All smartphones are made with FM Chips inside of them but not all of the chips are activated. Cell companies would prefer consumers to use their data plans while listening to the online streams of radio stations rather than to listen to the FM Chip which acts like the old “Walkman” that uses no data; thus the cellular company makes no money.
9TO5Mac.com recently discussed some of the steps to activating more FM Chips in this recent article:
A new report from CBC News details the progress being made to unlock the FM radio chip that many smartphones feature. Many smartphones have an untapped FM chip inside them that users are unable to take advantage of and while many Android devices are confirmed to have the chip, the iPhone also has despite Apple not officially recognizing it.
A petition has been running in the United States to urge carriers and manufacturers to unlock the hidden FM chip in smartphones. The campaign has gained significant steam since its inception, so much so that carriers are starting to agree to unlock the chip…but Apple has yet to comment.
In the United States, Sprint, AT&T, Blu, and T-Mobile have all agreed to activate the chip in Android smartphones. Sprint says the capability is available now on current Android devices, while AT&T, Blu, and T-Mobile all say it is coming soon.
Following the success of the United States campaign, a petition titled “free radio on my phone” has now launched in Canada, as well, with users hoping to urge Canadian carriers to follow in the footsteps of United States carriers and activate the chip.
The National Association of Broadcasters first called on Apple to unlock the iPhone’s FM chip a little over the year, noting that FM radio has a handful of benefits over streamed radio. FEMA also called for Apple to switch on the FM radio, citing its usable in emergency situations.
For the full article, please click http://9to5mac.com/2016/05/16/fm-radio-smartphones/
