I took my Android phone off silent mode and started using AI ringtones, and I love it

As someone who grew up in the 90s, I can tell you that ringtones were once a major status symbol. It meant you had a cutting-edge phone capable of such witchcraft, after all. Unfortunately, it took less than a decade for custom ringtones to go from impressive to something most people considered tacky. The rise of smartphones and the bombardment of notifications didn’t help custom ringtones any, either.

Even if not as popular as they once were,  ringtones are still a great way to add a little flair to your phone, as long as you don’t go overboard. These days, there are tons of sources for ringtones, from dedicated apps to websites that allow you to download ringtone files. Many phones can even take full tunes you own and automatically cut them into ringtones.

In all honesty, there are almost too many options for ringtones these days. Browsing for the right one has become a bit of a chore as a result. That’s why I decided to turn to AI to see if it could help me find the perfect ringtone match.

Over the last half-decade or so, I stopped using ringtones almost completely, instead relying on silent mode with vibration turned on. I did this for a few reasons. First, I got sick of hearing the noise all the time. Second, I almost always had my phone in my pocket or within arm’s reach.

Over the last year or so, I’ve made a point of leaving my phone behind more often on short trips, and I usually keep it in one room when I’m not using it around the house. While I don’t get tons of important calls, sometimes a client, friend, or family member calls, and I’ll admit that keeping the phone out of reach has resulted in a missed call here and there.

I already have it set up so only contacts I allow (work, friends, family, and some businesses like my doctor’s office) can ring in the first place. My next step was to create custom rings based on categories and for specific preferred contacts. Initially, I browsed for free options and found tons of apps. I used a few generic ones, but none of the ringtones I produced ever really felt like “my own”. I also found searching through all the options was a bit overwhelming.

That’s when I decided to turn to AI to find something that better fit my own energy and personality. While I do think this is a fun way to get customized ringtones, it’s important to remember that AI has its own pitfalls, including the fact that your custom tune almost certainly ends up scraping ideas from real, copyrighted materials, even if the result sounds new and unique.

It’s also important to be aware that the AI methods below are not intended for producing quick ringtones from real full songs. Those hoping to get real songs from major artists will find that an official app or ringtone download is probably the only legal way to do this.

There are tons of apps on Google Play that claim to make custom AI ringtones, and while some do the job, many are ad-riddled, and performance tends to be mixed at best. Then there’s Zedge. This app has been around a long time and is much easier to trust by comparison. Zedge originally centered on wallpapers, but these days you’ll find it has tons of pre-made ringtones as well. Of course, what we really care about here is its AI generation features.

In addition to AI-generated wallpapers, Zedge makes it easy to create custom ringtones. The interface is also easy to use. There’s a prompt box where you can give the AI the keywords or description you’re looking for. There are also easy tabs for genres and other details, such as moods or suggestions, that can help you further refine your prompt.

Unfortunately, Zedge isn’t without some downsides. First, while it’s reasonably secure, any app that allows user submissions can have privacy and security flaws, so that’s worth keeping in mind. The biggest downside is the aggressive ads. You are limited on how many ringtones you can generate, and you’ll have to watch an ad to do it, though you do get one freebie. Even after it finishes generating, you’ll often find it throws a second ad your way.

On the bright side, you can unlock this experience with the ad-free tier, which offers unlimited ringtone creations without needing to watch a video. If you just need short-term access, the app costs only $0.99 for a week pass. There’s also a lifetime option for just $11.99.

As for the quality of what it produces? It’s not bad, by any stretch.

First, I asked it to produce a song in the style of Zelda. I made it clear that I was looking for a unique song with similar energy to the LoZ classics. Here’s what it gave me:

The next thing I tried was making a fun ringtone about how my mom is calling:

I have to admit, this was one of my favorite attempts on Zedge, and it was better than a similar one I produced later with Gemini.

While Zedge is an easy way to jump in, it also limits you to just a few ringtones per day and makes you watch a really long ad that’s hard to navigate out of. Honestly, Gemini is a better choice for most users. While its free tier is probably too limiting, Google’s AI plans start around $5, and you can do a lot more than just make ringtones here.

The only real downside is that there are no easy tabs to help you get started with picking genre, mood, and other aspects. In all honesty, you don’t need them. Just type out a description of what you’re looking for. It might take a try or two, but you’ll likely find the result is as good or better than Zedge could produce.

Where Gemini really shines is in nailing very specific vibes. Just like with Zedge, I asked it to make me a song with “big Zelda-like energy to it, but not actually a real game song, just similar vibes”. Here was the result:

I feel like Gemini handled this one perfectly, and it ended up being my default call for my daughter. This felt much closer to what I was looking for than Zedge’s attempt at a similar ringtone with Zelda vibes.

Still, Gemini isn’t always better. Like with Zedge, I also had it do a custom ringtone for my mom with basically the same prompt. It wasn’t bad, but I think Zedge did a slightly better job.

Ultimately, these are just two ways to make ringtones, and while I recommend them both, I ultimately feel Gemini is the better route for me personally. Still, each one is worth a shot.