In some situations, such as power outages where we are left without electricity, coverage, or an internet connection, the only way left to stay informed is the radio. If you don’t have a portable transistor radio, remember that many Android phones, especially older ones or current mid/low-range models, have a built-in FM radio directly in the smartphone.
Although the vast majority of older Android phones did include FM radio, this feature has disappeared from more modern models even though there are still devices being sold that include it; for example, the Xiaomi Redmi Note.
Listen to FM radio on your smartphone in emergency situations when you don’t have a network connection
As we said, some smartphones have an FM radio inside, while others can only connect to radio stations via the internet. Generally, phones that have a 3.5 mm headphone jack tend to include FM radio, since smartphones use the headphones themselves as an antenna.
Thus, the FM radio app is usually preinstalled on those smartphones that are compatible with this classic technology; you just need to look for it among your phone’s apps to find it. If not, you can always download it from Google Play when you have an internet connection (make sure the app you download can work using radio).
Once you find it on your phone, make sure to plug headphones into the jack to tune the different stations that broadcast a signal in your area. As mentioned before, the headphones act as an antenna, so if you experience a lot of interference you can try moving the headphones around to get a better signal.
Some FM radio apps even allow you to record programs, mark stations as favorites for quick access, or route the audio through the smartphone’s speaker instead of through the headphones. The latter is ideal if you’re in a room where you want others to be able to hear the radio as well.
Can you listen to the radio on an iPhone without internet?
In the case of iPhones and iPads, these do not have an FM radio chip, so an internet connection is required if you want to listen to local stations.
In fact, the Music app that comes preinstalled on iPhones includes a Radio section where you can listen live via streaming to the main local and international radio stations. That said, as we noted before, this only works if you have an internet connection.
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