About the M4r file format
- Name
- MPEG 4 Ringtones Audio
- Extension
- .m4r
- Format
- Binary
- Category
- Audio
- Developer
- Apple Inc.
- Description
- M4R is an iTunes ringtone file that stores mono channel audio. They are identical to the M4A format files only that they are correctly used for ringtones.
- MIME Type
- audio/x-m4r
- Wikipedia
- .m4r on Wikipedia
MPEG 4 Ringtones Audio (M4R) is a file developed by Apple that contains a customized iPhone Ringtone—created by Apple iTunes, a media player found on apple devices. The file can only be generated from songs purchased from the iTunes music store that allows the creation of ringtones. Transfer of these files to iPhones or MacBooks happens automatically when the phone/computer is synced with Apple iTunes.
It is said to be a renamed AAC or m4a-format file that closely resembles the MP3. It, however, differs from MP3 in that data is further compressed into much smaller files using the lossy compression algorithm. It supports auditory masking, allowing data discard with minimal loss of quality. This feature allows its users to enjoy high-quality audios while consuming minimal space in their devices.
The file comprises of numeric representation and texts in the ASCII format that is secured using DRM copyright protection. The M4R file aims to differentiate ringtones from songs in iPhones. The songs or audios in this file can be as long as 40-seconds.
Apple devices i.e., iPhones, iPods, iPads, and MacBook natively open the M4R files as they all have access to iTunes. Windows computers with Apple iTunes for windows can also open the M4R files.