Spirit1, Spirit2 Real FM Radio General Thread

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boggie81

Senior Member
May 26, 2011
84
21
Bucharest
Hello,

great app, bought it from playstore. I'm using it on GS2 I9100 international with CM 10.1 from a few nights ago (27/04). I have a couple of questions/issues:

1. Is recording possible only in digital mode? I get empty sound files in analogue.
2. Are the following known issues?
- When in digital mode (either auto or GS2) I cannot switch between earphones and external speaker, it just stays on earphones after it tries to switch.
- After using digital mode, external speaker and microphone don't work anymore. Tried switching back to analogue, plugging earphones in and out, but only a reboot fixes it.

LE. It seems that if I don't try to switch between earphone and external speaker, while in digital mode, only the microphone is affected. External speaker works fine...

Thanks
 
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mikereidis

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 28, 2011
7,823
4,146
Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada
GS2 I9100 international with CM 10.1 from a few nights ago (27/04)....

1. Is recording possible only in digital mode? I get empty sound files in analogue.

Recording is intended to work with analog audio methods, at least low level ALSA based methods. It's worked for me during my tests on CM10.1, but those tests were a month or more ago, and I do little testing of this now.

Recording should ALWAYS work with digital audio methods. If the sound is hearable on speaker or headset, then recording is pretty much guaranteed to work. The same data written to Android audio APIs is also written to the output file.


2. Are the following known issues?
- When in digital mode (either auto or GS2) I cannot switch between earphones and external speaker, it just stays on earphones after it tries to switch.
- After using digital mode, external speaker and microphone don't work anymore. Tried switching back to analogue, plugging earphones in and out, but only a reboot fixes it.

LE. It seems that if I don't try to switch between earphone and external speaker, while in digital mode, only the microphone is affected. External speaker works fine...

Thanks

Someone else has reported no speaker output but I haven't been able to reproduce that problem.

Removing and installing a wired headset plug while FM is playing digitally is known to cause some issues.

For problems that leave audio hardware in a bad state there is a brute force fix that resets all Android audio. Enable Debug-> Power Restart Media and the reset happens when FM is turned off (but not when muted or during an interrupting phone call etc.)


At this time my best responses for digital audio problems remain:

- It's still "experimental" and, based on the many problem reports I've had and my limited time, will likely remain experimental at least until the fall of this year.

- Different ROMs and kernels will give different results. I do most testing on CM10.1 with the stock CM10.1 kernel and pretty much every setting at defaults. So far I also don't test on phones with many apps running and with CPU time and memory in short supply.
 

lavemetoo

Senior Member
Nov 15, 2012
172
22
anybody, who made it run under [ROM][Jellybean 4.2.2][JDQ39E] ThinkingBridge ROM [I9100][Apr 24,2013][Stable 1] ?
http://xdaforums.com/show...4#post40875684

at least for the now most common "Galaxy S2/Note ALSA" method (#6) needed since CM went to open source libraries.

I went back to ROM stock kernel 3.0.31-CM and upgraded Spirit FM from oder version to 0421fr.apk.
Now FM is working like a charm, due to whatever. :victory:

Germany settings:
Band: World 50 KHz
Audio Method: Galaxy S2/Note ALSA
All other things: Default
 

boggie81

Senior Member
May 26, 2011
84
21
Bucharest
Recording is intended to work with analog audio methods, at least low level ALSA based methods. It's worked for me during my tests on CM10.1, but those tests were a month or more ago, and I do little testing of this now.

Recording should ALWAYS work with digital audio methods. If the sound is hearable on speaker or headset, then recording is pretty much guaranteed to work. The same data written to Android audio APIs is also written to the output file.

Removing and installing a wired headset plug while FM is playing digitally is known to cause some issues.


- Different ROMs and kernels will give different results. I do most testing on CM10.1 with the stock CM10.1 kernel and pretty much every setting at defaults. So far I also don't test on phones with many apps running and with CPU time and memory in short supply.

I did a full wipe and installed the latest CM 10.1 stock nightly. Unfortunately the same issues persist.

I do remember that a couple of months ago recording did work on analogue mode

At this point, neither mode is fully usable. In analogue, recording doesn't work, while digital mode breaks the microphone, without me messing around with plugging the headset in and out while FM is playing.

Even with these little hiccups, it does give us FM on custom roms, and that's good enough for me.
 

mikereidis

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 28, 2011
7,823
4,146
Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada
"Where has all the FM gone ? Gone to streaming, every one ?"

Post 6000. :)

Samsung, Motorola and LG all seem to be removing or disabling FM on recent high end / flagship devices.

The ST-Ericsson proposed Android FM API continues to go nowhere after more than 2 years, and ST-Ericsson seems to be imploding.

And the much bally-hooed Sprint deal with US broadcasters to enable FM on 30 million smartphones in the US doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast either.

Someone such as myself, whose only income is from an OTA FM app, has got to wonder if the writing is on the wall.

Even if lower end phones still have FM, logic and experience dictate that high end phone owners are MUCH more likely to buy apps such as Spirit.

I'm pretty sure there's at least 1 year of life left in Spirit. As time goes on, more and more GS1, GS2, GS3 etc. owners will be installing custom ROMs, so there's a long tail effect I think.

But I have to keep my eyes open to what's going on, and consider what other or related app areas I might need to eventually transition to. Audio related makes sense.

At least 1 more year of life means that I'll have good time to get the bugs out of digital audio modes, and there are still many new features to come.

Since I'm not getting a GS4 this year, I'm considering an Xperia Z or HTC One or similar. The former is getting an AOSP, but Sony might abandon that after a year like they did for Xperia S.

