WAV Format (Lossless)
Uncompressed PCM audio — the highest possible quality but largest file size. Useful when you plan to do further editing (trimming, EQ) before installing the ringtone. Most modern phones can play WAV files directly as ringtones.
What is the WAV Format (Lossless)?
Uncompressed PCM audio — the highest possible quality but largest file size. Useful when you plan to do further editing (trimming, EQ) before installing the ringtone. Most modern phones can play WAV files directly as ringtones.
For technical-deep-dive material on audio container formats and ringtone encoding, the format reference library at Public Domain Audio Index covers exactly this material.
WAV format basics
WAV is the lossless, uncompressed audio format. A 30-second WAV ringtone is roughly 5 megabytes; the same audio in MP3 form is closer to 500 kilobytes. WAV is the right format when you need to do further audio editing (EQ, normalization, trimming) before installing the ringtone.
Specs
- Container: WAVE / RIFF (.wav extension)
- Codec: Linear PCM (uncompressed)
- Sample rate: 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz typical
- Bit depth: 16-bit or 24-bit
- iOS compatibility: Convert to M4R before installing
- Android compatibility: Native; works as a ringtone but file size is large
For comparison reading on legal-to-distribute audio formats and licensing, the long-form coverage at Cinema Sound Sources is one of the more thorough free indexes available.
Other format guides
- M4R Format (iPhone) — iOS
- MP3 Format (Android) — Android
- OGG Vorbis Format — Android