How to Listen to FM Radio on Your Smartphone

Smartphones can do things beyond our ancestors' wildest dreams, but - perhaps surprisingly - tuning into FM radio is not always one of them.

Of course, this every-day yet powerful bit of kit wasn’t really designed to listen to FM Radio. That’s what radio sets are for after all. Instead they’re designed for computing, connecting to the internet, and communication.

But with a bit of tinkering, listening to FM radio on your smartphone is possible in some cases. We’ll explain how, as well as alternative ways to listen.

What is FM Radio?

Firstly, let’s just break down what FM radio refers to.

FM is a type of terrestrial radio, in that it uses electromagnetic radio waves for transmission. A radio transmitter takes an audio signal and encodes it as a carrier signal. It then transmits this carrier signal along the electromagnetic radio waves in the air.

It’s called FM (or frequency modulation) because the frequency of the carrier wave is increased or decreased. So, the frequency is changed i.e. modulated.

How To Listen To FM Radio On Your Smartphone

The ability to listen to tune into FM Radio on your smartphone largely depends on what smartphone you have. This is because some smartphones have an FM radio receiver chip (for enabling) built in, but many don’t.

For example, iPhones do not have FM radio receiver chips that can be enabled. So if you’re an iPhone owner, skip straight to the alternative ways to listen.

For Android users, it depends which smartphone you have so you’ll need to check the manufacturer’s description for your model.

Through a FM Radio Receiver Chip

For this method, you’ll need a:

• An in-built FM radio receiver chip within your smartphone.

• An app like RadioFM or NEXTRadio to enable this chip.

• Wired headphones to connect to your smartphone that will act as an antenna.

Tip: It’s a good idea to turn off your wi-fi connection or mobile data, to ensure your phone uses FM radio rather than the internet to listen to stations.

Using the RadioFM App

1. Download the RadioFM from the Google Play Store.
2. Open the RadioFM app and plug in your wired headphones.
3. Choose a local FM Radio station and hit play.

Using the NextRadio App

1. Download the NextRadio App from the Google Play Store.
2. Open the NextRadio app and plug in your wired headphones
3. Enable FM Radio only mode in the settings.
4. Under the menu icon, click Local FM Radio to find pre-tuned radio stations, or click the Basic Tuner to search for stations based on frequency.

Alternative Ways To Listen To FM Radio On Your Smartphone

If you own an iPhone, or an Android that doesn’t have FM Radio, don’t despair. Many FM stations now stream online as well, so you can often listen to the same station using an internet connection.

To listen using your smartphone, you can either:

• Tune in via a radio station's website on your phone browser.

• By using the radio station's app.

• Through a radio directory.

To Wrap Up

Depending on what smartphone you have, listening to FM radio is as simple as downloading and using a dedicated app. If you're not so lucky though, streaming radio over the internet expands your possibilities even further. Not only can you listen to many FM radio stations that additionally stream online, but you can also tune in to the thousands of online-only radio stations.

And if you're stuck for what to listen to, get some inspiration from these 50 best radio stations.