How do I activate/enable the FM radio in my S7 Edge?

According to Top 5 things you should do first when you get your New Samsung Galaxy S7 or S7 Edge - NextRadio, my phone has an FM radio receiver that I can use to listen to local FM stations. Apparently, it isn't enabled by default. How do I enable the radio?

Accepted answers

Snn5

There are a ton of posts relating to FM Radio all over this community. You'll find that there are a few users that explain in detail why this is the case. Look for these users and their responses within those threads. You will read about why the chip isn't in play, why the idea of Verizon product advertising vs Samsung's feature list differs, and other options which may serve you better in a time of need.

WethTidbitsrcschnoor

All comments

Klue

I don't think you can. It requires an app (NextRadio) which according to the app's web site is not supported by Verizon for the S7 phones.

osta_doc

Samsung told me that my Note 4 has an FM radio also, but Verizon can't make money on music through a radio. But, if you stream through an app like Pandora, they CAN sell you more data.

I'm sure it's the sam with any device with an FM radio. Go figure.....

eelstrebor

It's strange that you can activate the FM radio with some carriers but not Verizon. Why even bother building the phone with the capability if users aren't allowed to use it? Not to mention that I BOUGHT this phone so I find it ridiculus that Verizon would deny me the use of hardware that I PAID for. But, the last poster was "dead on" by saying that it's a marketing ploy to make more money. Oh well, I'll get by without it. This is one of the reasons why I apportion all my phones and set them to cut off cell data when they reach a certain usage - at least that's my understanding of the settings. Data plans are just too expensive - actually cell phones are too expensive but they are useful tools (but don't get me started on the spyware called apps).

Snn5

WethTidbitsrcschnoor

Tidbits

osta.doc wrote:

Samsung told me that my Note 4 has an FM radio also, but Verizon can't make money on music through a radio. But, if you stream through an app like Pandora, they CAN sell you more data.

I'm sure it's the sam with any device with an FM radio. Go figure.....

Yes it's exactly that.

Samsung doesn't want to pay licensing fees and make it a standard feature. They leave it up to the carriers. Verizon chooses not to pay the licensing fees so it is removed by Samsung. If Samsung made it a standard features then Verizon could not "remove it", but not paying licensing fees doesn't constitute "removing" by a court of law and the FCC. Block C and the supreme court says if a feature is standard then it can not be removed by a carriers request.

In other threads similar to this one there's a lot of break down and this has been popping up for the past 4 years or so. There's a lot more required than just simply turning it on, putting some code, or flipping a switch. There's a lot of contracts, regulations, and money involved.

Tidbits

eelstrebor wrote:

It's strange that you can activate the FM radio with some carriers but not Verizon. Why even bother building the phone with the capability if users aren't allowed to use it? Not to mention that I BOUGHT this phone so I find it ridiculus that Verizon would deny me the use of hardware that I PAID for. But, the last poster was "dead on" by saying that it's a marketing ploy to make more money. Oh well, I'll get by without it. This is one of the reasons why I apportion all my phones and set them to cut off cell data when they reach a certain usage - at least that's my understanding of the settings. Data plans are just too expensive - actually cell phones are too expensive but they are useful tools (but don't get me started on the spyware called apps).

Example... Nexus devices have radios in them. The exact same ones that are in the the S7, but why doesn't it have FM radio. Licensing agreements and FCC testing. It's not as simple as Verizon doesn't want them on their devices. It's more like Verizon chooses not to pay the licensing fees the manufacturer could pay on their own.

imokruok

Just adding my displeasure here. We pay on the high end of service prices for quality service; yet our device updates always come last, and other carriers enable features that already exist on our phones well before Verizon (if Verizon ever does...)

Verizon, can you please do an update that enables FM on the S7 edge? It's a really useful feature, especially for those of us who travel abroad.

Ann154

You need to get Samsung to make it a standard feature and to not charge extra for it first.

cahillsr

Try an app called Spirit Real FM Radio by mike reid.The app is in the play store. This app worked great on an older HTC phone not sure if it will work with galaxy but give it a try