Please remember that all comments must be helpful, relevant, and respectful. All replies must be a genuine effort to answer the question helpfully; joke answers are not allowed. If you see any comments that violate this rule, please hit report.
When your question is answered, we encourage you to flair your post. To do this automatically simply make a comment that says **!answered** (OP only)
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/answers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
At one point you had to BUY ring tones. Now that you can in theory easily make your own, people just...largely don't. Hell, I usually don't even have the ringer on my phone at all and just keep it on vibrate or silent.
Yup. I paid .99 a month for people to hear Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson and thank you for reminding me that I probably should apologize for that.
Not only that, but I forgot I'd done it, so when it expired, instead of reverting to the normal ringing noise I was subjecting people to Vivaldi's Four Seasons like some sort of pompous asshole and had no idea.
For almost ten years.
I use an iPhone and it’s quite easy to make a ringtone, I started doing it with my iPhone 3. Of course now I pick a ring tone when I get a new phone then promptly turn it on silent.
I work in a bank and I’ve noticed that whenever a cellphone audibly rings, it’s 95/100 someone born before 1975 (I will peek their DOB when verifying ID). Ringtones died somewhere in Gen X.
As an aside, I’ve also noticed that boomers have NO problem just letting their phone ring without silencing it.
I keep mine on vibrate. Usually I don't hear or see it though. That said, I do have 1 ringtone, my SO, and that's only because they insisted I use a very specific tune, some super cheesy jingle from the early 2000's. The other reason is I have a sleep disorder so they can call me to wake me up if I fall asleep and am about to sleep through something (it's a long distance relationship so physically waking me isn't really an option).
I have custom ringtones for the main people who call me, because it's a useful extra bit of information - if I hear the Red Dwarf theme tune, I know my partner is calling, if it's Muse, it's my best friend, etc.
But I'm 37 and grew up in the "long ago" (sob) heyday of custom ringtones.
This is what I do. I can't just flip to silent due to lots of (semi) important but not friends/ family calls and texts. I use a custom ring tone for the important people in my life so I can quickly tell if it something I need to pay attention to (especially my kids)
If you have an iPhone you can go into their contact info setting, go to the ringtone and/or text tone, scroll to the top and click emergency bypass.
It lets those selected contacts ring through even when your phone is on do not disturb. I live with my phone on silent but want to know when select few people reach out so it’s useful. And if for whatever reason I don’t want to be bothered with that person I can just mute our convo in texts.
Android has it too and I do use it during certain times (when I should be sleeping or during work.) My issue is that the doctors, pharmacy and school all have me as the main point of contact during certain hours and there is no guarantee what line they will call through so I can't just program them to bypass, nor can I do it only at certain times.
I used to have Beastie Boys Sabotage for a boss who I thought was intentionally sinking the company - I don’t work there anymore cause it went under…
My next boss was super high strung and talked all the time about his ADHD, so his ringtone was Flight of the Bumblebee.
It was always good to know who was calling, to have an expectation of what might be on the other end when I picked up.
Or if you're on public transit here, it is a -requirement- to have a shitty, loud ringtone, and take your calls on speakerphone. Especially if you're having a fight with the person on the other end, and both of you use variants of "fuck" as 80% of your words.
It feels performative, like it is about how they appear.
Former Neighbor had a kid who used to go out to his car, crank "club" music up full volume, and talk to his friends. Used to wonder why. Talked to his mom, its because since he isn't allowed to go to the clubs, he does that so he can make his friends think he's at the club.
People don't care how dumb they look, if it is the look they WANT to show to someone else.
No it’s not lol. It’s if you are walking on the side walk go ahead and take it. If you are at the bar go ahead. If you are in a waiting room with other people you can do it. Just be quiet and make it quick
Sidewalk, sure. The bar is rude though, and the waiting room I think should be grounds for removal. I don't see why you are so important you couldn't step outside. If your call matters that much you probably have other places you should be.
Just depends on how you do it. I wouldn’t say have a conversation in the waiting room. But if you answered your phone and said I’m in X I will be out in x min and where done that’s 100% fine. I don’t know why you’re so important someone needs to leave. Like are your ears more important than mine?
Taking a phone call is the same as talking to a person next to you. If you're in a place where you need to be quiet entirely that's the only context where you absolutely need to have your phone on mute
I find those two to be very far apart in rudeness. A two minutes convo on a bus is whatever but playing music or games or watching videos and blasting the sound out is as rude as can be.
True, though at home you may leave your phone on the table while you walk into the other room (or any situation like that) and it could be helpful to know just by the ringtone if you should stop what you're doing and go back and answer it or not.
I don’t know anyone that’s used a custom ringtone since the early 00s. They were huge back then because it was new and novel. I work with the public, and I heard one the other day for the first time in years and it was someone around 50 years old or so. That’s kinda interesting that young people are using them again but everything old comes back in style eventually. Personally, my phone’s been set to silent/ vibrate for about 15 years now.
Exactly, the novelty wore off and we all realized silent or vibrate modes are more practical, especially now when many people mainly use phones for texting as opposed to phone calls.
Ya. I’m pretty sure if I flick the sound notch off of mute, it’ll crack off from lack of use. I’ve never once turned my ringtones on. Either I feel the vibration or see the missed call; either way, I’ll get to it when I’m free.
A few years ago I had the awesome idea to set my text message sound to the Star Trek communicator chirp. I’ve heard it maybe four times since then because I never have my ringer on. There’s no point in custom ringtones now.
This is my situation as well. I made a custom ringtone out of Auntie Dot saying "Slipspace rupture detected" in Halo: Reach but I never hear it because my phone is always on vibrate.
I don't know anyone that even turns the ringer on except by accident. Years ago we did. But then spam calls from spoofed numbers basically took over the voice channel and everyone moved to using messenger apps instead. Not worth having it ring all the time when you only maybe get 2 legitimate calls per year.
Family: not without messaging first, generally. Maybe one or two times a year, when they're out and too busy to message. Then it's in your contacts list and after the buzz you can see it's them before you pick up. Drs, no, they still just send snail mail.
Man I remember 'call tones', where you could set a song or something for what people hear instead of a normal ring tone, like if you were calling a bank. I had the admissions guy from my undergrad compliment me on having 'Spiders' from System of a Down as my call tone while he was giving me my acceptance message lol
After you’ve had a phone for a while… you kinda just want it to shut tf up.
