But while it is quite simple to download and use the ringtone we want on Android devices, why do we have such a hard time and have to pay a fee to perform this process on iPhones?
Let’s look at why Apple, which prioritizes customer satisfaction, makes things so difficult when it comes to ringtones.
You’re probably pretty bored with this way, which requires a computer, iTunes, and an audio editing application to make the ringtone you want on your iPhone, but is also quite complicated and promising a workaround.
Don’t you think this process is quite tedious? Moreover, to do this on Android, it is quite easy to select the desired MP3 file by going to the settings. So why doesn’t Apple simplify this process on the iPhone and stop bothering its users? The answer, in short, is a kind of cunning.
As a matter of fact, since 2007, Apple has been trying to make money, albeit in small amounts, by selling the ringtones that are intended to be used on the iPhone.
At the time, the ringtone industry was making a profit of about $1 billion a year, and 30-second ringtones cost 99 cents. The situation was even worse for the most widely used telecommunications companies in America.
For example, T-Mobile & Sprint charges $2.5 for access to these ringtones, while Verizon charges $3. Moreover, when you pay these fees, the purchased ringtone was not entirely yours.
In order to have these ringtones that belong to you for 90 days to 1 year and then fly away from your phone, it was necessary to make the same purchases again. In addition, it was not possible to choose the ringtone to be used on your phone between the seconds you want.
And yet, in the same year, Apple brought a completely new sales model, turning the ringtone industry upside down.
iPhone users had to purchase the entire song from iTunes for 99 cents before they could set the ringtone they wanted. Then he had to pay another 99 cents to turn the song into a 30-second ringtone.
Thus, the total cost of a custom ringtone would rise to 1.99 cents. These numbers may sound pretty ridiculous today, but they were a huge improvement over the time and were a great way for Apple to make their users feel special.
In addition, users do not only pay close to 2 dollars for a ringtone; Also, full-length music is included in the price, the start and end points of the ringtone can be adjusted and this sound never fades.
But the music industry has changed a lot in the last 5 years. Users began to not value ringtones as much as they used to. However, Apple did not make special ringtones available for free this time and implemented a new strategy.
When you go to the settings of any iPhone and want to change the ringtone, it is possible to encounter the “Tone Store” option at the top of the page. The moment you tap here, your screen takes you to the iTunes Music Store.
You can browse through the ringtones here and buy them for $1.29 each. After making the purchase, the ringtone automatically appears at the top of the list in the settings.
Thus, Apple aims to make it impossible for you to get free ringtones with the redirect process. The demand for custom ringtones today is not the same as in the past, but there are still those who continue to use it, and Apple is making it as difficult as possible to show you free access to these special ringtones in order to maximize its profits.
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