Ringtone Basics

What are ringtones and how do they work?

In the simplest of terms, ringtones alert the phone owner that they have an incoming call.

They are actually programmed through a language developed by Nokia called Ringing Tone Text Transfer Language (RTTTL) format.

Different mobile phones use different systems, but most are delivered directly to your phone as part of an SMS system.

What is the History of Ringtones?

Some of the first ringtones were downloaded in 1997 through a system called Smart Messaging developed by Nokia.

The New Yorker recently featured an interesting piece on the history of ringtones, an interesting read for any mobile phone owner. Our favourite quote from the article has got to be this one:

"I spent three days of productive work time listening to polyphonic ringtone versions of speed metal, trying to find exactly the ringtone that expressed my personality with enough irony and enough coolness that I could live with it going off ten times a day. In a quiet room, in a meeting, this phone's gonna go off-- what are they going to hear?"

We completely understand.