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Cellphones Communications Hardware

Does Lack of FM Support On Phones Increase Your Chances of Dying In a Disaster? 350

Posted by timothy from the well-if-you-put-it-that-way dept.
theodp writes "You may not know it," reports NPR's Emma Bowman, "but most of today's smartphones have FM radios inside of them. But the FM chip is not activated on two-thirds of devices. That's because mobile makers have the FM capability switched off. The National Association of Broadcasters has been asking mobile makers to change this. But the mobile industry, which profits from selling data to smartphone users, says that with the consumer's move toward mobile streaming apps, the demand for radio simply isn't there." But FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate says radio-enabled smartphones could sure come in handy during times of emergency. So, is it irresponsible not to activate the FM chips? And should it's-the-app-way-or-the-highway Apple follow Microsoft's lead and make no-static-at-all FM available on iPhones?
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Does Lack of FM Support On Phones Increase Your Chances of Dying In a Disaster? More

Does Lack of FM Support On Phones Increase Your Chances of Dying In a Disaster?

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  • In a post about half a page down from this article, Norway is going to kill off FM in favor of digital (DAB) as the only broadcast method.

    So there you are.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by davecb ( 6526 )
      The stations are going to stay, just the protocol will change. Almost a perfect contradiction to the headlines (;-))

      • Re:and yet Norway (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Anne Thwacks ( 531696 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @09:47AM (#49504353)
        The UK was going to switch off analog FM too, but then they discovered that

        1) Most FM listeners are in cars

        2) hardly cars have DAB radios

        3) DAB radios hardly ever work in cars

        4) If they switched off FM, the car drivers would NOT by DAB replacements.

        The current plan is to leave FM radio switch of "till after the next election".

        I have listened to FM on my phone twice in two years. I listen in the car all the time. If FM is turned off, I would probably listen to the pirate stations on FM. I surely won't by a DAB radio. My mum has three DAB radios. It is mostly a matter of life style.

        As other posters have said "Follow the money".

        • Re: (Score:3)

          by Potor ( 658520 )
          I have DAB, and I find it is far inferior to FM, and even to Internet radio. I can constantly stream Internet stations and even Spotify on my Revo Superconnect, but DAB constantly breaks up.
  • Which is sort of the *opposite* of open anything (;-))

  • Makers or Service providers? (Score:5, Informative)

    by Dereck1701 ( 1922824 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @08:48AM (#49504161)

    I think the article is either miswritten or FEMA/NAB misdirecting their blame. I highly doubt the manufacturers of the phones (LG, Samsung, etc) are the ones pushing for the disabling of the FM chip but requirements from the mobile service providers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, etc) who as the article noted are far more inclined to rake in profits if customers use data services instead of over the air reception and have a long history of locking down phone features for their own enrichment. FYI I tried to load the app National Association of Broadcasters is noting in this article (NextRadio) and I couldn't, apparently even though FM is enabled on my phone their app is only supported on a a select set of phones.

    • Re:Makers or Service providers? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Zocalo ( 252965 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @09:11AM (#49504235) Homepage
      I suspect this is more a case of "follow the money" as well. Enabling the FM radio provides owners of the phone with a potential free source of music included in the price of admission. Disabling the FM radio provides the vendors of the phone with more potential customers for their music store offerings/partnerships and increases the overpriced use of data to get it. I really can't imagine why companies with a track record of doing everything they can to screw over their customers for a little more money *wouldn't* go with the latter option...

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by _xeno_ ( 155264 )

        Yeah, keep in mind Apple recently bought "Beats by Dre" which is a music streaming service (in addition to the headphones by the same name). Apple Radio (Apple's music streaming service) has been in the iPhone for a while. There's a very good reason Apple doesn't want their users to be able to listen to free radio on their iPhone.

    • This discussion happened around a month ago on reddit -- the FM chips are for the most part vestigal in phones -- that is, some of the chips used in phones ALSO have FM capability. However, the phones usually have no appropriate hardware interface, antenna (yes, they COULD be hooked up to the headphones), or software interface, rendering the FM processor-on-chip pretty much useless, kind of like the extra chip on Apple devices that's only used as a secure data store.

      So it's more than the service providers at work here -- the manufacturers avoided the headache of integrating yet another RF spec into their hardware (which would complicate FCC testing even further, increasing the potential for crosstalk and attenuation issues on all wired and wireless systems in the device), avoided yet more hardware to add bulk/weight/cost and constrain the design, and avoided more software and associated testing. The actual changes might be small, but the cost of the QA and design changes for those actual changes could actually be quite large.