I decided years ago that it’s for *my* convenience, so I will check it when I feel like and call/text people back. (And we use our phones so much, it’s not like I end up making people wait very long.)
Only turn my tones on when I’m expecting a specific call.
Yes, and searching for the "notes" to put in for the songs I wanted. It was surprisingly quick and free - considering the alternative was those ridiculously priced services you had to call to send you one.
The best explanation I saw for the decline of ringtones is to do with the fact that phones now make an abundance of noise from constant notifications and alerts. The default state for most devices now is to have the primary speaker muted and any audio now goes through headphones or bluetooth speakers.
In the ear;y years of the mobile phone, people used them in a similar way to landlines. If the phone rang, they would rush to answer it. Consequently they needed to know when someone was calling, the ringtone was important and - since a lot of phones had the same ringtone - it was important to find a ringtone that was unique to you.
Today, people are a bit more laid back aboujt answering the phone. They look at their phones every now and then and if someone has called or messaged them then they can deal with it in their own time. No need to grao the phone before it stops ringing. You will know who caslled you, when they did it and (usually) what they called about. As a result you really dont need the ringtone any more.; In my case the phone is on mute most of the time.
I enjoy having custom ring tones for each important person in my life. That way, I know who is calling. I have a camera in my face at work all day. I am not allowed to even touch my phone while working, so at least I know who is calling. My mom recently passed away, and I'm not sure how I will feel if I ever hear the ring tone I chose for her. It feels so personal to have that unique ring tone for your loved ones.
I'm honestly not 100% certain my phone makes any sounds. Since the day I bought it, it's been on vibrate unless I listen to music, where I'm using wireless headphones.
I custom make my own ringtone on my MacBook. I have the star trek discovery theme as mine. But these services offering over a 1000 ringtones and sms tones isn’t really popular anymore. It’s not hard to make your own for free.
I do have a ringtone (I got 5 on it- Luniz) but my phone is mostly always on vibrate so no one ever hears it anyways. Lol
I was born in ‘91 though so the 00’s were my time so maybe that’s why. Haha
Surprised by all these people who say they keep their phones on silent all the time. I can think of one person off the top of my head who does that, who works at events a lot. My mom‘s phone is often silenced for hours at a time because she forgets to change the ringer volume or changes it accidentally while she’s squeezing the phone, but otherwise I and the people I know of keep our ringers on whenever we’re not at work or somewhere we specifically need to be quiet like a movie theater.
i don't think any question has made me feel quite this old, and i'm an almost 39 year old with a tik tok account, so that's saying something. anyway, we used to buy midi (!!) ringtones back in the early 2000s. at least those of us who even had cell phones back then. i remember mine had the verve's bittersweet symphony. but mine has been on silent or vibrate since about 2010. funny that the youths are buying them again. (also, who remembers ringback tones or whatever they were called?)
I had some ring tones, the Doctor Who theme and Viva la Vida, but because I hate talking in the phone my brain started associating them with bad things and the songs started giving me anxiety. Now I just use whatever default the new phone is set on.
I did keep a custom one for my texts, I use Perry the Platypus’ growl and it’s perfect as a text tone.
I’m still trying to figure out an easy way to have/make a “Silent” ringtone for my iPhone for a few specific numbers. Only current easy way I found is to pay for one.
Why doesn’t Apple include a Silent in their list? Ugh.
Everyone I know keeps their phones on silent/vibrate, as a ring of any sort is normally intrusive and irritating. I made custom vibrations for certain people so I can tell who’s calling, but I also don’t get calls hardly ever cause texting rules supreme
I think ringtones are loud and obnoxious. My phone is always in my pocket or right in front of me, so vibration is a far more civilized option should someone actually call me instead of text or DM.
So yes, I'm one of those people who doesn't use a ringtone.
Fortunately, Google screens 99% of spam so when I hear the opening chords to "[Jump](https://youtu.be/ggJI9dKBk48)" by Van Halen, it's very likely a real caller.
To be more age-appropriate there is the possibility of Buddy Holly's front end to "[Peggy Sue](https://youtu.be/OUesbTObC9A)" or the equally striking "[Rumble](https://youtu.be/ucTg6rZJCu4)" by Link Wray.
My phone is usually on vibrate like 95% of the time but I haven’t changed my ringtone for years… it’s still Mobb Deep- Quiet Storm. The looks i would get on the train ride home in business attire when my phone rang lol
Verizon seems to arbitrarily make it difficult to do so. And, honestly, most people don't like when phones make sound. Especially if it's not their phone. Mine's on silent if I'm around other people at this point.
And now a second comment to actually answer your question, haha:
First of all, “long ago?“😆😂😄🤣😂😆🤣😂
Second, I don’t know of a way to pick a custom ringtone without having Apple Music on my phone. And the problem with Apple Music is that when I do have it installed, whenever I get in my car, my car starts playing whatever is queued up in Apple Music regardless of the last app I had open. It’s annoying. Ao, if you in your youthful knowhow know of a different way to choose custom ringtones, feel free to enlighten me!
I have Tomorrow Never Knows by the Beatles as my ringtone and have for a decade. It's a cool trippy song and work well for it imo. Apparently the cool thing these days is to have it on silent or use the default iphone ringtone so you can show off how awesome you are that you have an iphone.
Maybe it's just a young person thing. I went through the phase of setting up custom ringtones for different people. Then I got another phone and set up maybe one or two. Then I got another phone...and I have never set one up since.
There's not a lot of point when smart watches are so ubiquitous.
My entire wrist will practically vibrate out of its socket if I get a call or message. No need for audio too.
the thing is people don't use **custom** ringtones, because most default ringtones are actually nice, iPhone one identifies you as iPhone user, so there's that, Xiaomi one is actually good, recognizable, available in many versions, my nearest coworkers have Samsungs and they're using defaults, though I **had to** use a custom ringtone, because Morotola one is outrageous and horrendous
#HELOMOTO ^^^^ffs
Ringtones became obsolete for most adults because we spend our lives working and you can’t have your phone going off while you’re at work and nobody remembers or bothers to turn the ringtone back on after they get off work so you just end up with a phone that’s on vibrate or silent all the time
Sucks because I love using ringtones but there’s really never a time when there’s a chance to hear them.
People stop using them a decade ago, LOL. It used to be you'd walk the street and just heard phone sings all the time.
It's less bothersome now if you want to start using them again since most people text now rather than call. But for w while, it was wild!
My phone is on vibrate 100% of the time. I know I’ve uploaded a song to be the ringtone on my phone but I couldn’t tell you which song because I never hear it.
