Last Updated: Nov. 18, 2014

Assigning a different ringtone to each person in your address book is a great way to know who's calling before you even look at your iPhone's screen. But phone calls aren't the only kind of communication you get on your iPhone that can benefit from this trick. You can do the same thing with text messages (aka SMS messages) by adding unique ringtones to SMS messages, too.

Here's how.

Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: A few seconds
Here's How:

1. Go to the contact you want to change the text message ringtone for. You can do this through the Contacts section of the Phone app or the standalone Contacts address book app, both of which come built into the iPhone.
   
   Once you're in your contact list, find the contact you want and tap it.
   
2. Tap Edit button in the top right corner of the contact.
   
3. Once the Contact is in edit mode, scroll down to the section reading Text Tone. Tap it to change the SMS tone for that contact.
   
4. Select from list of SMS tones. This list includes both the original set of iPhone ringtones and new ones added with each version of the OS. In iOS 5 and up, it also includes any custom ringtones you've added to your phone in the Ringtones section. Tap the tone you want and you'll hear it played. Once you've found the SMS tone you want, tap the Done button in top right corner (in some versions of the iOS, this button is Save instead).
   
5. After changing the SMS tone, you'll be taken back to the contact. Tap the Done button in top right corner to save the change.
   

 

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