      • Re:Makers or Service providers? (Score:5, Interesting)

        by sir-gold ( 949031 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @11:12AM (#49504737)

        How do you explain phones that have identical international and US versions, and only the US version has the FM disabled?

        The (international) HTC Desire Z had an FM radio, and came with an FM tuner app to access it. (using the headphones as the antenna)
        The identical US version, the T-Mobile G2, also had an FM radio but it was disabled in software. (to fix it, you just had to install the stock FM tuner app)

        I can only assume that T-mobile demanded that the FM radio be disabled, in order to get people to use up all their data listening to streaming music.

        • How do you explain phones that have identical international and US versions, and only the US version has the FM disabled?

          That only in the US, the legal landscape is such that having the FM radio in there is a potential complication.

  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @09:00AM (#49504199)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion

    • (people who burried themselves in 2000, you can come out now.)

      That's what They want you to think!!!

    • Just look at previous desasters and see who was saved by having a cellphone with FM and who dies because they did not have FM on their cellphones.

      And subtract those that had access to other working FM radios in their cars or homes.

    • It depends on where you live.

      For a city person, the chances of a Gozilla attack or zombie apocalypse are, admittedly fairly remote.

      In remote areas prone to natural disasters, radio can be used effectively by emergency services to inform local residents. e.g. bushfires. though my state plans to use SMS.

      • I'd point to the London tube/bus bombings, myself. No damage was caused to the networks, but the number of people phoning here, there and everywhere overloaded the system. Emergency services' bandwidth was successfully preserved, but lots of non-emergency calls couldn't get through. Being able to tune in to a local station and find out what the hell is going on in such circumstances would be a reassurance, if nothing else.
    • Emergency preparedness is like car insurance: it's something you need to reduce your risk, not an investment. You can't appraise insurance by weighing how much you've previously saved/made from it.

    • Re: (Score:3)

      by Blrfl ( 46596 )

      And how often do emergencies happen? In all my life I have NEVER been in a situation where my life depended om having an FM radio.

      In all your life you've never encountered anything that's killed you, either, but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

      U.S. carriers don't want FM enabled because it would deny them revenue from streaming services during normal circumstances and would also be an admission that their infrastructure could be vulnerable. Your mobile service is just as reliable as FM until the infrastructure takes a hit. Getting a single broadcast station capable of covering an entire metropolitan area back on the air after a di

      • People with amateur licenses are helpful for some things, but they're absolutely useless for disseminating information over a wide area that's otherwise disconnected

        Useless is a strong word, and "absolutely" is a strong modifier. Neither is warranted here. People with amateur licenses can put the word out manually to other people who can do the same. Meanwhile, those people are likely to have disconnected power sources, while many radio stations are in urban areas and are legally prohibited from having inexpensive, functional backup power.

  • At least I'm honest about it. :P

    Seriously though, lack of FM is not a safety risk. That's absurd. if they're really concerned, then have them blast out a text message if there is an issue. I'm sure the telecos would be happy to do that because txtmsgs take up just about zero bandwidth.

    • While I don't think the lack is a safety risk - and I do think the headline is just the usual sort of attention-whoring we expect from the media these days - having an FM radio is very useful if there is a regional emergency. And since most people are usually carrying a phone anyway, locking out that ability does them a disservice.

      Personal anecdote time: back in the big blackout of 2003 that shutdown the Northeastern US, nobody's phones were working because the networks were jammed by millions of people suddenly calling each other, everyone trying to figure out what was going on. Nobody knew anything except that the lights were off and there was an increasingly nervous tension; as this was only a couple years after 9/11, the word "terrorists" was on everybody's lips. I happened to have an MP3 player with FM functionality on me, and that made me very popular, because I could relay news to everyone around me. The temper changed from twitchy nervousness to reassured cooperation, from a fearful me-first attitude to one where informed people worked together to get through the disaster.

      I don't think having that radio made me any safer, but it made me - and those around me - happier because we were not cut off from the rest of the world. I still carry that little MP3 player with me, solely for its radio functions even though my phone is one of the rare devices that does have FM functionality (the phone needs a charge every day, but the mp3 player, which is only the size of a thumb-drive, runs seemingly forever on an easily-replaced AA battery).

