An anonymous reader cites an article on CBC:
Your smartphone may include an FM radio chip but, chances are, it doesn't work. Now, an online campaign has launched in Canada, putting pressure on telecoms and manufacturers to turn on the radio hidden in many cellphones. Titled, "free radio on my phone," the campaign says that most Android smartphones have a built-in FM receiver which doesn't require data or Wi-Fi to operate. The U.S. arm of the campaign believes iPhones also have a built-in radio chip but that it can't be activated. Apple wouldn't confirm this detail. The radio chip in many Android phones also lies dormant. But the campaign says it can easily be activated -- if telecom providers ask the manufacturers to do it. In Canada, however, most of the telecoms haven't made the move to get the radio turned on. They'd prefer that you stream your audio, depleting your phone's costly data plan, claims campaign organizer, Barry Rooke.
Re:FM radio's last gasp?
By PopeRatzo
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2016-May-17 12:43
• Score: 5, Insightful
• Thread
I wonder how much of this is actual consumer demand for listening to ads and the same songs every hour to avoid data overages vs. FM radio's last desperate gasp to remain relevant
Or maybe it's sports fans that would like to listen to the game. In most cases, local sports teams broadcast their games on the radio, but block those games from being streamed without an expensive subscription, and in some cases provide no way at all to stream the games.
Terrestrial radio is about a lot more than top-40 music. Right here in my neck of the woods, there are classical stations, jazz stations, news, etc.
If I'm paying for an FM radio receiver, I'd like to be able to use that FM radio receiver.
Re:FM radio's last gasp?
By MitchDev
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2016-May-17 13:11
• Score: 4, Insightful
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Don't forget the laws that let multiple stations in the same market to all be bought up by the same one or two radio companies, squelching all variety and competition...
Re: FM radio's last gasp?
By h4ck7h3p14n37
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2016-May-17 13:24
• Score: 5, Insightful
• Thread
They fired Juan Williams because he said he was scared of Muslims on airplanes. The only place a blanket statement like that won't get you fired is Fox News, because that's their business model.
A person's emotions are never wrong. It was despicable for NPR to fire Juan Williams for daring to be honest about how he felt.
Re: FM radio's last gasp?
By h4ck7h3p14n37
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2016-May-17 13:34
• Score: 5, Insightful
• Thread
Are we listening to the same NPR? They have a very strong liberal bias and tend to run one-sided segments.
Lately they've run stories in favor of illegal immigration with their arguments basically being an appeal to emotion. They've been all over the North Carolina "bathroom bill" and how awful and discriminatory it is despite it applying to everyone equally. They've attacked Trump as not fit for office whenever possible and suggested he's trying to incite violence while dismissing any violence caused by the anti-Trump protesters. You can pretty much count on them running a story supporting the liberal cause d'jour along with whatever the Obama White House is doing.
Info on Verizon and Sony FM Chips
By Kainaw
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2016-May-17 14:39
• Score: 3
• Thread
I was just told about this thread - so this may be old. But, I've done a lot of research into Verizon and the Sony Z3V, which has an FM chip.
TLDR: The chip is not disabled. The OS is altered to mute FM output.
I have three Sony Z3V phones. All three have an FM chip. I can check to ensure the FM chip works by using the Sony diagnostics tool. Dial *#*#7378523#*#* and you get a diagnostics menu. Select hardware tests and test the FM chip. If it was disabled, it wouldn't work. It does work. Just type in the frequency to tune to and you get radio. The problem is that this screen will timeout. When it does, the radio goes away. Also, there's no volume adjustment. It is at max volume only.
In the original OS distribution, Verizon simply didn't include an FM app with the phone. You could download one (such as Spirit FM) and listen to the radio. With the 5.1.1 update, the radio stopped working. But, there was a catch. If you used Sony's FM app - which you have to download from a "trusted source" and install as an untrusted third party app - it still worked. You could listen to the radio. Then, there was the second update to 5.1.1. Instead of "disabling" FM, Verizon went another route. They mute the FM audio. So, you can download just about any FM app. You can run it. You can tune it in. You can see that it has a signal. You can see the over-the-air identification text, which is usually the song being played. But, there is no audio.
Now, controversy: Verizon has quoted multiple times that it would cost up to $100/phone to "enable" the FM chip in the phones. The chip is enabled. They are spending effort in muting it. Verizon has also quoted multiple times that an FM tuner interferes with normal phone operations. Before the upgrade to 5.1.1, I listened to the radio on my phone all the time and never had any trouble with any other operations. In my opinion, Verizon simply wants you to use data to listen to music. They don't want you to listen to music for free.