Did you know that if you own a smartphone, you are also carrying an FM radio in your pocket?
Every smartphone manufactured today contains an FM chip, but unlike in Europe, most in the U.S. are not activated. Increasingly, the device that people use for connecting to the world is their smartphone. For that reason, NPR and APM are working with our friends in commercial radio and religious broadcasting to urge the major cell phone service providers to activate the FM chip that is already in all the mobile phones they sell.
Here are the benefits:
- Free access to FM radio on your smartphone
- Compared to broadband streaming, FM access reduces battery consumption by 66%
- FM radio access does not count against your data plan and usage
- When cell service is poor or unavailable, you can still get access to critical news, weather, and emergency information
In case you haven’t guessed already your smartphone probably has an FM radio receiver built right into it. You just need to activate it, and you’ll then have an FM tuner on your phone.
In this article, we explain how to listen to the radio on your phone by unlocking the hidden FM tuner.
So if you don’t want to check NextRadio’s list, download the app to see if your phone is compatible. If it can’t find a supported chip, the download wasn’t a total waste. As an alternative, you can explore how to transmit to radio from your phone.
If the app detects an activated FM chip, the next thing you’ll need is an antenna. This is easier than it sounds. Practically anything that plugs into your device and has a wire will work. That means you can use your headphones, wired earbuds, or a wired speaker.
How to Unlock the FM Tuner
If you have a supported device and carrier, accessing your device’s FM radio isn’t difficult. You only need two things: an app called NextRadio and wired headphones, wired earbuds, or a speaker to act as an antenna. NextRadio previously kept a list of supported devices and carriers; you’ll need to check via the app now.
- When you first start using the app, follow these instructions to access the basic FM tuner for local stations:
- When prompted to allow access to your location, choose Deny.
- If prompted again, select Denyonce again.
- When asked to find your local radio station, choose Other for your location.
- Click OK to access the basic tuner.
If you don’t do this correctly the first time, you can tap the hamburger menu (≡) in the top-left, choose Settings, and then Refresh Station List to change your location. As another alternative, you can uninstall NextRadio to begin the process again.
These are all leftovers from when the app supported streaming and had limited data usage. The search function doesn’t properly work either, so just put all your attention onto the basic FM tuner initially. You can still list favorite stations, so you can create an FM radio playlist over time.
So if you don’t want to check NextRadio’s list, download the app to see if your phone is compatible. If it can’t find a supported chip, the download wasn’t a total waste. As an alternative, you can explore how to transmit to radio from your phone.
If the app detects an activated FM chip, the next thing you’ll need is an antenna. This is easier than it sounds. Practically anything that plugs into your device and has a wire will work. That means you can use your headphones, wired earbuds, or a wired speaker.
Unlock the FM Radio on Your Smartphone
Now that you know how to activate and listen to the radio on your phone, consider these lasting benefits. During an emergency, you have an extra way to stay informed. And for general use, there’s always a way to save battery life and data while using your phone.
If you want to listen to the radio on your phone, it’s a simple unlock for most. Just make sure you keep an antenna on hand.
Tips for How to Use Your FM Chip.
Use these two tips for your radio-actuated device.
- Keep Your Phone Charged Before Implicit Extremities: If you suspect an exigency situation could do soon, make sure to completely charge your phone. This way you can use it as an exigency radio indeed if the power goes out. Pay attention to severe rainfall warnings, and keep a mobile bowl on hand if you are out and about.
- Use the Radio to Save Your Battery Whether you are in an exigency situation or are just using your phone casually, battery life is important. However, use the radio to hear to music rather of streaming it, If you want your battery to last longer. Tapping into FM signals requires lower energy than using an internet connection and can prove inestimable in an exigency.
Although you might not indeed realize you enjoy a radio, there is presumably one in your fund the utmost of the time. You just can not use it unless you download the right app. Or, in some cases, unless your phone’s manufacturer or your wireless carrier activates the FM chip in your device.
Some companies have now started to spark the radio receivers in their bias. Still, it may still be a while before actuated radio receivers come the standard for smartphones around the world. Also, those that do not have supported bias should check out these reasons you may want a ham radio at home.
For those that do have supported bias, it’s your lucky day. You just discovered a redundant point that makes your phone just a little further fun and useful.
- Download and install NextRadio from the Google Play Store.
- Open the NextRadio app. Connect a brace of wired headphones to act as an antenna.
- Swipe left and Tap I am Ready.
Tap Original FM Radio or Original Stream and tap a radio station.
- Open the Google Play Store Image namedAndroidgoogleplay.png app. It’s the app that has an icon of various’ Play’triangle.
- Type NextRadio in the hunt bar. The hunt bar the top of the Google Play Store. When you class commodity in the hunt bar, a list of matching apps displays below the hunt bar.
- Tap NextRadio Free Live FM Radio. It’s the app that has an icon that resembles a blue radio. This displays the NextRadio word runner.
- Tap Install. It’s the green button below the banner at the top of the word runner. This installs the app. Image Named Spark an FM Chip on Android.
- Open NextRadio. You can open NextRadio by tapping” Open” in the Google Play Store, or you can tap the icon with a blue radio on your home screen or Apps drawer. However, a communication display that says”Lucky You! Your device is FM enabled so you can enjoy live, original FM radio” If your Android device is able of entering an FM radio signal.
- Plug in a brace of wired headphones and swipe left. The line in the headphones acts as an antenna. When you have a brace of wired headphones connected, swipe left on the screen to display the coming slide.
- Still, valve Allow, If a pop-up display asks you to allow NextRadio to pierce this device’s position.
- Tap Original FM Radio or Original Aqueducts. These options are below the banner at the top of the screen. This displays original radio stations.
- Tap a radio station. When you find a radio station you want to hear, valve it to start playing the radio station through your headphones. It may take a moment hit for the radio station to load.
Conclusion
In this post, we have told you in detail about How to Unlock the FM Radio Hidden on Your Smartphone, as well as some FM radio tips, with the help of which you will be able to play the radio on your smartphone. Hope you liked the radio post. If you like this post, then you can tell us by commenting below.
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