      • While I don't think the lack is a safety risk - and I do think the headline is just the usual sort of attention-whoring we expect from the media these days - having an FM radio is very useful if there is a regional emergency. And since most people are usually carrying a phone anyway, locking out that ability does them a disservice.

        The summary reads like an NAB astroturf campaign. Their "free radio on my phone" ad campaign is a beautiful example of fear mongering. One of their radio spots even invokes 9/11 a

      • That's fine. I'm not saying FM radios are stupid and anyone that uses them is an asshole... am I?

        No. I'm saying that the government shouldn't require cell phone makers or carriers to have FM radios built into the phones.

        Now that said, one thing that does annoy me is when the FM radio feature is disabled by the carrier for no fucking reason. Often to make people want to buy their streaming music service more or something equally pathetic. THAT is fucked up. And I'd pass a law against that any day.

        But don't f

      • I think the psychological reassurance of just knowing what's going on during a disaster is probably the most helpful part.

        Even if you can't DO anything about it, it's still better than cowering in fear because you are in the dark both literally and figuratively.

    • The radio in my car, nor the clock radio next to my bed, does not receive txt messages.

      • Quote the bit where I said they shouldn't make emergency broadcasts over FM radio. Do so now please or admit that you just tried to straw man me.

        What I am saying is that if you have a cell phone... it doesn't have to have an FM radio built into it by law just for your fucking emergency broadcasts.

  • FM Radio in disaster (Score:5, Funny)

    by rossdee ( 243626 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @09:19AM (#49504257)

    I don't know how much good it will do to listen to a 'local' radio station since most of the time its just a recording anyway.

    What you need to listen to is the NOAA weather radio - around here its 162.500 megahertz, and the voice was recorded by Stephen Hawking

    • Yeah very pointless. More and more stations are going to cyber jocks who wouldn't have the slightest clue about a tornado warning or flooded roads. The FCC should be more concerned about that. Local TV is much more effective at reporting local emergencies.

  • That's one of my purchase criteria. Samsung used to have it, now Huawei does. I use it several times a week, and a lot when on trips w/spotty data.

  • What? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by ledow ( 319597 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @09:29AM (#49504297) Homepage

    I'm sorry, is it just me? What kind of information are you going to put out over FM to cell-phones, in an emergency, that will be life-saving? How many cell-phones are still going to be running on day two of whatever disaster either because people have turned them off because they "don't work" because the local cell is down or because the batteries are flat? How many of those that aren't would be captured by an initial text message anyway? How many people are going to crowd around the only working phone in the area and turn on the radio to tune in and then hear something that might save their lives?

    And what are you going to tell people that they don't know already (but should) and which will directly contribute to saving their lives better than, say, common sense?

    Maybe it's just because I live in a country where emergencies don't really happen on this scale (no seismic activity, little flooding, no drought, no tornados or extremes of weather, no civil unrest, etc.) , but I'm one of those people who reads up on anything risky before I do it, and I'm still struggling to fathom what could be sent that would make that much difference?

    Shelter locations, possibly? Surely the best is word-of-mouth and going and finding those people in need of shouting at with a big shouty-device? Like the first thing we do in any such disaster, send the police round and the helicopters over to give out such information? And anyone in a dangerous area, in need of shelter, will move away from the danger and can then be corralled and treated once they are in a safe area, any safe area? And, again, a simple text message serves the same purpose and probably uses the same power given the "always on" nature of cell connections on modern phones.

    What's a real scenario where one-way FM radio on a cell-phone would be a real life-line for anyone but the completely ignorant and inexperienced?

    • Re:What? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Mr D from 63 ( 3395377 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @09:47AM (#49504355)
      its only useful until your cellphone battery dies. Then go find a car with an FM radio, it will likely work for a long time.

    • I'm sorry, is it just me? What kind of information are you going to put out over FM to cell-phones, in an emergency, that will be life-saving?

      Stopping people all trying to flee down the same road can keep it open to emergency services, saving lives as a knock-on effect. Furthermore, jammed roads are usually the result of panic, and the first priority after a sudden disaster is to avoid panic. It doesn't matter that your phone may be flat in a few days -- the first few hours are the crucial point. Prevent panic by giving basic information and reassurance; telling people where to go and what to do.

