G4 FM Radio Issue

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lgt_auto

Member
Jun 6, 2015
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I received my AT&T version (H810) of the G4 this week. I had been assured by AT&T chat rep that their version has no features missing compared to other versions, but when I installed NextRadio, I got a message that my carrier doesn't allow access to the FM radio receiver of my device. A recent Reddit post says that the Verizon G4 (VS986) also doesn't have FM radio. This appears to be similar to the G3, in which only the international version had FM Radio, and that may have been a hardware-level difference. Of course the most obvious reason this capability is not supported by most US carriers is that they would like you to pay them to stream data rather than listen for free. There are general discussions of this practice elsewhere. My intention for this thread is to have a place to accumulate knowledge about the technical issues related to this function (or lack of it) on versions of the G4.

Does anyone know if blocked FM is a software or hardware issue on the different G4 versions? Is this something that might be fixed with new software if the phone is rooted?
 
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lgt_auto

Member
Jun 6, 2015
8
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Other Versions

The article about Verizon's G4 was actually at Android Central. There was a Reddit post indicating that FM doesn't work on the T-Mobile phone. I think I read somewhere that it is supported on the Sprint phone.
 
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davelee1054

Senior Member
Apr 22, 2013
104
20
Maybe it's your location? Works fine in San Francisco.

OxKwlnq.jpg
 
W

water-

Senior Member
Jun 17, 2014
54
9
davelee--what carrier is your phone on?

phillymade, looks like you are talking about streaming FM channels...different animal. This is talking about using FM w/o any data...like an old sony walkman.
 
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MicroMod777

MicroMod777

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the_scotsman said:
Wow, you guys in the US really do get screwed over big time by your carriers. Why on earth do they remove things like FM Radio, themes, Smart Settings etc....it boggles the mind. Makes me so thankful I don't get my phone from a US carrier :eek:
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Greed is what runs our country my friend! Unless there a some kind of kickback $ to the carrier, they won't allow it. Worst one is Verizon who only care about the high paying customer. How do I know this? I worked there as a tech for four years till they fired 1000 of us in Southern California call center to maximize their profits. They started closing other centers also around the US outsourcing their calls now.

Management always made us look at their bills to see how much they pay a month before making any decisions on their accounts.

Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
 
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lgt_auto

Member
Jun 6, 2015
8
4
I'm new to Android, but I don't see any apps that look like a stock FM Radio app. Is that a LG app that is included on the unlocked phone? I imagine that any carrier that would prevent the FM receiver from functioning would remove that app from their phones. But it's a good point that failure of NextRadio to work might not prove that the FM receiver is disabled. I'll try a couple more radio apps.
 
L

lgt_auto

Member
Jun 6, 2015
8
4
After writing that last post, I looked for alternatives to NextRadio, but most if not all of the other free FM apps use streaming. I did find a $7 app called Spirit1. Included in the description is:

If you're an average phone user, & don't know what Android "rooting" is, Spirit will likely not offer you much more than your stock FM app. If your phone does not have a stock FM app, it is unlikely that Spirit will work on it.
- Digital audio features supported ONLY on: ROOTED Non-stock AOSP International Galaxy S/S2/S3/Note/Note2/Player, HTC One/OneXL/OneS/Evo 4G LTE/Xperia T and most Sony 2012+ devices.

FM antenna is listed in the G4 spec. There's always the hope if nothing else works that the feature could be turned on in a rooted device with a different ROM, but I doubt enabling broadcast FM is the highest priority of anybody who would be doing that.
 
MicroMod777

MicroMod777

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Apr 23, 2010
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lgt_auto said:
FM antenna is listed in the G4 spec. There's always the hope if nothing else works that the feature could be turned on in a rooted device with a different ROM, but I doubt enabling broadcast FM is the highest priority of anybody who would be doing that.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse

Back in the day when I had the grand daddy of Android, the "Nexus One", (wish I would of never sold it), dev's were able to enable FM Radio.

FM Radio support added to the Nexus One with custom kernel
http://www.talkandroid.com/6291-fm-radio-support-added-to-the-nexus-one/

I'm sure if we really wanted to we could probably do the same to the G4, but most people (dev's) don't care for it anymore.
 
