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Need help?AV1 to M4R: Where the Sound Actually Lives
AV1 is the royalty-free video codec from the Alliance for Open Media, whose bitstream specification was released in 2018. Like any video codec it defines only pictures; audio is always carried separately, inside a container such as WebM, MKV or MP4. That decides whether you can make a ringtone at all. A file named .av1, .obu or .ivf is normally a raw AV1 video stream, the kind encoders and stream-dumping tools write, and it has no audio track. If yours is one of those, there is nothing to make a ringtone from, and the fix is to go back to the WebM, MKV or MP4 the video came from.
When the AV1 video does come with sound, the conversion is straightforward. This page accepts .webm, .mkv and .mp4 as well as .av1, and a .av1 made by XConvert's own AV1 converters is really a Matroska file that keeps the source audio, so it works too. The converter decodes the audio track, usually Opus in WebM and MKV or AAC in MP4, re-encodes it to AAC and writes an .m4r: AAC audio in an MPEG-4 container with the extension iOS uses for custom ringtones. The video is dropped, and Trim keeps the clip to 30 seconds or less, the length Apple gives for ringtones.
How to Convert AV1 to M4R
- Upload Your AV1 Video: Drag the
.webm,.mkv,.mp4or.av1onto the page, or click "Add Files". Batch upload works, on a computer or in a mobile browser. - Choose the Clip with Trim: In Advanced Options, switch Trim on and enter a Start time and a Duration of 30 seconds or less, in seconds or
HH:MM:SS.sss. - Set the AAC Bitrate (Optional): Audio Codec is AAC, the only codec for M4R. Under File Compression choose Constant Bitrate (8-384 kbps), Variable Bitrate, Custom Bitrate or a target file size.
- Convert and Download: Click Convert and save the
.m4r, free with no sign-up or watermark. Copy it to your iPhone and pick it in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone.
AV1 File Types and Whether They Have Audio
| Extension | What it is | Audio track? | Ringtone? |
|---|---|---|---|
.av1, .obu |
Raw AV1 video stream (Open Bitstream Units) | No | No, find the original container |
.ivf |
Simple video-only wrapper used by AV1 and VP8/VP9 tools | No | No |
.av1 from XConvert's AV1 converters |
Matroska container with video and the source audio | Yes | Yes |
.webm |
WebM container, AV1 or VP9 video | Yes, usually Opus | Yes |
.mkv |
Matroska container | Yes, often Opus, AAC or AC-3 | Yes |
.mp4 |
MPEG-4 container | Yes, usually AAC | Yes |
MediaInfo, ffprobe or VLC's Tools > Codec Information show which streams a file contains. If you see only a video stream, there is no sound to work with.
Note that a raw .av1 video is not the same as an AVIF image. AVIF stores AV1-coded still images in an image container; it has no audio either, and it is not something this page converts.
AV1 Video vs M4R
| Property | AV1 source | M4R (output) |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A video codec, in a raw stream or a container | An audio file: MPEG-4 with major brand M4A |
| Video | AV1 | None, the video is dropped |
| Audio | Only in a container: usually Opus (WebM, MKV) or AAC (MP4) | AAC-LC |
| Typical source | Web video, screen recordings, modern encodes | iPhone ringtones and text tones |
| Length | Anything | 30 seconds or less, per Apple |
| Works as an iPhone ringtone | No | Yes |
Picking a Bitrate for the Source Audio
The audio in an AV1 video is already lossy, so the aim is to keep the second encode inaudible rather than to chase the biggest number. Size in kilobytes is bitrate in kbps times seconds, divided by 8:
| Source audio | Constant Bitrate to pick | 30-second M4R |
|---|---|---|
| Speech in a screen recording or call | 64-96 kbps, Mono | about 240-360 KB |
| Opus music in WebM or MKV | 160-192 kbps | about 600-720 KB |
| AAC in MP4 at about 128 kbps | 128-160 kbps | about 480-600 KB |
| Higher-rate AAC or Opus | 192-256 kbps | about 720-960 KB |
Variable Bitrate offers five AAC bands from 20k-32k up to 96k-112k if you prefer a quality target; the labels are nominal, so the final size depends on the material. Opus decodes at 48 kHz, and leaving Audio Sample Rate on Original is fine.
Putting the Tone on Your iPhone
Connect the iPhone to a Mac with macOS Catalina or later, select it in the Finder sidebar and drag the .m4r onto it, or use iTunes on Windows; the tone then usually appears in Settings > Sounds & Haptics > Ringtone. Without a computer, save it to Files, import it into GarageBand on the iPhone and use Share > Ringtone, as Apple describes in Create a custom ringtone on your iPhone. Per-contact tones live under Contacts > the person > Edit > Ringtone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I make a ringtone from my .av1 file?
Because a raw .av1 stream holds AV1 video and nothing else; the AV1 specification does not define audio. With no audio track there is nothing to turn into a ringtone. Convert the WebM, MKV or MP4 the video came from instead, here or on WebM to M4R and MKV to M4R.
Can I upload the WebM, MKV or MP4 version here?
Yes. This page accepts .webm, .mkv and .mp4 alongside .av1, and those containers carry the audio. For MP4 files there is also MP4 to M4R.
Will converting Opus audio to AAC lower the quality?
Slightly, in principle, since one lossy codec feeds another. For a 30-second tone on a phone speaker, choosing an AAC bitrate a step above the source makes the difference inaudible. The iPhone does not use Opus for ringtones, so the re-encode is necessary.
Is an .av1 file the same as an AVIF image?
No. AVIF is a still-image format that stores AV1-coded pictures in an image container. A .av1 file is a video stream. Neither one carries audio on its own.
How long can an iPhone ringtone be?
Apple says ringtones can be up to 30 seconds long, and its GarageBand for iPhone guide gives 30 seconds as the maximum for exported ringtones. A 40-second figure from the iTunes era is still repeated, but it is not in Apple's current documentation; keep Duration at 30 seconds or less.
What should Android users choose?
Android does not need M4R; its ringtones are usually MP3 or OGG files. Use AV1 to MP3 with the same Trim settings.
What happens to my files?
They are uploaded over an encrypted TLS connection, converted on our servers and deleted automatically after a few hours, along with the M4R. There is no sign-up and no watermark, and nothing is shared or made public.