Phones should have FM radio again
Phones should have FM radio again
Radio access could be a critical safety feature in the years ahead.
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FM radio is the one feature removal I don't mind. You can access all radio on the internet now, so it's unnecessary anyway.
And when the internet goes out during a hurricane? Thats a thing
Better would be to have an emergency radio receiver with alternate power (e.g., a hand crank), and save your phone battery for outgoing emergency calls.
This is something I currently have, but there’s a few benefits of having it built into the phone:
- everyone has a phone
- people are on it all the time so they know it works (when was the last time you tried that emergency radio shoved in the cabinet to make sure it still works)
- Phone chargers with large batteries are available everywhere. Keep one charged up and you can charge your phone many times over. Better yet, Solar ones should be on your list if you’re in a hurricane zone. I have one and test it regularly. You can get a crank one if you want as well.
- most people keep their phones on them in an emergency. Now they have an emergency radio on them as well.
One problem with relying on a phone to receive emergency FM broadcasts is that the phone usually needed wired headphones to be connected to use as the FM antenna.
Most smartphones today don’t even have a headphone jack. Even if they did bring them back, many people have embraced wireless headphones/earbuds and so wouldn’t have any wired ones to hand during an emergency.
There are possible ways to have an integrated FM antenna but it would have greatly reduced range - so not great in an emergency either.
I am fully aware that we would be requiring a headphone jack. I (and many people on this thread) find that to be a bonus and make lots of people happy. I know I use my wired headphones daily and I feel like a good number of people only went wireless because of the jack’s disappearance. A wired headphone Jack with a decent amp might actually get me to replace my 4yo phone that’s otherwise fine.
If you could just make it work marginally with an internal antenna and switch to the external when a wired headset was attached, that would likely work. We’re picking up fairly near by FM, not SW or anything crazy.
Sure, but how many do this? I suspect very few
I'd rather a wind up radio for emergencies as opposed to wasting the battery life on the one thing I can use to call for emergency services.
Edit: also, who uses FM in emergencies. You want AM radio for that.
It doesn't have to be a big emergency, FM can still be very useful. A few years ago there was an earthquake in my city that wasn't too big but we still had to evacuate the building. I don't remember any damage in my area but because everyone was trying to make calls there was ZERO cell service. So a bunch of people were gathered around my phone listening to a news station for updates because I was the only one who had brought headphones. Without FM this ability is now lost.
You are right, depending on the emergency AM is a better choice. Many people have phones, few have crank radios.
Many people have phones without those radios. If they want that feature, it's available to them right now via another device that is better suited to the task.