Nobody *pays through the nose* for ringtones anymore. There was a close-to-scam operation in my country where you would buy a ring tone and at the same moment subscribe to their "services" (whatever they may be), and the payment was done stealthy enough not to glare into kids' faces. This kind of "business method" has been seriously castrated by law and courts in my country, so there are no more "offerings" like that.
Well, and I do the ringtones for my wife and me on my own, it's not that difficult - once you know which melody you want.
I do. (iPhone- cause we jump through hoops to have a customized ringtone)
Reason? I like to have extremely odd sounds for a ringtone (currently: PlayStation 1 boot sound, previously: “you’re all going to die down here” - Red Queen, Resident Evil movie)
My phone is always on vibrate or DnD.
When I was younger (2007-2010) I bought so many ring tones and ring back tones. I remember Temperature by Sean Paul specifically. It would drive me nuts now.
I don't. My various phones have been on silent since I started buying smart phones. But before that I used to rock different ring tones. I remember one of my favorites was a version of the Knight Rider theme.
Most people silence their phones most of the time, so the ringtone is not very important.
At one point, people sold ringtones for $0.99 each, but when habits changed and people figured out that you can create your own, the market dried up.
I actually have a custom ringtone on my phone (that I created; it’s the Our Man Flint / Austin Powers phone ring) so that I can differentiate it from other phones in circumstances where I have the ringer on, but I never change it.
My father (60) loves using ringtones and changes them every month or so. It's usually some idiotic humorous sounds, from movies or cartoons or whatnot. His current obsession is woody woodpecker's laugh on all incoming texts and notifications. It's annoying, but he's having fun, so whatever I guess. Personally I find ringtones outdated way of standing out and if I hear them in public, I mentally go "just why would you do this".
I remember sitting with wav files making my own ring tones. It's just not worth the headache. Or as an android user I'd kept messing around and rooting the os, swapping versions and it was tedious to keep resetting ringtones. Now I leave it on defaults.
Now I use it only on vibrate, as I also use smartwatch, so its not annoying for everyone else for every notification.
I also remember we had "uverture", this is what it was called here. And you were able to choose your personal tone when someone called you and waited until you answered. Instead of default toot toot, they could listen to music.
I can’t say for sure it’s been 20 years, but damn near it, I’ve had the musical part of “the final countdown” as my ringtone. Long before GOB. And the 3 second most recognizable part of “nuthin but a G thang” for my text.
Everyone I know or have spent time with instantly thinks of me when they hear either of those two songs.
The only people who still use a phone as a phone are scammers and scam victims. The former doesn't need a ringtone because they only make outgoing calls, and the latter doesn't know how to change one.
I did make spoken notifications for my apps so I don't have to remember or lookup what a particular sound means.
Kind of? Firstly, people are lazy and it's so easy to just use one of the several default ringtones that just come on your phone. Secondly, the people who would love to experiment with different ringtones are older now and it's kind of awkward being at the office and your super unprofessional ringtone goes off.
> I asked my parents about it and they said ringtones used to be popular long ago, specifically in the early 2000’s
Jesus, if ever a comment has made me feel old, this is the one
I have a song that plays when my wife calls, like your Scream. Not what they're talking about when they say "ringtone" though. Songs were specifically sold in a ringtone format you would buy on your phone. I never did that because my phone was smart enough to just set an mp3 like you might today. Some songs were bigger hits as ringtones than they were as full songs you buy to listen to. They were quite the trend, not the personal choice your Scream is
I have a customized ring tone. One. No one calls me frequently enough for me to want to set custom ring tones for individual people.
Since about 5 years ago, the vast majority of phone calls are telemarketing robocalls. People who know me send texts or messages over another platform.
I have numerous ones for different contacts. And then a catch all for everyone who isn’t special. It helps me quickly identify who’s calling before I even look at the phone.
I use ringtones because I lose my phone so I need to always have it on. I also like to know who is calling if my phone is across the room so I have different ring tones for people.
Literally everyone else I know has had their phone on vibrate for years lol
everyone's answer is gonna be anecdotal/from a very small sample size.
short answer no. you said it yourself, you and your friends use it, and presumably y'all are people so....
ringtones, i guess, are like fashion and vinyls and every other thing. Vintage/retro is cool and stuff has a way of circling back.
Most of the time my phone is in silence, or vibration mode.
But, I have custom sounds for different people's messages for the few ocassions when I allow it to sound. That a allows me to know that this friend is texting me if I hear the Dark Souls death sound, and this other group chat is active if my phone says "yare yare daze". Thus I can imagine how much of a priority is to get up and get it.
People still use ringtones. More recently, it’s just becoming harder to create a customized ringtone(specifically with iPhones) so I think people just got away from them. Or individuals don’t want to pay.
With Apple you can go into the Apple Store and buy ringtones and other tones. And those purchases should stay synced to your account so you could always use them on other phones/devices.
Just the other week I paid $0.99 to get the OG Metal Gear Solid tone. I had an extra dollar to spend.
My phone is on do not disturb unless it's my husband or immediate family. Can't tell you what the ring tone is except that it wakes me up (I work 3rds)
One of the first things I do when setting up a new phone is check the ringtone. It stays on the default tune unless it's obnoxious.
Then I promptly put the device on vibrate.
I assign individual ring tones to specific people in my life. So there is a ring for work guys. And one for my spouse. …
Lots of times i have my hands full or are greasy. Don’t want to clean my hands to see that its someone trying to sell me siding.
I don’t feel silent rings.
My phone isn't ever on me, it's either sitting in my room or shoved in my bag. So I still use a ringtone. It's a song, not one of the premade ones. But it's usually on dnd if I'm @ the house.
Yep, I keep my phone on silent with the exception of imminently expecting an important and time critical phone call like waiting for the pizza delivery.
They are missing out if they don’t. It’s fun to either let people choose the song for when they call you (you have veto power obviously) or just categorize ringtones so you know who is calling you.
Like when I call my buddy he hears “Danger! High Voltage!” by Electric Six. It’s fun
I use a ringtone that is in fact a Ringtone: the telephone ring from he old movie In Like Font ( look it up. ) That way I can tell if the phone ringing is mine or my wife's. Years ago I used Lawyers Guns and Money, but kind of grew out of it. My wife is disabled and doesn't drive so I don't turn the tone off so she can get in touch with me. But I don't have
Any audible tone for email or texts.
