How to Access Free Local Broadcasts with Your Smartphone’s Hidden FM Receiver Feature

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This article explains how to listen to FM radio on your mobile device without a working cellular data connection or Wi-Fi . The information below should apply to any Android device.

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How to Listen to FM Radio Without Data in NextRadio

NextRadio is an ad-supported radio app that you can download from the Google Play store . It has similar functionality to other radio apps that stream radio stations over the internet. It’s also capable of tapping into your phone’s FM radio receiver chip.

If you have an active data connection, you can listen to streaming radio stations or local FM broadcasts. When you lose your data connection, activate the FM only mode.

To activate the FM only mode in NextRadio:

1. Launch theNextRadio app .
2. Tap the☰ (three horizontal lines) menu icon.
3. TapSettings .
4. TapFM only mode so that the toggle switch moves to the right.
   If your phone does not have an enabled FM chip, theFM only mode option isn’t available.
   

With FM only mode activated, NextRadio defaults to the built-in FM receiver chip instead of streaming local stations over the internet. If your local data service goes down or you lose cell service, you’ll still be able to listen to any FM station that’s in range.

Lifewire / Elise Degarmo

How to Listen to Local FM Radio Stations in NextRadio

After you activate FM only mode in the NextRadio app, you’re ready to listen to local FM radio on your phone without using your data plan. To accomplish this, you’ll need wired headphones or earbuds. Wireless headphones won’t work because the phone needs to use the wires as an antenna.

To listen to local radio with the NextRadio app:

1. Plug in your headphones or earbuds.
2. Launch theNextRadio app .
3. Tap the☰ (three horizontal lines) menu icon.
4. TapLocal FM Radio .
5. Tap the station you want to listen to.
   

If you have an active data connection and the station supports it, NextRadio displays a logo for the station and information about the song or program that you’re listening to. Otherwise, you’ll have to identify the station you’re looking for by its call letters.

How to Use the Basic Tuner in NextRadio

NextRadio also includes a basic tuner function that works like any other FM radio. Instead of looking for a station in a list of local stations, this function presents you with a tuner that you can use to search for local stations. Either go to the station you want or use the seek function to see what’s available.

To use the basic tuner in NextRadio without an internet connection:

1. Plug in your headphones or earbuds.
2. Launch theNextRadio app .
3. Tap the☰ (three horizontal lines) menu icon.
4. TapBasic Tuner .
5. Use the interface to search for stations:
   • Tap the- and**+** buttons to adjust the frequency.
   • Tap theback andforward buttons to use the seek functionality. When you tune into an active station, it plays automatically.
     
6. Tap thestop button to stop listening.

Are FM Radios Built Into Smartphones?

FM radio isn’t a feature that any smartphone manufacturer intentionally builds into their phones. It’s a byproduct of some of the chips manufacturers use, which have built-in FM receivers in addition to the features that the smartphone manufacturers are interested in.

Which Phones Have FM Radio Receivers?

Smartphone manufacturers often disable built-in FM radio receivers. In some cases, carriers have requested the feature be disabled, possibly to encourage the use of data-hungry radio apps or to avoid consumer complaints about poor radio reception.

While the FM chips for many phones are turned off, this feature is available on many handsets. Manufacturers, including HTC, LG, Motorola, and Samsung, offer a handful of phones with working FM chips. Every major cellular provider in the United States is compatible with at least one FM-enabled phone.

The major exception is Apple, as there are no iPhones with activated FM chips. While the iPhone 6 and older models included FM chips, Apple says there is no way to connect an antenna to the chip.

Can You Listen to FM Radio on an iPhone?

The only way to listen to FM radio on an iPhone is with a radio app, and radio apps only work when you have a decent data connection. That means you can’t rely on your iPhone for FM radio during emergencies.

The FCC urged Apple to enable the FM chips in their phones in 2017 , but Apple responded with a claim that their latest phones don’t have FM chips. Even if they did have FM chips, they didn’t have headphone jacks. FM chips typically aren’t capable of receiving signals without headphone wires to act as an antenna.

While iPhone owners can listen to FM radio with radio apps for iOS , you can’t count on the local cellular and data networks remaining up during a disaster. Radio apps are great for regular entertainment use, but if you need to access crucial information during a disaster like a hurricane, invest in a battery-powered or emergency radio.

What You Need to Enable the FM Radio Tuner in Your Phone

You’ll need a few things to listen to FM radio on your phone without a data connection:

• A phone with a built-in FM radio chip : Your phone needs FM radio capability, and that capability needs to be switched on. This requires the manufacturer to activate the functionality, and the carrier to accept the feature.
• Wired earbuds or headphones : FM radio only works with an antenna. When you listen to an FM radio broadcast on your phone, it uses the wires in your earbuds or headphones as the antenna.
• An FM radio app : Even if your phone has an FM radio chip, you need an app that’s capable of accessing the chip, such as NextRadio.

FAQ

• What is ANT radio on Android?
  ANT and ANT+ apps are, basically, functions that allow your Android phone to connect to fitness devices like various monitors and pedometers. But unlike other smartphone functions that are worked into Settings, ANT radio services appear as a separate app.
• How do I check to see if my phone has a functioning FM receiver?
  The easiest way to verify whether or not your phone has a working FM receiver built into it is to download the NextRadio app, then let the app tell you if it’s compatible.
• What do I do when my Android phone shows “radio off” and can’t find a connection?
  If your phone starts to act like it’s in airplane mode (i.e., no connections are working) even when it’s not and displays “radio off,” shut your phone down and remove the battery, wait a few minutes, then put the battery back in and turn it back on. The battery removal process will differ depending on the make and model of your phone. If you can’t easily remove your phone’s battery due to its design, let it run down to zero and shut itself down, then wait a few minutes before you begin recharging it and turn it back on.

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