"Your ring tone is really annoying!"

[Venus193]

Despite that I know why cell phones are made to ring for as long as they do I find almost all ringtones annoying.

However, that pales in comparison to a lot of cell phone behavior.

[Waterlight]

Despite that I know why cell phones are made to ring for as long as they do I find almost all ringtones annoying.

However, that pales in comparison to a lot of cell phone behavior.

POD on that second sentence!  (FWIW, my ringtone is Todd Rundgren's "Hello It's Me," but I keep the phone on vibrate most of the time.)  The bad cell phone behavior I've witnessed on the bus is ALONE worthy of its own spin-off topic!

[Mad Goat Woman]

I used to have the Final Fantasy victory music for a text tone alert, and The Man With the Machine Gun from Final Fantasy VIII as my ringtone on my old Nokia e63, but on my iPhone, I've got Inon Zur's Dragon Age: Origins as my ringtone, and a typewriter for text tones.

[Starchasm]

It's a hard line to draw, but I do think it's safe to say that if a lot of people are wincing or complaining about your ringtone then it is probably rude.

I have the Doctor Who theme(#10) for my ringtone, but for a while my boss' number was the Law & Order Theme.  I was at court one day when he called me and I'd forgotten to turn my phone to vibrate (SO EMBARRASSING).   Luckily everyone got a BIG laugh at the sudden addition of an appropriate soundtrack.

My ringtone in general is the Ramones singing I Wanna Be Sedated. My tone for DH is Bon Jovi's It's My Life... and my text tone is GIR saying "do a little dance"....

But I am sure that I mute it at work because the last thing I need for my coworkers to hear is GIR... because GIR is a lot to explain to most people.

Your head is BIIIIIG like a puppy!! 

[Trellia]

I used to have the Final Fantasy victory music for a text tone alert, and The Man With the Machine Gun from Final Fantasy VIII as my ringtone on my old Nokia e63, but on my iPhone, I've got Inon Zur's Dragon Age: Origins as my ringtone, and a typewriter for text tones.

Where can you get the Final Fantasy victory music for your phone? I've wanted it since that scene in 'Advent Children'. (The Man With the Machine Gun is also an excellent ringtone!)

[guihong]

I was waiting for husband at the doctor's office, when the theme from "The Good,The Bad and the Ugly" blared through the waiting area.   Is it wrong to laugh, if it was a urologist's office?

I heard the "Colonel Bogey March" (from Bridge Over The River Kwai) the other day.  If I wanted to pay for ringtones and wasn't so inept with my phone, I'd get something other than the standard tone.

[Sapphire23]

If I wanted to pay for ringtones and wasn't so inept with my phone, I'd get something other than the standard tone.

If you have a smartphone with Android capabilities you can download ringtones for free. There are dozens of free ringtone apps in the Google Play store. I use Zedge. I tried several several apps and I found that Zedge has the best variety and works the best.

[guihong]

If I wanted to pay for ringtones and wasn't so inept with my phone, I'd get something other than the standard tone.

If you have a smartphone with Android capabilities you can download ringtones for free. There are dozens of free ringtone apps in the Google Play store. I use Zedge. I tried several several apps and I found that Zedge has the best variety and works the best.

No Smartphone, I'm afraid .  And when I say inept, I mean, "Oh good, I turned it on!"

[TootsNYC]

This comic (slightly crass language) explains my ring tone:  http://xkcd.com/479/

That's the kind of ringtone I want.  But my carrier doesn't have them in their store, and there's no way to import ringtones you don't buy directly from them.  So I'm stuck with freaking music samplers.  Does my MP3 player ring at you?  No?  Then why should my phone play @#*$&^# music?

I agree!

But everyone around me has that, and it's hard to tell which is mine.

I find it annoying that my phone didn't come with several basic--but different--electronic "rings" or ring patterns. One goes "BEEP BEEP BEEP [pause] BEEP BEEP BEEP" and another goes "beepbeep [pause] beepbeep [pause]" and another one goes "BEEP beep [pause]" and a fourth one goes "beep beep BEEP" etc.

[Venus193]

Mine came with a variety of musical ringtones.  I typically pick a jazz-oriented one.   If my cell rings in public I answer it right away so it doesn't annoy people around me.

[Piratelvr1121]

I love zedge and have that app on my phone as well!

[oogyda]

I can't imagine telling anyone to change their ringtone, but for a friend or coworker I might ask them to turn the volume down or put it on vibrate if it keeps going and they aren't available/willing to answer it.

The best ringtone I heard was in a diner -- someone had the Old Spice whistle. Awesome.

The Old Spice Whistle is my text alert. It's nice to know someone else would appreciate it. I use it because it's catchy, I'm old enough to remember it and my Dad wore Old Spice.

[lowspark]

If I wanted to pay for ringtones and wasn't so inept with my phone, I'd get something other than the standard tone.

If you have a smartphone with Android capabilities you can download ringtones for free. There are dozens of free ringtone apps in the Google Play store. I use Zedge. I tried several several apps and I found that Zedge has the best variety and works the best.

Using a smartphone, you can also just use any recorded music as your ringtone. It doesn't have to be something actually designated as a "ring tone". That's why my "The Good, the Bad and The Ugly" ring sounded identical to the actual music playing in my music mix that day.

[jedikaiti]

If I wanted to pay for ringtones and wasn't so inept with my phone, I'd get something other than the standard tone.

If you have a smartphone with Android capabilities you can download ringtones for free. There are dozens of free ringtone apps in the Google Play store. I use Zedge. I tried several several apps and I found that Zedge has the best variety and works the best.

Using a smartphone, you can also just use any recorded music as your ringtone. It doesn't have to be something actually designated as a "ring tone". That's why my "The Good, the Bad and The Ugly" ring sounded identical to the actual music playing in my music mix that day.

Yes, although my music files are usually too big to use intact. But there are some very good, free music file editors out there, so I can just cut out a chunk of music I like and save that as a MP3 ringtone. Handy!

[magicdomino]

Despite that I know why cell phones are made to ring for as long as they do I find almost all ringtones annoying.

However, that pales in comparison to a lot of cell phone behavior.

Everyone's ring tones are annoying except for mine.  But I can deal with it.   

Actually, I don't remember what my phone call or test ringtones are.  The cell phone was issued by my office, we're not allowed to download ringtones, and the choices with this partcular phone are boring.  The email ringtone is three peals on a bell, which is okay.  I prefered my old phone which had a Chinese gong for a email ringtone.

Back when I had a personal cell phone, I had the voice yelling "Pick up the phone, pick up the phone."  I get so few telephone calls that having  someone tell me what to do seemed like a good idea.