Ringtone Format Comparison
A side-by-side view of the 4 ringtone audio formats described in the Ringtone Barn format guides. Every cell below is the “Specs” value already published on that format's own guide page in this archive; this table only rearranges those values into one comparison so you can read across formats at a glance.
4 formats compared · 8 spec rows.
| Spec | M4R Format (iPhone) | MP3 Format (Android) | OGG Vorbis Format | WAV Format (Lossless) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Container | MPEG-4 (.m4r extension) | MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3 (.mp3 extension) | Ogg (.ogg extension) | WAVE / RIFF (.wav extension) |
| Codec | AAC-LC, typically at 128–256 kbps | MP3 at any common bitrate (128, 192, 256, 320 kbps) | Vorbis (open source, no licensing fees) | Linear PCM (uncompressed) |
| Sample rate | 44.1 kHz | 44.1 kHz typical | 44.1 kHz typical | 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz typical |
| Maximum length | 30 seconds (enforced by iOS) | No hard cap — Android will truncate or loop as needed | — | — |
| Channels | Mono or stereo (most ringtones are stereo) | Mono or stereo | — | — |
| iOS compatibility | — | — | Limited — convert to M4R before installation | Convert to M4R before installing |
| Android compatibility | — | — | Native, drops directly into Ringtones folder | Native; works as a ringtone but file size is large |
| Bit depth | — | — | — | 16-bit or 24-bit |
Where these values come from
Each column is one of the archive's existing format guides, and each row is a spec label that appears on those guides' own “Specs” lists. A dash means that guide does not state a value for that label. The guides themselves carry the description and production notes; follow the column heading to read the full page.