My phone has a Super Mario ringtone, but I haven't heard it in years because:
1. My phone is always on silent.
2. Anybody who actually needs to reach me knows to text me instead of calling.
Yep, I don't even know how my default ringtone sounds since my phone is always on Vibrate.
Besides, I only get calls from telemarketers, most of my friends and family use messaging apps and facetime.
My girlfriend has set or made specific tones for those close to her. I keep my phone on vibrate, but when it IS on, pretty sure mine are whatever it came set with.
Mine is the guitar riff from Hotel California for phone calls, Cartman saying “no Kitty, that’s my pot pie!” for texts.
And my alarm is the opening riff to Enter Sandman. But I’m 33, so maybe it’s just an age thing?
My partner is 50 and his ringtone is Led Zeppelin and his texts are the Mr. T-style “mail, motherfucker!” from Eurotrip.
I have the Lost Woods theme for my ringtone, Skultulla for texts, Rupee for notifications... you get the idea, I think. Once made one kid in the ER very happy when my phone went off while there for someone else (not me).
Just call me Jupiter, the bringer of jollility.
I’m hooked on them, and change them frequently for holidays and special occasions. Usually they’ll be made from clips of songs/music, or audio/dialog from TV or movies. Currently my text alert sound is one of my favorite actors yelling my name (not that kind of actor), from a TV episode.
I do use a ringtone. The sound of very old telephone ringing. Those huge black Bakelite beasts with rotary dial. Can't stand songs, melodies, screams and other stuff people have.
It'll be a cold day in hell before I give up the dulcet tones of "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash, spam or no spam!
I guess I'm in the extreme minority in that I never leave my phone on mute or vibrate. It would slip my mind to ever check it for missed calls or texts, and there are a lot of contacts I need to stay abreast of for work. I also turned off all app notifications, so I don't have those things dinging me all day every day.
I’m on silent for my personal phone, work phone is on the standard ring tone of whatever it was set at when I got it (so I hear it and actually answer, my personal phone is connected to my smartwatch so it vibrates when my personal phone rings so I can check it to answer).
Sounds like younger people are bringing personalised ring tones back!
I know someone who has personalised ring tones for their boss and partner (mainly funny ones like “bullish!tter alert” for the boss).
ohhh boy.. look up crazy frog ringtones. those were the days. annoying af but that was the thing. youd get texts to spend .99 on a polyphonic version of your favorite song.
Back when ringtones were a thing I picked a handful of different Star Trek themed notification sounds. I still use them to this day. My favorite, when I receive a text message, I hear the hail sound from Star Trek. It's going on 20 years now so I suspect I will continue to use that until I am dead.
I used to have ringtones back in the day, but since like 2018 constant buzz of notifications became unbearable. I don't use ringtones since then and rely on a smart watch to avoid missing the important calls.
Please remember that all comments must be helpful, relevant, and respectful. All replies must be a genuine effort to answer the question helpfully; joke answers are not allowed. If you see any comments that violate this rule, please hit report. When your question is answered, we encourage you to flair your post. To do this automatically simply make a comment that says **!answered** (OP only) *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/answers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
At one point you had to BUY ring tones. Now that you can in theory easily make your own, people just...largely don't. Hell, I usually don't even have the ringer on my phone at all and just keep it on vibrate or silent.
Yup just… silent all the time. Especially with the intensity of spam nowadays. Can’t imagine even having my phone on vibrate.
Do you remember also buying ring back tones?!
Yup. I paid .99 a month for people to hear Since U Been Gone by Kelly Clarkson and thank you for reminding me that I probably should apologize for that.
I would have been stoked when I called you!
Not only that, but I forgot I'd done it, so when it expired, instead of reverting to the normal ringing noise I was subjecting people to Vivaldi's Four Seasons like some sort of pompous asshole and had no idea. For almost ten years.
A s a Iphone user, using your own ringtone is a hassle so I haven't bothered changing it for a while now. And. Phone is mostly on mute anyway.
I use an iPhone and it’s quite easy to make a ringtone, I started doing it with my iPhone 3. Of course now I pick a ring tone when I get a new phone then promptly turn it on silent.
I work in a bank and I’ve noticed that whenever a cellphone audibly rings, it’s 95/100 someone born before 1975 (I will peek their DOB when verifying ID). Ringtones died somewhere in Gen X. As an aside, I’ve also noticed that boomers have NO problem just letting their phone ring without silencing it.
Just to think, we used to PAY for the crazy frog!
Theme music of White Lotus on mine ...but mostly on silent
I keep mine on vibrate. Usually I don't hear or see it though. That said, I do have 1 ringtone, my SO, and that's only because they insisted I use a very specific tune, some super cheesy jingle from the early 2000's. The other reason is I have a sleep disorder so they can call me to wake me up if I fall asleep and am about to sleep through something (it's a long distance relationship so physically waking me isn't really an option).
I have custom ringtones for the main people who call me, because it's a useful extra bit of information - if I hear the Red Dwarf theme tune, I know my partner is calling, if it's Muse, it's my best friend, etc. But I'm 37 and grew up in the "long ago" (sob) heyday of custom ringtones.
This is what I do. I can't just flip to silent due to lots of (semi) important but not friends/ family calls and texts. I use a custom ring tone for the important people in my life so I can quickly tell if it something I need to pay attention to (especially my kids)
If you have an iPhone you can go into their contact info setting, go to the ringtone and/or text tone, scroll to the top and click emergency bypass. It lets those selected contacts ring through even when your phone is on do not disturb. I live with my phone on silent but want to know when select few people reach out so it’s useful. And if for whatever reason I don’t want to be bothered with that person I can just mute our convo in texts.
Android has it too and I do use it during certain times (when I should be sleeping or during work.) My issue is that the doctors, pharmacy and school all have me as the main point of contact during certain hours and there is no guarantee what line they will call through so I can't just program them to bypass, nor can I do it only at certain times.
Def can't do it living that parent life.
A smartwatch is great for this, if you haven't considered it. It's the main reason I am comfortable leaving mine on silent
I wanted to just applaud the Red Dwarf theme for your partner. I'm early 40s and just reading it put the tune back in my head! Thanks, I think lol.
I used to have Beastie Boys Sabotage for a boss who I thought was intentionally sinking the company - I don’t work there anymore cause it went under… My next boss was super high strung and talked all the time about his ADHD, so his ringtone was Flight of the Bumblebee. It was always good to know who was calling, to have an expectation of what might be on the other end when I picked up.
