In September, just before the 1.1.1 firmware release, getting free ringtones for your iPhone was as easy as crushing a small grape: the simply-titled MakeiPhoneRingtone (it did exactly what it said on the tin) could take any audio file on your computer and convert it into a custom tune.  Then came the dreaded firmware update and a change to iTunes, after which the loophole which the software exploited was closed up.  Now, a firmware change later and another tweak to iTunes, and the project is curiously returned to good-health; seemingly Apple have accidentally opened up the loophole once more, which means MakeiPhoneRingtone is up and running once more.

There are provisos, of course (aren't there always?): your ringtones can only be a maximum of 40.04 seconds in length, because that's the most the Ringtones tab in the iPhone will support.  That means you'll need to edit the track beforehand (as MakeiPhoneRingtone will happily encode whatever you give it, no matter what length) but there are plenty of free options for achieving that.  You're also at the mercy of Apple and their upgrade whims; as has been shown in the past, there's nothing to say that a change in either iTunes or the iPhone (or both) will render the software useless once more.

Until then, download, play and be merry.

[via iPhone Central]