Apple's iOS 26 update doesn't make custom ringtones any easier, despite personalization being a key selling point for smartphones. While iPhones come with dozens of built-in tones ranging from the piercing "Radar" to subtle chimes, many users still want their favorite songs or sounds for incoming calls. The catch is Apple has never made custom ringtones a smooth experience, and iOS 26 hasn't changed that.

Apple retired iTunes as a desktop app in 2019, leaving many users assuming custom ringtones had disappeared. That assumption is wrong, but the ability is buried behind GarageBand on iPhone or clunky file transfers on Mac. For a company that obsesses over design simplicity, ringtone customization remains the one part of iOS that feels like a relic from the iPod era. Apple sells tones directly through the iTunes Store, which explains why the DIY method hasn't been streamlined.

You can still create custom ringtones in iOS 26, but the process requires GarageBand or a Mac along with some file tinkering. It doesn't cost anything, yet it's far from effortless. Power users who love tinkering will have no problem. Everyone else may find it easier to just buy tones from Apple's store, which is probably the point.