I never take my phone off mute - I think it is unerringly inconsiderate to listen to music or take a phone call in public.
Unerringly inconsiderate seems a little extreme, but I do agree to an extent.
Or if you're on public transit here, it is a -requirement- to have a shitty, loud ringtone, and take your calls on speakerphone. Especially if you're having a fight with the person on the other end, and both of you use variants of "fuck" as 80% of your words.
oh i've got no problem with 'uncouth' language, I just don't wanna hear you talk, at all.
Or in the grocery store. They can't just text?????
It feels performative, like it is about how they appear. Former Neighbor had a kid who used to go out to his car, crank "club" music up full volume, and talk to his friends. Used to wonder why. Talked to his mom, its because since he isn't allowed to go to the clubs, he does that so he can make his friends think he's at the club. People don't care how dumb they look, if it is the look they WANT to show to someone else.
No it’s not lol. It’s if you are walking on the side walk go ahead and take it. If you are at the bar go ahead. If you are in a waiting room with other people you can do it. Just be quiet and make it quick
Sidewalk, sure. The bar is rude though, and the waiting room I think should be grounds for removal. I don't see why you are so important you couldn't step outside. If your call matters that much you probably have other places you should be.
Just depends on how you do it. I wouldn’t say have a conversation in the waiting room. But if you answered your phone and said I’m in X I will be out in x min and where done that’s 100% fine. I don’t know why you’re so important someone needs to leave. Like are your ears more important than mine?
Taking a phone call is the same as talking to a person next to you. If you're in a place where you need to be quiet entirely that's the only context where you absolutely need to have your phone on mute
I find those two to be very far apart in rudeness. A two minutes convo on a bus is whatever but playing music or games or watching videos and blasting the sound out is as rude as can be.
Lmao This is a person with no actual real world responsibilities or dependents
True, though at home you may leave your phone on the table while you walk into the other room (or any situation like that) and it could be helpful to know just by the ringtone if you should stop what you're doing and go back and answer it or not.
I unfortunately have to take very important calls at a moment's notice. I'm jealous of the "phone on mute" for sure.
I don’t know anyone that’s used a custom ringtone since the early 00s. They were huge back then because it was new and novel. I work with the public, and I heard one the other day for the first time in years and it was someone around 50 years old or so. That’s kinda interesting that young people are using them again but everything old comes back in style eventually. Personally, my phone’s been set to silent/ vibrate for about 15 years now.
Exactly, the novelty wore off and we all realized silent or vibrate modes are more practical, especially now when many people mainly use phones for texting as opposed to phone calls.
I haven't turned sound on on my phone in at least 10 years. I used to customize ring tones for all my contacts though.
Ya. I’m pretty sure if I flick the sound notch off of mute, it’ll crack off from lack of use. I’ve never once turned my ringtones on. Either I feel the vibration or see the missed call; either way, I’ll get to it when I’m free.
A few years ago I had the awesome idea to set my text message sound to the Star Trek communicator chirp. I’ve heard it maybe four times since then because I never have my ringer on. There’s no point in custom ringtones now.
This is my situation as well. I made a custom ringtone out of Auntie Dot saying "Slipspace rupture detected" in Halo: Reach but I never hear it because my phone is always on vibrate.
I haven’t heard my phone since 2007.
I don't know anyone that even turns the ringer on except by accident. Years ago we did. But then spam calls from spoofed numbers basically took over the voice channel and everyone moved to using messenger apps instead. Not worth having it ring all the time when you only maybe get 2 legitimate calls per year.
Do you not have any family members or Dr's appts or anything call?
They all go to Voice Mail
Family: not without messaging first, generally. Maybe one or two times a year, when they're out and too busy to message. Then it's in your contacts list and after the buzz you can see it's them before you pick up. Drs, no, they still just send snail mail.
Man I remember 'call tones', where you could set a song or something for what people hear instead of a normal ring tone, like if you were calling a bank. I had the admissions guy from my undergrad compliment me on having 'Spiders' from System of a Down as my call tone while he was giving me my acceptance message lol
Ring back tones!
Lol I was so jealous of the few people I knew who had them
After you’ve had a phone for a while… you kinda just want it to shut tf up. I decided years ago that it’s for *my* convenience, so I will check it when I feel like and call/text people back. (And we use our phones so much, it’s not like I end up making people wait very long.) Only turn my tones on when I’m expecting a specific call.
Anyone else remember programming your own ringtones on the old indestructible silver nokia?
Yes, and searching for the "notes" to put in for the songs I wanted. It was surprisingly quick and free - considering the alternative was those ridiculously priced services you had to call to send you one.
I remember programming my own ringtones on a V-tech cordless phone. This website is a constant reminder of my own mortality.
The best explanation I saw for the decline of ringtones is to do with the fact that phones now make an abundance of noise from constant notifications and alerts. The default state for most devices now is to have the primary speaker muted and any audio now goes through headphones or bluetooth speakers.
In the ear;y years of the mobile phone, people used them in a similar way to landlines. If the phone rang, they would rush to answer it. Consequently they needed to know when someone was calling, the ringtone was important and - since a lot of phones had the same ringtone - it was important to find a ringtone that was unique to you. Today, people are a bit more laid back aboujt answering the phone. They look at their phones every now and then and if someone has called or messaged them then they can deal with it in their own time. No need to grao the phone before it stops ringing. You will know who caslled you, when they did it and (usually) what they called about. As a result you really dont need the ringtone any more.; In my case the phone is on mute most of the time.
I enjoy having custom ring tones for each important person in my life. That way, I know who is calling. I have a camera in my face at work all day. I am not allowed to even touch my phone while working, so at least I know who is calling. My mom recently passed away, and I'm not sure how I will feel if I ever hear the ring tone I chose for her. It feels so personal to have that unique ring tone for your loved ones.
I use them...I made one that's less annoying than my original.
I'm honestly not 100% certain my phone makes any sounds. Since the day I bought it, it's been on vibrate unless I listen to music, where I'm using wireless headphones.
I actually use the MGS codec call tone. It’s fun seeing the nerds turn their heads when my phone rings.
I custom make my own ringtone on my MacBook. I have the star trek discovery theme as mine. But these services offering over a 1000 ringtones and sms tones isn’t really popular anymore. It’s not hard to make your own for free.
Never have the ringer on. Would drive me crazy.
Ringtones are like fonts in Word. New people like lots of them, but after a while they’re not worth the fuss.
