How to unlock the hidden FM Radio feature on your phone

There is a hidden feature in the phone that most people don’t know about. This feature is widely used in cars and still a few homes use it today. It is the FM radio feature, this feature is equipped by modern phones but is hidden from the user. So in this article, I will guide you to turn on and use FM radio on your phone.

FM radio feature is locked on the phone

Sounds strange right? Why do phone manufacturers integrate this feature into phones and then hide it from users. There is only 1 reason:

Ability to access radio coming from modem Qualcomm LTE in the phone. The Qualcomm chip has this feature built-in because using phones to access radio is very common in developing countries. And it is simpler to hide the radio feature than to use different modems for each country.

Although manufacturers can enable this feature, users still have to unlock the FM radio on the phone. Regarding carriers, many major carriers have allowed users to do this. But there are still some companies that don’t allow the feature to be enabled because doing so will discourage people from using online services.

How to unlock FM radio

If your device and manufacturer also support it, accessing FM radio is not too difficult. You only need two things: Apps NextRadio and wired headset, wired headset or speaker to act as an antenna. You can check the list of supported devices and carriers in the NextRadio app.
You can download NextRadio on Google Play. Unfortunately Apple removed NextRadio from its app store in December 2018.
If the FM chip detection app is already activated, the next thing you need is the antenna. Anything wired into your phone becomes an antenna. So you can use wired headphones and speakers. But bluetooth headset is not here. Do any of you know why?

Download NextRadio on Android here.<

NextRadio has gone back to the basic version, with streaming, and no longer supports iOS. This means the app will now focus entirely on being an FM tuner. But if you do not follow the steps below correctly, NextRadio will not work.

When you open the app for the first time, follow the steps below to access your local basic FM tuner.

1. When requesting location access, select Deny.
2. If prompted again, select Deny once again.
3. When asked to find a radio station, select Other.
4. Press OK to access the basic tuner.

If you don’t do so the first time, you can tap the menu at the top left, select Settingsthen select Refresh Station List to change your location. Alternatively, you can uninstall NextRadio to start over.

This is all that remains from the app’s streaming support and data usage restrictions. The search function also doesn’t work properly, so you just need to focus on the basic FM tuner.

Benefits of using FM radio on your phone

Although you can download a number of other applications to listen to online radio, using an FM tuner also has certain benefits.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of an FM tuner is that it doesn’t require you to use data. It’s completely free just like in your car. If you can’t access Wi-Fi or have limited data, use the radio on your phone.
Although you can access many different stations with online radio, online services do not always have access to all radio stations where you live. If you use FM radio, you will find every FM station available in your area.

The FCC recommends having a radio for emergencies such as floods or hurricanes. This ensures that you can update your information or communicate with others if both the phone line and the internet go down. Since home radios are no longer common, it makes more sense to turn your phone into a radio.