What is the oldest ringtone in the world?

Ringtones have become an integral part of cellular phones, providing a distinct auditory alert for when an incoming call or notification occurs. Though ubiquitous today, ringtones actually have an interesting history spanning over a century. This article will explore the origins of the ringtone, tracing back to the earliest telephone systems in the late 1800s. We’ll look at how ringtones have evolved with changing technology, going from simple monophonic beeps to elaborate polyphonic melodies. A highlight will be identifying the very first ringtone sold commercially, which many consider to be the oldest ringtone in the world still used today. By journeying through the development of the ringtone from the late 19th century until today, we’ll uncover the world’s oldest ringtone that started it all.

Early Telephone Ringtones

Early landline telephones used simple mechanical ringing to alert the user of an incoming call. According to The Fascinating History of MP3 Phone Ringtones, the first telephones invented by Alexander Graham Bell in the late 1800s used bells inside the phone to create a ringing sound. As telephone technology advanced, different electronic ringing circuits were developed to produce more complex tones and melodies for ringtones. By the 1950s and 1960s, landline phones had internal oscillators that could generate combinations of tones to produce distinctive ringing patterns. Phone companies even began offering customers different preset ringtones that they could set for their home phone service.

While early telephone ringtones were very rudimentary electronically-generated tones, they evolved from simple bells into more customizable and complex melodic sounds. The evolution of ringtone technology laid the groundwork for the diverse digital ringtones that would emerge later for mobile phones.

Ringtones in Pop Culture

Ringtones became a pop culture phenomenon in the late 1990s and early 2000s, with popular TV shows, movies, and music all referencing ringtones. Shows like Seinfeld and Friends incorporated ringtones into storylines. For example, in a 1998 episode of Seinfeld, Elaine gets in trouble for not changing her loud and annoying ringtones multiple times while visiting a coma patient (www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3S6uayy6Is).

Ringtones also popped up frequently in movies of that era like Legally Blonde, where Elle Woods has a ringtone of “Perfect Day” by Hoku (www.reddit.com/r/geek/comments/fp3mg/what_are_your_geeky_ringtones_text_alerts_and/). Ringtones became a way of expressing personality and humor through mobile phones.

Digital Ringtones

The shift to digital ringtones began in the 1990s with the rise of mobile phones. Early mobile phones could only make beeping or buzzing sounds for ringtones. But in 1996, Japanese company DDI (now KDDI) released the Digital Mova D319, the first mobile phone that could play simple melodic ringtones thanks to its built-in MIDI chip [1]. These early digital ringtones played monophonic midi tunes and helped spark consumer demand for customizable ringtones.

Polyphonic ringtones then emerged, allowing phones to play melodies and chords with multiple notes at once. This more closely approximated real music compared to monophonic ringtones. In 1998, Finnish company Nokia introduced the first handsets capable of polyphonic ringtones, with the Nokia 2110, 5110, and 6110 models. The Nokia 8210 phone brought polyphonic ringtones to mainstream success in 1999 [2]. With polyphonic synthesis, phone users could personalize their devices with richer-sounding musical ringtones.

The First Ringtone

The first digital ringtone was created by Nokia in 1994. It was released on the Nokia 2010 phone model that year in Finland. This ringtone played the famous Nokia tune that became iconic for the brand. It was a simple monophonic melody produced electronically rather than recorded. The Nokia 2010 allowed users to customize their ringtone for the first time by choosing from a selection of preset options including the Nokia tune (https://www.roundhouse.cc/us/lord-of-the-ringtones-a-brief-history-of-the-ringtone.html).

This represented a major shift from previous telephones that relied on mechanical rings and buzzers. The Nokia 2010 featured an integrated circuit that stored digital ringtone files in its memory. When a call or text came in, the phone would play back the stored melody through a speaker. This allowed much greater customization and musicality compared to older telephone sounds.

The Nokia 2010 ringtone gained immense popularity and established the Nokia tune as a classic ringtone sound. Though incredibly basic by today’s standards, it was revolutionary in 1994 and set the stage for the modern digital mobile ringtones we know today.

Ringtones Go Mainstream

Ringtones became mainstream in the 1990s and 2000s with the release of new mobile phones and technologies that supported custom ringtones. In the early 1990s, simple monophonic ringtones that played only single note melodies became popular on digital mobile phones from companies like Nokia. But it was the development of polyphonic ringtones in 1998 that paved the way for fully customizable and musical ringtones [1].