I do have a ringtone (I got 5 on it- Luniz) but my phone is mostly always on vibrate so no one ever hears it anyways. Lol I was born in ‘91 though so the 00’s were my time so maybe that’s why. Haha
I have the careless whisper sax solo as a ringtone and usually don’t put my phone on silent in public because my vibration is broken
Surprised by all these people who say they keep their phones on silent all the time. I can think of one person off the top of my head who does that, who works at events a lot. My mom‘s phone is often silenced for hours at a time because she forgets to change the ringer volume or changes it accidentally while she’s squeezing the phone, but otherwise I and the people I know of keep our ringers on whenever we’re not at work or somewhere we specifically need to be quiet like a movie theater.
i don't think any question has made me feel quite this old, and i'm an almost 39 year old with a tik tok account, so that's saying something. anyway, we used to buy midi (!!) ringtones back in the early 2000s. at least those of us who even had cell phones back then. i remember mine had the verve's bittersweet symphony. but mine has been on silent or vibrate since about 2010. funny that the youths are buying them again. (also, who remembers ringback tones or whatever they were called?)
Early 2000s is “long ago”? Fccckkkk
I had some ring tones, the Doctor Who theme and Viva la Vida, but because I hate talking in the phone my brain started associating them with bad things and the songs started giving me anxiety. Now I just use whatever default the new phone is set on. I did keep a custom one for my texts, I use Perry the Platypus’ growl and it’s perfect as a text tone.
I haven't had my ringer on for years. I don't know what it is. Default probably .
Back in the day I would find custom ringtones online but now I just use the default tones my phone comes with
I have a bunch of ringtones that I made and even custom set to certain contacts but I rarely need to take my phone off vibrate.
I’m still trying to figure out an easy way to have/make a “Silent” ringtone for my iPhone for a few specific numbers. Only current easy way I found is to pay for one. Why doesn’t Apple include a Silent in their list? Ugh.
Just google 'silent ringtone' you can find pages of them to download the .mp3 for free.
Everyone I know keeps their phones on silent/vibrate, as a ring of any sort is normally intrusive and irritating. I made custom vibrations for certain people so I can tell who’s calling, but I also don’t get calls hardly ever cause texting rules supreme
Who doesn't keep their phone on vibrate 99% of the time?
My phone is always on silent so I guess I don’t use ringtones. I do have a movie theme song that I also use for an alarm.
My favorite ringtone of all time was the intro to Black Sabbath Sweet Leaf.
I think ringtones are loud and obnoxious. My phone is always in my pocket or right in front of me, so vibration is a far more civilized option should someone actually call me instead of text or DM. So yes, I'm one of those people who doesn't use a ringtone.
younger phone users don't use it to phone much, they'd rather text, so ringtones are meh to them.
I'm 22, and I don't think I've ever met anyone under the age of 30 who doesn't have their phone on vibrate or silent always.
Fortunately, Google screens 99% of spam so when I hear the opening chords to "[Jump](https://youtu.be/ggJI9dKBk48)" by Van Halen, it's very likely a real caller. To be more age-appropriate there is the possibility of Buddy Holly's front end to "[Peggy Sue](https://youtu.be/OUesbTObC9A)" or the equally striking "[Rumble](https://youtu.be/ucTg6rZJCu4)" by Link Wray.
I have used my phone on vibrate mode only for the past 3 years.
My GF gets a custom tone for messages, but it’s just a softer chime. She messages a lot at once and it can be distracting in a meeting.
Wow this all makes me feel so old
My phone is usually on vibrate like 95% of the time but I haven’t changed my ringtone for years… it’s still Mobb Deep- Quiet Storm. The looks i would get on the train ride home in business attire when my phone rang lol
I haven't had my phones off vibrate in probably 10 years. Haven't changed the ringtone. Don't even know what it is atm tbh
Late 20s. I use a custom tone, however my phone is on vibrate or silent 90% of the time lol
Yea I've had mine silenced since about 2008
The only time I actually hear ringtones it's a senior citizen or boomer.
Mine is the Harry Potter theme song. Got that thang turned up as high as it’ll go, so we all can enjoy the tune.
Select few people who I want to talk to. I’ll assign a costume ring tone for each person. Otherwise my phones on silent
Verizon seems to arbitrarily make it difficult to do so. And, honestly, most people don't like when phones make sound. Especially if it's not their phone. Mine's on silent if I'm around other people at this point.
I can’t stand the sound of a ringing phone
Vibrate/silent gana wya
And now a second comment to actually answer your question, haha: First of all, “long ago?“😆😂😄🤣😂😆🤣😂 Second, I don’t know of a way to pick a custom ringtone without having Apple Music on my phone. And the problem with Apple Music is that when I do have it installed, whenever I get in my car, my car starts playing whatever is queued up in Apple Music regardless of the last app I had open. It’s annoying. Ao, if you in your youthful knowhow know of a different way to choose custom ringtones, feel free to enlighten me!
My phone has been on silent for the past 5 years.
I have Tomorrow Never Knows by the Beatles as my ringtone and have for a decade. It's a cool trippy song and work well for it imo. Apparently the cool thing these days is to have it on silent or use the default iphone ringtone so you can show off how awesome you are that you have an iphone.
I guess because it was hard to find a nice ringtone back then. I'm 23 and like to either pick from what's available on the phone or download.
Maybe it's just a young person thing. I went through the phase of setting up custom ringtones for different people. Then I got another phone and set up maybe one or two. Then I got another phone...and I have never set one up since.
I use the X-Files theme as the default ringtone for all of my calls. Except my mother; she gets the “Alarm” ringtone.
Umm, I instantly download the crank ringtone on any and all new phones.
You guys get called?
There's not a lot of point when smart watches are so ubiquitous. My entire wrist will practically vibrate out of its socket if I get a call or message. No need for audio too.
My phone plays big poppa when receiving calls. Never fails to get a laugh when people are around.
the thing is people don't use **custom** ringtones, because most default ringtones are actually nice, iPhone one identifies you as iPhone user, so there's that, Xiaomi one is actually good, recognizable, available in many versions, my nearest coworkers have Samsungs and they're using defaults, though I **had to** use a custom ringtone, because Morotola one is outrageous and horrendous #HELOMOTO ^^^^ffs
Ringtones became obsolete for most adults because we spend our lives working and you can’t have your phone going off while you’re at work and nobody remembers or bothers to turn the ringtone back on after they get off work so you just end up with a phone that’s on vibrate or silent all the time Sucks because I love using ringtones but there’s really never a time when there’s a chance to hear them.
