Filed under: Analysis / Opinion, Bugs/Recalls, iTunes, Apple, iPhone
Apple: Nine ringtones is too much
Now this is just getting silly. Apparently there is a bug with the iPhone where if you try to automatically sync more than eight ringtones up, only the first eight will sync. Nine, according to Apple, is too many ringtones to automatically sync up at one time. To get more than nine on, you've got to select the actual ringtones in iTunes, and set the iPhone to manually sync "selected ringtones."We can't see how there's any feasible reason for that-- except that somehow, in Apple's contracts with AT&T or the record companies, it was specified that only eight ringtones can be synched at any one time. Loony. Either that, or this a just plain passive-aggressive swipe at the folks actually trying to get ringtones past Apple on the iPhone.
At any rate, slow down on the ringtone syncing, there, buddy. Nine is way too many.


![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)


Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
ars_workerbee said 8:07AM on 10-09-2007
oh come off it, its a bug, plain and simple. if they didn't want to allow you to sync more than 8, you wouldn't be able to sync more than 8. sheesh, take off your tinfoil hat and be sensible about this.
Reply
kms007 said 8:08AM on 10-09-2007
The world doesn't need any more ring-tones.
Reply
Aaron Davies said 8:32AM on 10-09-2007
Shirley you mean "eight is enough". :-)
Reply
Ben said 8:40AM on 10-09-2007
I agree with the first comment, this "Apple is trying to screw us" paranoia is getting way OTT.
Try and get a sense of perspective here guys.
Reply
matthew said 8:49AM on 10-09-2007
Yeah, this is getting ridiculous. I don't know about everyone else, but I'm sort of tired of every posting turning into "Apple is out to get us".
TUAW started the iPhone-free feed. Can we get a new tinfoil hat-free feed?
Reply
Mark said 8:53AM on 10-09-2007
Umm - not true. I have nine ringtones purchased from iTunes all synced to my phone and all being used.
Reply
Scott said 8:57AM on 10-09-2007
I agree with Matthew (#5). The tone of too many TUAW posts in the last few weeks has been SO negative about Apple, you'd think you guys were talking about Microsoft. Just because there's a tiny group of hackers who want to break their contract with Apple and do things with the iPhone that they agreed not to do when they purchased it, EVERY Apple decision is now "the evil empire" out to destroy and defeat its customers. Show some perspective, will you? Or the only readers this blog will have left are the ones out to break their iPhones. The rest of us will go elsewhere.
Reply
Scott said 9:02AM on 10-09-2007
Why so quick to assume that this was done on purpose and talk about contracts, etc. You think maybe this could just be a bug?
Reply
David Schloss said 9:03AM on 10-09-2007
I've discovered a bug in iPhoto where if you try to bring images from Aperture into iPhoto it imports them in the order of the original file name, even if you renamed them.
Or IS It a bug? Maybe Apple wants me to stick with the naming scheme of my camera. Are they somehow in cahoots with Canon to make sure that people use Canon's proprietary naming sequence? Does Apple not want people to utilize their own order?
Drop it already guys.
Reply
mentalsticks said 9:06AM on 10-09-2007
While I do agree that there is a lot of negativity on this blog, I do have to agree that apple has made a lot of bad calls lately. So some criticism is most certainly in order. However, this does sound like a bug, plain and simple.
Oh yes, and the last post about Leopard is eight days old. What's up with that? Surely there's something to report, or at least speculate of hope?
Reply
Zisho said 9:25AM on 10-09-2007
How about some actually useful news?! Remote Buddy 1.7 has just appeared today and boy does it rock on the iPod Touch! http://www.iospirit.com/
Reply
David Chartier said 9:30AM on 10-09-2007
While I don't necessarily want to bang the "too much negativity" drum just yet, I would agree that it seems a little disingenuous to title the post "Apple says nine ringtones is too much" but then point out that this is nothing more than a bug.
Reply
James Thadmen said 9:49AM on 10-09-2007
I have 12 purchased ringtones and they all sync just fine. I'm not saying you're wrong, you're just not right.
Reply
Electroboy said 9:51AM on 10-09-2007
Apple ARE out to get us. You guys aren't paranoid enough.
Reply
Michael C. Sherrin said 10:09AM on 10-09-2007
Yes, because spending more money on ringstones would be a bad thing. I know record companies hate when people spend money on their music (especially a second time for the ringtone). Idiots.
*******
Michael C. Sherrin
http://www.prodigeek.com/
Reply
UpTown said 10:13AM on 10-09-2007
Another voice to cut the "crack the iPhone ... isn't apple horrible ... how could they do this to us?" stuff. TUAW used to talk about all Apple products, used to help people understand what was going on with Apple, used to actually enjoy Macs and such.
FYI, I just bought a 24" iMac after owning a MacBook for about a year. Every day these products delight me. I just found out about Magic Band in Garage Band; what a cool idea, just for fun.
How about bringing back into this blog some of the joy, surprise, and pleasure people feel about their iPods, Macs, and even phones?
Reply
Big John said 10:42AM on 10-09-2007
"Nine, according to Apple, is too many ringtones to automatically sync up at one time."
Please point me to the source of this statement. You say "according to Apple" like a source from Apple told you as much.
Seriously, lay off it. TUAW is becoming TUAAW ... The Unofficial Anti-Apple Weblog.
Reply
Dave said 10:48AM on 10-09-2007
Err... #17, did you read TFA or click any of the links? It takes you directly to an Apple web page that says more than eight ring tones may not sync on the iPhone.
I hope this helps you with who the source of the statement is. :)
Reply
Tucker said 10:57AM on 10-09-2007
From docs.apple.com:
"When syncing ringtones created in iTunes, if more than eight ringtones are available, only the first eight ringtones listed will sync to the iPhone."
I guess TUAW needs to hold readers' hands, apparently clicking on the link to the article they're posting about is just too difficult.
Reply
Bob said 11:04AM on 10-09-2007
ringtones are stupid anyway.
Reply