X

xd0

Member
Dec 26, 2010
38
1
Guys,

Does the international model (H815) have the FM Radio app pre-installed?

HTC Aria A6380 (I bought that international version specifically to listen FM radio) had stock FM Radio app. At time, when I installed ROM with Android 4.4.4, I was using free Sprint UL FM Radio app. It worked well then...

I guess this time with LG G4 I'll have to do the same. I'll buy its international version H815. Greedy US carriers will not get my money for their mangled devices...
 
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vinit91

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    Soulfistication
    No, seriously - contact the FCC and congress

    Hi, please bear with me on my very first post as a newbie. Earlier content in this thread seems to raise the question of the legality (arguably from an antitrust perspective) of domestic carriers willfully disabling 3rd party products for their own commercial prospects. If this bothers you then you might do something about it. I suggest respectfully that you please start by reading the congressional letter to the FCC chairman Tom Wheeler dated March 3, 2015 (it seems as a newbie I cannot post links - but search the term "FM chips get attention in congress" and look for article on NRB.org)

    Do you think the public is entitled to some clear and detailed answers about how its airwaves are being controlled?

    Do you expect to earn more liberties by remaining silent . . . ?

    THANKS kindly.
    View
    3
    MicroMod777
    MicroMod777
    the_scotsman said:
    Wow, you guys in the US really do get screwed over big time by your carriers. Why on earth do they remove things like FM Radio, themes, Smart Settings etc....it boggles the mind. Makes me so thankful I don't get my phone from a US carrier :eek:
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse
    Greed is what runs our country my friend! Unless there a some kind of kickback $ to the carrier, they won't allow it. Worst one is Verizon who only care about the high paying customer. How do I know this? I worked there as a tech for four years till they fired 1000 of us in Southern California call center to maximize their profits. They started closing other centers also around the US outsourcing their calls now.

    Management always made us look at their bills to see how much they pay a month before making any decisions on their accounts.

    Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
    View
    2
    L
    lgt_auto
    I received my AT&T version (H810) of the G4 this week. I had been assured by AT&T chat rep that their version has no features missing compared to other versions, but when I installed NextRadio, I got a message that my carrier doesn't allow access to the FM radio receiver of my device. A recent Reddit post says that the Verizon G4 (VS986) also doesn't have FM radio. This appears to be similar to the G3, in which only the international version had FM Radio, and that may have been a hardware-level difference. Of course the most obvious reason this capability is not supported by most US carriers is that they would like you to pay them to stream data rather than listen for free. There are general discussions of this practice elsewhere. My intention for this thread is to have a place to accumulate knowledge about the technical issues related to this function (or lack of it) on versions of the G4.

    Does anyone know if blocked FM is a software or hardware issue on the different G4 versions? Is this something that might be fixed with new software if the phone is rooted?
    View
    2
    W
    water-
    davelee--what carrier is your phone on?

    phillymade, looks like you are talking about streaming FM channels...different animal. This is talking about using FM w/o any data...like an old sony walkman.
    View
    2
    BIGWORM
    BIGWORM
    Tuco Ramirez said:
    Dave Lee, So U wanna know "What does the FCC & Congress have to do with this?" The FM signal capability on our cell phones? Really?!! Evidently u weren't paying attention to the teacher in your social studies (US Government class). It's got all to do with those two institutions because Congress created and empowered the FCC to review, REGULATE and determine anything relating to consumer and non-consumer electronics in the USA! Get it dumb dumb? That's exactly where we are suppose to complain if and when we suspect the big boys are taking advantage of us (the consumers). I have a cheap 100 Euro LG D415 phone I bought in Spain in 2014 & the darn thing comes with a free over the air AM-FM Radio App. No internet necessary to listen to it. No need to pay any carrier to listen to "streaming" radio. And yes, it's a Google Android phone! To bad you have not taken the time to know your rights or to protect them. Some of us do.
    Click to expand...
    Click to collapse

    Absolutely no need to be rude to OP or anyone else in this thread. There's a polite way to get your point across and be civil about it. No need to call anyone a 'dumb dumb' because of someone's differing opinion, or potential lack of information. Thank you.
    View

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