Many smartphones shipped in the United States come with an FM chip but they’re disabled. Things have been changing on this front recently, though. LG announced recently that it was going to unlock the FM chips on its handsets a few months back in partnership with NextRadio. The same company has now teamed up with Samsung which means that the Korean giant’s upcoming smartphones in the U.S. will have their FM chip enabled.
NextRadio has announced that Samsung is the latest device OEM to expand its support for NextRadio by unlocking the FM chip in its upcoming smartphone models in the United States and Canada.
This step will enable Samsung users to connect directly with the NextRadio app and listen to their favorite local stations. This uses less battery and less data than streaming radio apps.
The benefits of this go beyond entertainment. If cellular coverage is unavailable or congested, the FM chip can provide important information from a local radio station. Recent widespread natural disasters in Puerto Rico and Houston have increased pressure on all smartphone manufacturers to unlock the FM chip as a matter of public safety.
Samsung now joins other manufacturers like LG, Alcatel, and Motorola who have agreed to take this step.
Filed in . Read more about Samsung. Source: prnewswire