    • Re:What? (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Culture20 ( 968837 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @10:46AM (#49504603)

      I'm sorry, is it just me? What kind of information are you going to put out over FM to cell-phones, in an emergency, that will be life-saving?

      It's not just you, but I'm guessing you've never been in a tornado/hurricane shelter without power huddled around a battery powered radio listening to storm updates. Sometimes the all-clear takes more than a couple hours than what the original predictions were. New funnel clouds crop up from nowhere, or reminders that a hurricane's eye can be very large and the storm isn't over. Flash floods, mud slides, forest fires, etc. If cell phones all has their FM chips enabled, you'd have almost one battery powered radio for every person in the shelter. Some could be turned off or their batteries could be swapped.

      • It's not just you, but I'm guessing you've never been in a tornado/hurricane shelter without power huddled around a battery powered radio listening to storm updates.

        I bet you're right. I haven't either, but I still own a wind-up radio [etsy.com] that's stored with all my disaster relief supplies. (That's not mine, mine is not for sale, just the first link I found with the same thing. I got mine at a yard sale.)

    • What's a real scenario where one-way FM radio on a cell-phone would be a real life-line for anyone but the completely ignorant and inexperienced?

      A tornado pops up, everyone hears the siren and goes into the basement, then the tornado starts knocking down power lines and causing fires, which burn the town to the ground with all the people still inside.

  • If I have a cell phone without an FM radio, it's exactly the same as having no cell phone at all, for the purposes of the question being asked. Not having a built-in taser increases my chances of being mugged, too.

  • No (Score:3)

    by PopeRatzo ( 965947 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @09:55AM (#49504379) Journal

    However, not having FM support on my cell phone does significantly decrease my chances of hearing lite rock and smooth jazz.

  • Really, at the moment I have voice-only on a smartphone, through a third-party provider. I use wifi for data, but would welcome FM for such purposes.

  • The on-chip FM radio requires a WIRED headset. Not bluetooth, not using the phone speaker or earpiece. The headset lead is used as an antenna. Without it, the radio doesn't work. Generally won't even turn on, just gives a warning.

    So it won't work for most users. And was probably costing too much in support calls about why it wasn't working.

  • Me personally? no.. (Score:4, Informative)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @10:45AM (#49504599) Homepage

    I am a ham radio operator, I have a significantly higher chance of survival than the rest.

    If people really cared about safety they would take the time to learn CPR, basic First Aid, and things like ham radio or gain knowlege in how to increase their odds.

    Dancing with the stars and Americas got Talent are far more important to the general population.

  • is why it is turned off

    if the question were "why should a phone add all this expensive hardware for negligible benefit" then the answer should obviously screw FM radio

    but if the functionality is already there, why isn't anyone angry that you are being denied something for free simply so your phone carrier can squeeze more cash out of you?

    i look at the other posts here and their priorities and their rationale, and i can't understand why this thought doesn't rank higher

    and while we're at it, get us a tv tuner too, like in japan:

    http://www.reddit.com/r/Androi... [reddit.com]

    why aren't television and fm radio industries banding together to demand inclusion on smartphones? nevermind as a safety feature, you can make arguments for that, but even if you think that's a contrived concern, do it simply because it's a fucking industry of content, that you can get FOR FREE

  • No. but ... (Score:3)

    by sgunhouse ( 1050564 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @11:04AM (#49504703)
    You remember that super derecho that came through here a few years ago? We - and the cell towers - were without power for some time. Several days, in some parts of town. But my little Sansa MP3 player does pick up FM, so I was able to listen to local news in spite of the power outage. (Though not 100% sure why the radio station had power and the cell towers didn't ...)

    Would not hearing the news cost my life after a disaster? Probably not, but allowing people to hear the news does make life easier for your local emergency management officials.

  • I have a phone with an FM receiver active (it uses the headphone cord as an antenna) and this thread got me wondering about things like emergency radio, "scanners", etc. I ended up finding some old threads in other forums with people who found that this phone model's FM rx is in a chip that also has tx capability. But Broadcom doesn't want to share the pin outs and it looks like the threads all died. HTC EVO 4G if anybody's interested. This is along the lines of transmitting for a number of meters, of cours

  • Power (Score:3)

    by pbjones ( 315127 ) on Sunday April 19, 2015 @05:06PM (#49506383)

    The average smartphone will die in a day if you run FM radio, a real battery powered FM radio is the thing to have when things go to Sh!t

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