone
Open DCIM
Select the photos that you wish to copy
And move them whenever you want

As far as we know, Apple doesn’t allow you to copy anything else apart from photos with this method. So, if you wish to make backups of songs, videos, or anything like that, then take a look at one of our other methods.

And while we are at it, in case you don’t know about it, multiple individual photos can be selected by holding down the CTRL button while clicking.

Pros:

Allows you to choose individual pictures
Very fast

Cons:

Can’t be used for other file types (Thanks, Apple)
Some pictures do not appear with the correct rotation

Summary

That’s all for now. If you got any other backup methods/recommendations, let us and everyone else know about it in the comments section down below!

iTunes Won’t Open? Here’s How to Fix it

Last updated on August 30, 2019

The “iTunes won’t open” issue has been getting more and more popular lately. Especially on Windows computers and often after big updates. Sounds familiar?

That’s not to say that the same issue is non-existent for Mac computers either. So, we’ll be mentioning how to fix it for both Operating Systems and on iPhones as well. That being said, let’s get right into it!

iTunes Won’t Open: Various Fixes

1: How to Fix “iTunes Won’t Open” on Windows Computers

Windows computers are the ones that most commonly face this issue. So, let’s start with that. There are various things that can go wrong and “brake” an application like iTunes. One of the most common ones is big updates that change the “structure” of the OS and sometimes, this messes up a few programs.

At this point, you can either try to repair or re-install iTunes to fix the above-mentioned issue. To repair it, go to:

Settings
Apps
iTunes
Modify
Repair

And while it says “repair”, this is more of an automatic re-installation process. Still, it should fix your issue and work just fine. If not, give it another try with the old, traditional method by going to:

Settings
Apps
iTunes
Uninstall

This uninstalls iTunes. To install them again, simply head over to the official website, download the app again, install it, log in, and pray that everything will work just fine.

If iTunes still refuses to cooperate, your best bet is to uninstall the update which messed up everything in the first place. This can be done by going to:

Settings
Update & Security
View update history
Uninstall updates
Then look for the most recent updates that were installed and remove them

After that, reboot your system and try running iTunes again. And if it still refuses to work, then your last two options are either running it in safe mode or taking it one step further and resetting your whole system.

How to Launch iTunes in Safe Mode and/or Reset Windows 10

Opening iTunes in safe mode is as easy as:

Holding down CTRL + Shift
Open iTunes while still holding down these buttons
And that’s it

If you’ve tried everything and iTunes still refuses to work, then your last line of defense is performing a factory reset. In order to do that, you must go to:

Settings
Update & recovery
Reset this PC
Get started

And here you can select to either keep your files or delete everything. Do keep in mind that no matter which way you go, all of your 3rd party apps will be deleted.

It would be for the best if you could actually perform a clean install. But, this requires Windows installation media, a valid Windows key, and secondary drives or the cloud for backups. It’s basically a whole new process. So, maybe just stick with a simple Windows reset for now.

That’s about all we got for Windows right now. And there a few other minor things that you may try like:

Restarting your system
Checking out the firewall and ensuring that it doesn’t block iTunes
Updating your drivers

And things like that. But, if you’ve tried everything that we mentioned above and it didn’t work out for you, then I highly doubt that such steps will be any more useful.

So, time to move on to Mac now.

2: How to Fix The “iTunes Won’t Open” Issue on Mac Computers

This problem is definitely a rarity for Mac users. But, if you were unfortunate enough to be one of the unlucky few, well, there’s not that much that we can really do.

The first thing that you always wanna try out in such cases is the updates. Always make sure that your system and apps are running their latest versions.

To check for updates on Mac, select the:

Apple icon
Software update

And if any updates are available, then click on the “Update now” button, wait for the installation to finish, reboot your computer, and then try opening iTunes again.

You could also try signing in with a different user account and then logging in back to your own. Alternatively, logging out and back in is worth a try if possible.

Other than that, you can also try some of the more standard fixes like rebooting your PC. But, reinstalling iTunes isn’t an option here. That’s mostly because it’s a core app for Macs and thus we’re not allowed to meddle with it like we can on Windows.

There are a few tricks to bypass that, but they sometimes lead into issues. Not to mention that the newest versions of Mac OS will not allow you to do anything anyway. You could try temporarily renaming the iTunes library folder, though. But, I doubt this will be of much help.

How to Repair Disk Permissions

One thing that may be helpful is repairing the disk permissions. To do that, you must first go into safe mode by:

Restart your Mac and upon boot, hold down the “Shift” key until you see the log-in screen
Log in
Open the Finder
Go to Application
Select “Utilities”
Disk utility
First aid
Then select “Repair Disc Permissions”

Depending on the version of Mac that you’re using, this option may not be available.

3: How to Fix “iTunes Won’t Open” on iPhone

An iPhone gives us even fewer options to work with. Still, let’s take our chances. The first thing you wanna try is restarting the phone. It poses zero risks and it’s something that may be able to fix your issue.

So, to restart an iPhone:

Hold down the power/sleep button
Slide to power off
Hold down the power/sleep button again until the phones powers on
Wait till it’s fully booted
Then give iTunes one more try

If that fails, make sure that you’re running the latest version of the app be heading over to the App Store. You could also try uninstalling and installing iTunes as you would do with any other app.

And if nothing seems to work, the only thing that remains is a factory reset. Of all the things that we’ve mentioned, this is the only one that will delete your data. So, make sure to keep backups on your PC or iCloud.

To factory reset an iPhone:

Go to Settings
General
Reset
Erase all content and settings

After that, simply follow the on-screen instructions. If memory serves right, you’ll need to double confirm your decision and insert your Apple ID for safety reasons.

This will turn your iPhone into a brand-new like state. But, it’ll also delete everything stored in the device.

That’s all for now. If you’ve got any questions or if you feel like there’s a good solution that we didn’t add, you can let us know about it in the comments section down below.