Missing a ringtone after Samsung Smart Switch?

Keep the old phone until you check the sound

Before erasing or trading in the old phone, keep a separate copy of any personal ringtone source you can export. Write down the exact sound name and whether it was a downloaded file, an app sound or a built-in tone. A familiar name in settings is not proof that the underlying audio arrived.

If the sound came from Ringy, keep its share link or full title, including the remix label. Open the matching sound on the new phone and complete its available setup flow. Do not assume private creations or paid access move just because the app icon appears; see purchase restoration for access questions.

Transfer a permitted audio file from Android

These wireless steps follow Samsung’s Android-to-Galaxy instructions. They are not an iPhone-to-Galaxy sequence, and menu wording can vary.

1. Install or open Smart Switch on both phones. Charge them and place them close together.
2. On the old phone, choose Send data → Wireless.
3. On the new Galaxy, choose Receive data → Galaxy/Android → Wireless.
4. Allow the connection on the old phone. On the new phone, select the content that contains your audio and choose Transfer.
5. Wait for completion, then check the copied file on the new phone.

Samsung lists DRM-free music among supported content, including common audio formats such as MP3, WAV and M4A. Data held in private app storage may not be backed up. A streaming service’s offline download is not necessarily a transferable music file.

Select the ringtone again

First check that the local audio plays. Then open Settings → Sounds and vibration → Ringtone. Choose the relevant SIM if shown, use the add control to select your audio, and finish the picker’s confirmation. Follow the Samsung ringtone setup guide for the full file-selection route.

If you use two lines, review each SIM’s sound. If only one caller uses a different tone, check that contact’s assignment rather than repeating the entire phone migration.

The file is missing or cannot play

Return to the original source or your separate copy. Check what Smart Switch offered to transfer and whether the audio was actually included. For an app-private recording, use the source app’s supported export if available; do not assume a transfer tool can extract it. Check file compatibility before renaming or converting anything.

If it was a built-in sound on the old phone, first look through the new phone’s available tones. This guide does not promise that every older system sound can be exported or is included on a newer model.

Test calls before deleting your backup

Select a built-in tone and test an incoming call, then select your custom file and test again. This comparison helps separate a file problem from a wider sound setting problem. If neither rings, use the silent-call checklist. Review text, alarm and app notification sounds separately; a normal phone call does not test those alerts.

These are recommended verification steps. We have not physically migrated your phone or tested its incoming calls. For a replacement iPhone and a purchased Apple tone, use the iTunes tone restoration guide instead.

Related guides

• How to change your Samsung ringtone to a song
• Which audio files work for custom ringtones?
• Restore Ringy purchases without buying again