FCC Urges Apple to Protect Safety of Americans by Activating FM Radio Chip in iPhones [Updated]

[MacRumors]

Amidst renewed pressure from the National Association of Broadcasters, FCC chairman Ajit Pai has now issued a statement urging Apple to activate the FM radio capabilities built into the wireless modem of every iPhone.

Pai said he hopes Apple will "reconsider its position" following Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria, which have devastated parts of the United States, including Florida and Texas, and Caribbean islands like Barbuda, Dominica, and Puerto Rico.

Powerful storms can leave thousands or millions of people without power or cellular service for weeks or even months, and over-the-air FM radio can provide vital access to weather alerts and other life-saving information.

Pai added that "it is time for Apple to step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first."

His full statement:

In recent years, I have repeatedly called on the wireless industry to activate the FM chips that are already installed in almost all smartphones sold in the United States. And I've specifically pointed out the public safety benefits of doing so. In fact, in my first public speech after I became Chairman, I observed that '[y]ou could make a case for activating chips on public safety groundsalone.' When wireless networks go down during a natural disaster, smartphones with activated FM chips can allow Americans to get vital access to life-saving information. I applaud those companies that have done the right thing by activating the FM chips in their phones.

Apple is the one major phone manufacturer that has resisted doing so. But I hope the company will reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. That's why I am asking Apple to activate the FM chips that are in its iPhones. It is time for Apple to step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first. As the Sun Sentinel of South Florida put it, 'Do the right thing, Mr. Cook. Flip the switch. Lives depend on it.'"

Pai has advocated for the activation of the FM tuner in all smartphones before, but this is the first time he has called out Apple by name.

A study by the National Association of Broadcasters last year found only 44 percent of the top-selling smartphones in the United States had FM radio capabilities enabled. 94 percent of the unactivated devices were iPhones.

Both the Qualcomm and Intel chips that enable Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity in every iPhone have a built-in FM tuner that would allow people to listen to FM radio over the air. Apple has not enabled the functionality, forcing users to use an app to stream FM radio over Wi-Fi or cellular data.

Apple hasn't revealed why it keeps the FM radio functionality disabled. Some critics suggest it could be to avoid losing Apple Music subscriptions, but the real reason is probably deeper than that.

Update: MacRumors has received the following statement from an Apple spokesperson:

Apple cares deeply about the safety of our users, especially during times of crisis and that's why we have engineered modern safety solutions into our products. Users can dial emergency services and access Medical ID card information directly from the Lock Screen, and we enable government emergency notifications, ranging from Weather Advisories to AMBER alerts. iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models do not have FM radio chips in them nor do they have antennas designed to support FM signals, so it is not possible to enable FM reception in these products.

We'll update this article if the FCC responds to Apple's statement.

Article Link: FCC Urges Apple to Protect Safety of Americans by Activating FM Radio Chip in iPhones [Updated]

 

[44267547]

Completely agree. Apple should Enable it for safety precautions. For those living where Hurricanes are more Prevalent, this could be a useful tool when they need it most.

 

[codewrangler]

I think it would just be cool to get analog radio on my digital device...wish there was an AM radio on the chips too...

 

[koulmj]

... OK Apple didn’t even want to bring back the headphone jack. I have almost no faith if they’ll do anything to support FM radio antennas

 

[skeuomorphism]

Are the antenna pins on the receiver even connected to anything?

 

[ThisBougieLife]

I honestly never even knew the iPhone had FM radio capabilities. It would be cool to be able to listen to FM radio with the iPhone. "Competition with Apple Music" seems like a flimsy reason to leave it deactivated, though.

 

[techwhiz]

He should also be calling out the carriers that request the functionality be turned off in Android phones.
Ajit also has some incorrect information. Even if the modem is there, you need an application to interface and tune the frequencies. You also need an antennae. In most phones this is provided by the headphones.
New iPhones don't have a headphone.
Will not work.

 

[costeta]

This should be a no brainer. In emergencies, you might need the FM on your phone to listen to life-saving information.

 

[bluespider]

Is this something they even could activate with a software update, seems like an odd request if it would reguire a hardware configuration change...

