iPhone: Purchased ringtones removed from iPhone when synced back to iTunes 8.2.x

Symptoms

With iPhone OS 3.1 or later, you can now purchase ringtones from iTunes Store directly on your phone. If you are using iTunes 8.2.x on your computer, your purchased ringtones on your iPhone may be removed from the device after syncing them with your computer.

Products Affected

iPhone, iTunes

Resolution

To resolve this issue:

1. Update to the latest version of iTunes prior to syncing your purchased ringtones from the device.

or

2. If you plan to use iTunes version 8.2.x and not upgrade to the latest version, after having synced your purchased ringtones to iTunes, play your ringtones in iTunes on the computer and then sync them with your iPhone again. The purchased ringtones will reappear on your iPhone once played in iTunes on the computer and then synced to the device.

Related posts:

1. One ringtone appears multiple times on iPhone
2. Apple TV may not play content purchased from the iTunes Store
3. How to create and buy a ringtone for your iPhone (U.S. iTunes Store)
4. iPhone: Ringtones
5. iPhone Purchased Ringtones FAQ