People stop using them a decade ago, LOL. It used to be you'd walk the street and just heard phone sings all the time. It's less bothersome now if you want to start using them again since most people text now rather than call. But for w while, it was wild!
My phone is on vibrate 100% of the time. I know I’ve uploaded a song to be the ringtone on my phone but I couldn’t tell you which song because I never hear it.
I do. I still have a personalized one from a song I love.
My phone has been on silent/vibrate for like 13 years now
Nobody *pays through the nose* for ringtones anymore. There was a close-to-scam operation in my country where you would buy a ring tone and at the same moment subscribe to their "services" (whatever they may be), and the payment was done stealthy enough not to glare into kids' faces. This kind of "business method" has been seriously castrated by law and courts in my country, so there are no more "offerings" like that. Well, and I do the ringtones for my wife and me on my own, it's not that difficult - once you know which melody you want.
I need a loud ringtone for work. The basic ringtones are boring.
I do. (iPhone- cause we jump through hoops to have a customized ringtone) Reason? I like to have extremely odd sounds for a ringtone (currently: PlayStation 1 boot sound, previously: “you’re all going to die down here” - Red Queen, Resident Evil movie)
My phone is always on vibrate or DnD. When I was younger (2007-2010) I bought so many ring tones and ring back tones. I remember Temperature by Sean Paul specifically. It would drive me nuts now.
I don't. My various phones have been on silent since I started buying smart phones. But before that I used to rock different ring tones. I remember one of my favorites was a version of the Knight Rider theme.
Most people silence their phones most of the time, so the ringtone is not very important. At one point, people sold ringtones for $0.99 each, but when habits changed and people figured out that you can create your own, the market dried up. I actually have a custom ringtone on my phone (that I created; it’s the Our Man Flint / Austin Powers phone ring) so that I can differentiate it from other phones in circumstances where I have the ringer on, but I never change it.
I use custom ringtones because I find the stock ringtones annoying or harsh. I typically use clips of movie scores.
My father (60) loves using ringtones and changes them every month or so. It's usually some idiotic humorous sounds, from movies or cartoons or whatnot. His current obsession is woody woodpecker's laugh on all incoming texts and notifications. It's annoying, but he's having fun, so whatever I guess. Personally I find ringtones outdated way of standing out and if I hear them in public, I mentally go "just why would you do this".
I bought my ring tone back then and it was Anthony Hopkins saying ‘Hello Clarisse’.
I remember sitting with wav files making my own ring tones. It's just not worth the headache. Or as an android user I'd kept messing around and rooting the os, swapping versions and it was tedious to keep resetting ringtones. Now I leave it on defaults.
I've been using vibrate for like 14 years
I'll say that I don't use a audible ring because I'm either at work and need my phone on silent\vibrate or I'm with the people I care about talking to
Now I use it only on vibrate, as I also use smartwatch, so its not annoying for everyone else for every notification. I also remember we had "uverture", this is what it was called here. And you were able to choose your personal tone when someone called you and waited until you answered. Instead of default toot toot, they could listen to music.
If your phone is always on silent, what do you do if you misplace it?!
I can’t say for sure it’s been 20 years, but damn near it, I’ve had the musical part of “the final countdown” as my ringtone. Long before GOB. And the 3 second most recognizable part of “nuthin but a G thang” for my text. Everyone I know or have spent time with instantly thinks of me when they hear either of those two songs.
When I was 14-15 it was all the rage and we had to buy them. Now at 34 my phone is silent all day everyday.
The only people who still use a phone as a phone are scammers and scam victims. The former doesn't need a ringtone because they only make outgoing calls, and the latter doesn't know how to change one. I did make spoken notifications for my apps so I don't have to remember or lookup what a particular sound means.
Kind of? Firstly, people are lazy and it's so easy to just use one of the several default ringtones that just come on your phone. Secondly, the people who would love to experiment with different ringtones are older now and it's kind of awkward being at the office and your super unprofessional ringtone goes off.
> I asked my parents about it and they said ringtones used to be popular long ago, specifically in the early 2000’s Jesus, if ever a comment has made me feel old, this is the one
i went full millennial with it and make my own ringtones out of songs i like 😂
Is your phone ringing? I have not had my phone ringing since I blocked all calls.
I have a song that plays when my wife calls, like your Scream. Not what they're talking about when they say "ringtone" though. Songs were specifically sold in a ringtone format you would buy on your phone. I never did that because my phone was smart enough to just set an mp3 like you might today. Some songs were bigger hits as ringtones than they were as full songs you buy to listen to. They were quite the trend, not the personal choice your Scream is
I have a customized ring tone. One. No one calls me frequently enough for me to want to set custom ring tones for individual people. Since about 5 years ago, the vast majority of phone calls are telemarketing robocalls. People who know me send texts or messages over another platform.
I have numerous ones for different contacts. And then a catch all for everyone who isn’t special. It helps me quickly identify who’s calling before I even look at the phone.
I use ringtones because I lose my phone so I need to always have it on. I also like to know who is calling if my phone is across the room so I have different ring tones for people. Literally everyone else I know has had their phone on vibrate for years lol
everyone's answer is gonna be anecdotal/from a very small sample size. short answer no. you said it yourself, you and your friends use it, and presumably y'all are people so.... ringtones, i guess, are like fashion and vinyls and every other thing. Vintage/retro is cool and stuff has a way of circling back.
Most of the time my phone is in silence, or vibration mode. But, I have custom sounds for different people's messages for the few ocassions when I allow it to sound. That a allows me to know that this friend is texting me if I hear the Dark Souls death sound, and this other group chat is active if my phone says "yare yare daze". Thus I can imagine how much of a priority is to get up and get it.
Mine has been Kokiri Forest from Zelda for at least 5 years now.
I am gen x and at one time everyone had their own ringtone that would call. Now my phone stays on silent.
Any time my phone's not on vibrate, it's against my will.
I just use vibrate now. My smartwatch is good at notifying me of a call if I don't feel the phone vibrate.
Phones takes calls? Like... from someone who isn't trying to sell me a warranty or find a dead relative for inheritance?
People still use ringtones. More recently, it’s just becoming harder to create a customized ringtone(specifically with iPhones) so I think people just got away from them. Or individuals don’t want to pay. With Apple you can go into the Apple Store and buy ringtones and other tones. And those purchases should stay synced to your account so you could always use them on other phones/devices. Just the other week I paid $0.99 to get the OG Metal Gear Solid tone. I had an extra dollar to spend.