 

[Suckfest 9001]

I don't disagree with enabling FM, but Ajit Pai pretending to be the hero here is laughable. He's been a major PITA for net neutrality for the past while and as such has zero credibility behind his voice. If you want FM to be enabled, find a better spokesperson than this joke.

 

[Rian Gray]

I'm not even sure why they decided to disable it in the first place.

 

[DrumApple]

I love FM radio, listen every day for hours. I was considering a BlackBerry KeyOne because it has FM radio, albeit you have to have headphones plugged in.

Would love to see my iPhone get FM radio. Maybe it drains battery?

 

[filmantopia]

I don't disagree with enabling FM, but Ajit Pai pretending to be the hero here is laughable. He's been a major PITA for net neutrality for the past while and as such has zero credibility behind his voice. If you want FM to be enabled, find a better spokesperson than this joke.

He's evil.

 

[iPadPublisher]

My understanding is that it’s always been about the function not working well. Apple set out to develop a phone, not a handheld radio. A chip they’ve chosen to help perform the phone’s functions also has some FM utility, but Apple hasn’t spent a lick of energy on engineering the antenna or software to really USE that function. I don’t believe that it’s as simple as turning it ON as the FCC chair is suggesting.

Apple should turn it on, so millions of us get static, to prove how ignorant the request is.

However, I have no idea if any of this is true and for all I know, they could turn it on tomorrow and it’d sound and work fine. Only Apple really knows that.

 

[BeyondtheTech]

Android devices that utilize the FM chip require the use of wired headphones in the headphone jack as the antenna. I'm not sure Apple has incorporated the functionality of utilizing the Lightning port and Lightning-to-3.5mm adapter as an FM antenna.

Well, at least the iPhone XI has a shot of getting the headphone jack again.

 

[miketcool]

What security implications arise from turning on FM? What could be broadcast to the phone via FM, or what could the phone broadcast that wouldn't be detected?

 

[NT1440]

I agree, but in today's clickbait world (and the FCC commissioner is a complete jackass) Apple gets put in the headline when the vast majority of smartphones around the world do not have the FM transmitter enabled either. Funny, that.

 

[macTW]

Pai added that "it is time for Apple to step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first."

Apple has been, with its security. It’s time the government finally does.

 

[macaddiict]

I can understand that there are probably many reasons Apple hasn't activated FM capabilities. In the past, I have used the FM tuner on multiple other phones as well as the tuner built into some iPods. Often, to get a good signal, I would have to have wired headphones plugged in and if I was indoors I'd have to hold the cable away from my body to get a signal.

There is probably some semblance of truth to the whole "disabled due to competition with Apple Music" ... but remember, the FM capability has been built into the iPhone chips for YEARS before Apple Music. So, I bet it has more to do with a good consumer experience than anything else.

People in areas prone to natural disasters would likely welcome this as an emergency tool, and perhaps it could be hidden away in settings on the phone or something. But really, I doubt this will come to pass and I can understand why.

 

[firewood]

An FM tuner chip is useless unless it can be connected to a suitable antenna. There is no headphone jack, and there may be no RF signal path from the Lightning jack, making any FM tuner circuit on the chip useless.

 

[Hodar1]

Why would anyone argue against adding a FREE new feature, that cannot hurt, but can only help save lives?
This feature ALREADY is built into every iPhone ever made, the impact on battery life should be minimal, as there is no transmission.

 

[Eso]

Or you could just buy an FM radio that will last for days on batteries, as opposed to using your phone which will last for hours.

 

[NinjaHERO]

Unless it kills the battery or some other such nonsense, seems silly to have it in my phone and not be able to use it. Hopefully they turn it on.

 

[mikeyteh]

They might be out of power for months, but let's turn on the FM tuner on the iPhones that don't have any battery charge or way to charge them.

 

[Ben2998]

If I get this right, the FCC chairman is requesting Apple to enable an FM chip in their device to use a service under his jurisdiction that is in decline instead of forcing telcos under his jurisdiction to offer a service that would resist a hurricane.

No agenda at all...