Apple Faces Renewed Pressure to Enable FM Radio Chip in iPhones Amid Strong Hurricane Season [Updated]

[simonmet]

If it's like the FM chip on the Android phones, it's analog FM only. As a broadcaster I would love to see it support HD Radio, but I don't think that will happen due to licensing requirements (which is a different rant altogether that doesn't pertain to this forum)

No it’s not that. Australia has had some form of digital radio broadcasting for years, but I think uptake is slow. See:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_radio_in_Australia

I use my mobile data for radio but I’d certainly prefer to save data and access equivalent quality digital radio for free if it was an option.

 

[840quadra]

Ironically, Apple no longer sells the Nano, so it isn't technically a selling point anymore.

I am aware of that. My comment was related to it being a selling point for that device, and that they created a nice UI / application for FM tuning.

It wasn’t perfect, and required a wired antenna (in the form of headphones), so it would have limited use in a phone situation with everything going wireless and no headphone jack.

 

[4254126]

They should also enable a DAB/DAB+ chip... I'm not interested in the music channels, but listening to news etc. on a terrestrial signal would be great.

 

[Mascots]

I agree. The iPhone with FM radio enabled would be an extremely poor substitute for a dedicated battery operated radio in emergency situations like those experienced in SE Texas and in Florida. Their pitiful per charge runtime makes them of little use in such situations. FM would be nice in general, but of little or no value as an emergency "backup".

If you are without power and do not have anything else, this extremely poor substitute could serve to save life in a critical moment. It can be used to locate help, shelter, and coordinate: and if it serves to benefit a single person, then I believe it is worth it.

 

[840quadra]

Apple will not re-instate the FM radio because it would hurt their music steaming business. It would be the end to a lot of Apple mobile devices apps that rebroadcast over the air content.

I don’t agree with that argument.

Radio still has the same problem it did when the iPod became popular. It doesn’t play what you want, when you want it. The same problem many have with Internet radio, which, Apple doesn’t block on the AppStore.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/radium-for-internet-radio/id684034823?mt=8

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mytuner-radio-live-stations/id520502858?mt=8

 

[zorinlynx]

as someone who lost power for over a week due to irma, i will say that cell service of any sort was extremely spotty, both data and for calls. we pulled out the old fm radio which was fine to a point. thing is, if you can charge your phone in your car, you're going to be listening to the radio there. listening to the radio on the phone, unless you have generators or a lot of battery spares is not ideal as the phone is a potential lifeboat for contacting others and you want to preserve that as much as possible.

FM receivers use very little power. Once you tune the phone to a station and turn off the screen, it should theoretically be able to run for many days on the phone's battery if you're not doing anything else.

There's little reason to not activate the FM receiver. You would probably need an external antenna; a charging cable plugged into the lightning port (the other end need not be plugged into anything) would suffice. It's time to do this, Apple.

 

[motorazr]

A series of powerful storms over the past six weeks, including Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, has placed renewed pressure on Apple to enable the FM radio capabilities of the wireless modem in every iPhone.

....​

Apple declined to comment on the report, and its stance on the activation of FM receivers in iPhones remains unclear.

Article Link: Apple Faces Renewed Pressure to Enable FM Radio Chip in iPhones Amid Strong Hurricane Season

Has there been any evidence of the iPhone containing an FM receiver? Internationally devices that contain Fm receivers have been locked in the us, however there is no iPhone model with fm receiver listed as a function internationally. It sounds like this article has no foundation on the truth of the hardware, unless somewhere it is cited that iPhones DO have a hidden receiver crammed in there, and even then it seems strange that it has never been found or jailbroken into use.

 

[netwalker]

FM (and for that matter AM) radio is old technology.

And is already being being switched off in some countries. A portable mini FM receiver costs a few dollars. A bit more with crank and solar cells including option to charge your phone.

 

[avanpelt]

I don't understand why people are saying that enabling an FM tuner in an iPhone will hurt Apple's streaming music business. Comparing FM radio and streaming services is comparing apples and oranges. They're only similar in that they both play music.

If someone wants to listen to any song they choose in the order they choose, they'll either pay for streaming services or buy music. If someone doesn't care about listening to 20 to 30 minutes of commercials every hour in between the music that is chosen for them, they'll listen to FM radio. It's a personal choice, and that choice still exists even if Apple refuses to enable the FM tuner in iPhones. Personally, I hope they enable it; and I suspect that the pressure on them may be so great that they will eventually cave. Almost everyone carries a phone with them. I don't see too many people (read: no one) carrying Walkman-type devices these days.