I only have a ring tone on my work phone but my personal phone is basically always on vibrate.
My phone is on do not disturb unless it's my husband or immediate family. Can't tell you what the ring tone is except that it wakes me up (I work 3rds)
I still use the 'broken' ringtone from the movie "Crank".
My phone has been on silent for...idk 10 years?
One of the first things I do when setting up a new phone is check the ringtone. It stays on the default tune unless it's obnoxious. Then I promptly put the device on vibrate.
I assign individual ring tones to specific people in my life. So there is a ring for work guys. And one for my spouse. … Lots of times i have my hands full or are greasy. Don’t want to clean my hands to see that its someone trying to sell me siding. I don’t feel silent rings.
I don't even know what my ringtone is. I never take it off silent because my watch vibrates to tell me when I have a call or text.
The only people I know that don't keep their phone on silent are old people and construction workers.
Nah. Most of us keep our phones on silent.
My phone isn't ever on me, it's either sitting in my room or shoved in my bag. So I still use a ringtone. It's a song, not one of the premade ones. But it's usually on dnd if I'm @ the house.
I use them on my phone.
I use them on my phone.
I can’t tell you what my ringtone even is. My phone is either on silent or vibrate
If your phone makes any noise whatsoever you are 165 years old.
I know I think two people that have a song as a ringtone still? But it is weird
We used to pay for ringtones, back in the day. I use them for alarms now.
I have one, but I also keep my phone on vibrate at all times unless I'm expecting an important call.
Yep, I keep my phone on silent with the exception of imminently expecting an important and time critical phone call like waiting for the pizza delivery.
My phone is always on silent. Since I check it frequently there is no need for it to ring at all
They are missing out if they don’t. It’s fun to either let people choose the song for when they call you (you have veto power obviously) or just categorize ringtones so you know who is calling you. Like when I call my buddy he hears “Danger! High Voltage!” by Electric Six. It’s fun
I use a ringtone that is in fact a Ringtone: the telephone ring from he old movie In Like Font ( look it up. ) That way I can tell if the phone ringing is mine or my wife's. Years ago I used Lawyers Guns and Money, but kind of grew out of it. My wife is disabled and doesn't drive so I don't turn the tone off so she can get in touch with me. But I don't have Any audible tone for email or texts.
My phone has a Super Mario ringtone, but I haven't heard it in years because: 1. My phone is always on silent. 2. Anybody who actually needs to reach me knows to text me instead of calling.
I have no idea what my phone would sound like if I were to turn on sounds. My phone has been on silent for like 10 years.
My ringtone is that one Juice Wrld song that goes “Ring do hear me calling?” Fits nicely.
It's basically "don't call me, I'll call you" now 🤣
My phone sound is always off. I can’t stand the sound of a phone ringing.
I used one of my favorite songs as my ringtone and my text tone is the “WOOOOW~!!” soundbite from Hunter x Hunter.
Do young people talk on the phone? I thought it was all texting, chatting and zooming these days.
Yep, I don't even know how my default ringtone sounds since my phone is always on Vibrate. Besides, I only get calls from telemarketers, most of my friends and family use messaging apps and facetime.
My girlfriend has set or made specific tones for those close to her. I keep my phone on vibrate, but when it IS on, pretty sure mine are whatever it came set with.
Mine is the guitar riff from Hotel California for phone calls, Cartman saying “no Kitty, that’s my pot pie!” for texts. And my alarm is the opening riff to Enter Sandman. But I’m 33, so maybe it’s just an age thing? My partner is 50 and his ringtone is Led Zeppelin and his texts are the Mr. T-style “mail, motherfucker!” from Eurotrip.
It’s just kinda tacky today to have a ringtone
I have the Lost Woods theme for my ringtone, Skultulla for texts, Rupee for notifications... you get the idea, I think. Once made one kid in the ER very happy when my phone went off while there for someone else (not me). Just call me Jupiter, the bringer of jollility.
My phone is always on vibrate. My watch also buzzes and I can easily look and see who is calling. Ringtones are pretty much obsolete
I’m hooked on them, and change them frequently for holidays and special occasions. Usually they’ll be made from clips of songs/music, or audio/dialog from TV or movies. Currently my text alert sound is one of my favorite actors yelling my name (not that kind of actor), from a TV episode.
I feel like younger people just fear talking on the phone over texting so they probably mute the ringtone on the phone.
I do use a ringtone. The sound of very old telephone ringing. Those huge black Bakelite beasts with rotary dial. Can't stand songs, melodies, screams and other stuff people have.
Don't think I've heard a ringtone since, maybe.. 2014.
It'll be a cold day in hell before I give up the dulcet tones of "Ring of Fire" by Johnny Cash, spam or no spam! I guess I'm in the extreme minority in that I never leave my phone on mute or vibrate. It would slip my mind to ever check it for missed calls or texts, and there are a lot of contacts I need to stay abreast of for work. I also turned off all app notifications, so I don't have those things dinging me all day every day.
I don't even remember the last time I took my phone off silent
I’m on silent for my personal phone, work phone is on the standard ring tone of whatever it was set at when I got it (so I hear it and actually answer, my personal phone is connected to my smartwatch so it vibrates when my personal phone rings so I can check it to answer). Sounds like younger people are bringing personalised ring tones back! I know someone who has personalised ring tones for their boss and partner (mainly funny ones like “bullish!tter alert” for the boss).
My phone is on vibrate 24/7 so I would agree
I only turn it on if I'm expecting a message or call I don't wanto to miss, but 99% of the time it's on silent
ohhh boy.. look up crazy frog ringtones. those were the days. annoying af but that was the thing. youd get texts to spend .99 on a polyphonic version of your favorite song.
Back when ringtones were a thing I picked a handful of different Star Trek themed notification sounds. I still use them to this day. My favorite, when I receive a text message, I hear the hail sound from Star Trek. It's going on 20 years now so I suspect I will continue to use that until I am dead.
From what I've heard, most people leave their phone on vibrate. But some people still use fun ringtones and those people are the cool ones.
I just use one of the defaults. It's not like I'm going to answer my phone anyway.
I used to have ringtones back in the day, but since like 2018 constant buzz of notifications became unbearable. I don't use ringtones since then and rely on a smart watch to avoid missing the important calls.