Polyphonic ringtones used MIDI technology to enable phones to play recognizable melodies and multiple notes at once. This allowed people to set popular songs and melodies as their ringtone rather than the limited built-in options. As polyphonic phones spread in the early 2000s from brands like Panasonic, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, custom ringtones became a booming business and part of pop culture [2]. People eagerly awaited new polyphonic ringtones based on favorite songs and personalization.

Customization Takes Off

Custom ringtones really took off in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 1996, the first mobile phone with customizable monophonic ringtones was released in Japan, the Digital Mova N103 Hyper by NEC (source). This allowed users to create their own simple ringtones by inputting musical notes. However, polyphonic ringtones that allowed multiple notes to play at once started emerging in 1998. These early polyphonic phones could play 5-40 note ringtones.

By the early 2000s, polyphonic ringtones were taking over the market, especially in Europe and Asia. In 2002, polyphonic ringtones made up around half of the global ringtone market. Phones advanced to play richer MIDI format ringtones. Users could purchase and download ringtones from services like Omnitel in Italy and iMelody in Japan. Downloading or creating a custom ringtone was an easy way for people to personalize their phones and express themselves.

The rise of camera phones also fueled customizable ringtones, as people could take photos and edit them to make picture caller ID images. Ringtones and wallpapers became a way of personalizing the whole look and feel of your mobile device. By 2005, custom ringtones had grown into a multi-billion dollar global industry.

Unexpected Hit Ringtones

While many popular ringtones have come from hit songs, there have been some surprising viral ringtones that became sensations seemingly out of nowhere. Here are some examples:

The “Nokia Tune” – This simple sequence of notes was originally called “Gran Vals” and was composed in 1902 by Spanish guitarist Francisco Tárrega. It was first used as the startup sound on Nokia phones in 1994 and quickly became iconic, with many recognizing it as the “Nokia Tune.” It grew into one of the most popular ringtones ever. Source

Crazy Frog – This ringtone featuring an animated frog character cover of “Axel F” was released in 2003 and quickly took off as a huge hit ringtone. It sold millions of downloads across the world. The Crazy Frog became a mainstream pop culture phenomenon. Source

My Humps – The Black Eyed Peas song “My Humps” was released in 2005 and though popular, its ringtone became an even bigger sensation. The distinct opening notes were constantly heard ringing in public. It showed how even just a snippet of a song as a ringtone could become widely embraced. Source

The World’s Oldest Ringtone

The ringtone that is considered to be the oldest in the world still in use today originated from the classic Nokia phones in the 1990s. The simple yet catchy Nokia tune was first introduced in 1994 on the Nokia 2100 series of mobile phones.

The tune itself is based on a 19th century guitar work by Francisco Tárrega called “Gran Vals”. Nokia head of corporate communications Tapio Hedman adapted it as a ringtone for their phones in 1994. It was initially called the “Nokia Tune” and was pre-loaded on all Nokia phones starting with the 2110 model.

The Nokia ringtone quickly became iconic and ubiquitous worldwide in the late 90s as Nokia phones gained massive popularity. The combination of the ringtone’s memorable melody along with Nokia’s position as the top selling mobile phone at the time led to it being heard practically everywhere.

While many associate the tune with Nokia phones specifically, it transcended the brand and is now simply thought of as the default generic ringtone. The original Nokia ringtone continues to be used as the default tone on various phones to this day, making it the oldest ringtone still commonly in use after close to 30 years.

Ringtones Today

In the present day, ringtones are still popular but have declined somewhat from their peak in the early 2000s. According to a 2024 discussion on The Trustme Education Forum, ringtones remain a fun way to customize and personalize one’s mobile device, but the variety and volume of ringtones downloaded is not as high as before.

Some reasons cited for this decline include the rise of smartphone apps and games competing for users’ attention and budgets, the inclusion of free default ringtones with phones, and streaming music services that let users assign full songs as ringtones. Additionally, with more customizable features like wallpapers, notification tones, and case designs, ringtones are no longer the only way to personalize a device.

While no longer at their peak, ringtones still have devoted fans and applications like the Billboard Ringtone charts track the top downloads each week. As mobile devices continue to be an integral part of everyday life, ringtones seem likely to persist as a nostalgic, fun way for users to express their personality through sound.