 

[Michael Goff]

FM receivers use very little power. Once you tune the phone to a station and turn off the screen, it should theoretically be able to run for many days on the phone's battery if you're not doing anything else.

There's little reason to not activate the FM receiver. You would probably need an external antenna; a charging cable plugged into the lightning port (the other end need not be plugged into anything) would suffice. It's time to do this, Apple.

Don’t some companies use wired headphones as the external antenna?

 

[MH01]

Examples of "standard" practice and the multitude of phones with FM available? I've owned more than 100 models of cell phone over the years and only 1, from Sprint back in the early '00s, has had a FM receiver enabled.

Let me guess , been with apple since 2007 so FM does not exist in phones?

There are lots of devices that have FM, take the current HTC phones. If you care to do the research you will find that it is not uncommon . And if you like you can turn it on a android that does not have it on by default.

http://nextradioapp.com/supported-devices/

Id argue that's a very well supported list.....

 

[pika2000]

I wonder what kind of regulatory approvals Apple has to go through if they were to enable the extra radio.
People made it sounds like it's as easy as flipping a switch. And of course, this sounds more like politicians trying to win the hearts of people by making rich Apple as the bad guy. Forget about Pai wanting to eliminate net neutrality. Nothing to see here, look at the evil Apple!

 

[HarryWild]

Maybe some Apple hackers will find time to hack the iOS to enable the FM radio! You still need a simple tuner to switch stations. Probably take an Android app and copy it, compile it to Apple compatible and you have a FM radio app.

 

[imwoblin]

Enabling FM radio sounds reasonable.
My old iPod Nano 6th gen has FM and it works well.
Come to think of it, adding non streaming FM radio would be excellent on my Apple Watch!

 

[MH01]

This would be a great idea, and I find it puzzling Apple has kept this feature disabled. There have been numerous times when listening to FM was preferable over streaming. And not even emergencies.

Apple — this very discussion shows there's great interest in this idea. Do it.

Apple has it disabled as they want to push you to purchase or stream music. And if you want radio, buy an app, they get a cut. Thier stance is very clear, take the action that results on $$$$$. A free FM radio ......no....not under Tim Cook

 

[Slidemonster]

Something which I had emailed Apple (with specific details) about a year or so ago - The reply I got was related to apps in the app store which uses data streaming for FM radio. Lame.

Flip the switch Apple and save some lives!

 

[HarryWild]

I wonder what kind of regulatory approvals Apple has to go through if they were to enable the extra radio.
People made it sounds like it's as easy as flipping a switch. And of course, this sounds more like politicians trying to win the hearts of people by making rich Apple as the bad guy. Forget about Pai wanting to eliminate net neutrality. Nothing to see here, look at the evil Apple!

None! It like a radio - just a receiver for signals over the air!

 

[Rayban]

If it were enable it may boost Apple Music subscriptions. People would be reminded how terrible terrestrial radio is.

 

[Hawthorne2k]

Speaking as someone who relied on their iPhone during Hurricane Irma right until the eye wall took out all the cell towers near us, this is a TREMENDOUS idea. We had a wind-up AM/FM radio so we could still hear what was going on in the outside world, but I doubt many of my neighbors had a similar way to keep in touch.

 

[avanpelt]

What good ia a radio when your battery dies? Why can't people just have FM radios?

If your home is flooding and you need to evacuate quickly, you'll probably grab your phone and an external battery to charge your phone, but I doubt you'll think to grab a portable radio on your way out the door.

 

[johnlnash]

Would have been nice when we lost power for a week after Irma here in Florida. I’m all for it.

Being in Orlando, I totally agree. It would have been nice to have access to what was going on while everything but my phone was dead.

 

[macTW]

Remove Apple from this article and replace it with Samsung and it’s the same.

Don’t just single out the larger company for media recognition, National Broadcast Service...

 

[KrispE00]

Examples of "standard" practice and the multitude of phones with FM available? I've owned more than 100 models of cell phone over the years and only 1, from Sprint back in the early '00s, has had a FM receiver enabled.

100+ cell phones?! I’ve had 10 over the past 13 years. iPhone X will make it 11...Are you a collector, or just clumsy?
3 of mine were non-iPhones and none of those had FM.

 

[skellener]

Absolutely. Apple and any other phone manufacturers that use a chip with FM should be required to support FM broadcast.

 

[dannyyankou]

I guess it would be a helpful feature, but everyone in hurricane prone areas should have an FM radio in their preparedness kit anyway.