HTC One seems to me better and will sell better, despite some issues with bootloader locks and less info from HTC. I see many more threads for HTC One than Xperia Z.

Strange thing though is that I've had very few queries about either phone yet, despite a few sales.

FreeXperia, the "CM variant" for Sony devices, has a working open source FM app; the first and only CM FM app since the GB days. So, I expect few sales on Sony's.

Maybe I won't even get a new phone this year. If I do it will likely be the HTC One, or a similar device, like the lesser M4.

But, if Spirit works reasonably well on the HTC One without me getting one, and/or if demand is low enough, I may not get a One or any phone at all this year.

In a way it will be nice to concentrate on the very popular phones I already have, instead of constantly having to reverse engineer and make fixes for new devices.
 
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mikereidis

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 28, 2011
7,823
4,146
Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada
"Galaxy S4 = No OTA FM: In with a bang, and out with a whimper."

There is no usable FM, on the GT-I9500, or Qualcomm S4s such as T-Mobile SGH-M919 or Vodaphone UK GT-I9505. :(

I examined Spirit debug logs from a rooted Indian GT-I9500, T-Mobile SGH-M919 & Vodaphone UK GT-I9505.

Spirit appears to work, as it does on so many devices with no usable FM, but RSSI is always 0 on GT-I9500, and on SGH-M919 & GT-I9505 it was 0 or -17.

This is on the Broadcom BCM4335 FM/combo chip that all S4 variants have. The FM antenna pin is likely grounded / disabled and unusable.

And, other than a tiny clue in the kernel source, there's no indication of a dedicated FM chip on the PCBs, like the SI470x chips on previous International GS1 / GS2 / GS3 / Player / Note / Note2.

Hypothetically, there could be a dedicated Silicon Labs FM chip, or the PCB space and traces for it, hidden on the GT-I9500 PCBs. But Samsung would be crazy to waste a dollar on a dedicated FM only chip when FM is not officially supported. Even if there was a space for a chip.

Hypothetically, FM might just be missing, or disabled, in the bcm4335.hcd "patchram, almost firmware" kind of file. But I've never seen this happen before.

Hypothetically, there could be a software controlled switch somewhere that magically connects the FM antenna pin to headset, but I've never seen this before either.


So, I consider this case closed, for now at least, unless someone comes up with some interesting new observations.

My predictions were wrong, whatever, keeps life interesting and educational. :)

EDIT: May 20:
I had thought the existence of FM specific voice command text in ROM dumps indicated that FM was planned at some point.

But the GS3 GT-I9300 has voice commands in the latest stock JB leaked ROM, and it includes support for FM. See http://xdaforums.com/show...postcount=6078

...
I will be interested to eventually see the service manual schematics. Like those for the Nexus4 and Optimus G, I wouldn't be surprised to see evidence that an FM antenna connection to the BCM4335 had been planned, then scrapped. Then again, the kernel GPIO symbols imply an SI470x dedicated FM chip, so the schematic might show some dangling connections for that.
 
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SamsungPisser

Senior Member
Jun 17, 2011
50
7
Hmmm, that's not possible at this time, though it should be easy to change, as far as frequency up/down buttons go anyway.

What's the purpose ? Emergency services ?

You can manually enter any frequency, down to 1 KHz increments, but 1 KHz only works on Broadcom chips. 50 KHz works on all.

You can also assign any frequency as a preset.

Yes there are some services in my country that use frequencies a bit out of the default channel range. Thanks for the hint with direct entering the frequency. What happens if 1 kHz increments are not supported? Is there no receiving at all or is there rounded to the next frequency? I have Galaxy S3 unbranded, how to I find out the chip of my device? It would be great if you could make a debug option for 50 kHz in the Japan frequenc range and even 1 kHz (if supported by current chip).
 

mikereidis

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 28, 2011
7,823
4,146
Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada
Yes there are some services in my country that use frequencies a bit out of the default channel range. Thanks for the hint with direct entering the frequency. What happens if 1 kHz increments are not supported? Is there no receiving at all or is there rounded to the next frequency? I have Galaxy S3 unbranded, how to I find out the chip of my device? It would be great if you could make a debug option for 50 kHz in the Japan frequenc range and even 1 kHz (if supported by current chip).

Frequencies are rounded down if they can't be exactly tuned.

The Silicon Labs Si470x FM chips in Galaxy S class devices are limited to 50 KHz increments.

I recently reduced the Band settings from over 30 countries to the 5 "real bands". I had planned to make the individual hidden settings, such as channel offset, visible and configurable.

I'll consider this next time I'm in that area of code, but yours is the first such request ever / in the last 2 years.

I'd also like to support a wide band from 65 (for some chips) or 76 - 108 MHz. I did at one point for TI FM chips that support this directly, but all the other chips would require software emulation for things like seeks, so I haven't.
 
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radiobuzzer

New member
Mar 20, 2013
4
0
Samsung S7562 Galaxy S Duos

Hi, may I ask if there is a compatibility hint for the variant Samsung S7562 Galaxy S Duos since this dual SIM seems quite appealing in my case. Do we know what kind of FM chip it includes?
 

antonio89drop

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2009
427
157
I only have stock Xperia P and I've not noticed any problems. It's CPU is not very high power, but it's dual core. I'm pretty sure dual and quad core really help prevent problems. A busy app or 2 may be able to run on different cores.

And, Xperia P is designed for digital audio. On stock, it works well for me.

For the rest, I just have to say I don't know, or I haven't noticed much, or I haven't had many reports.


Hello Mike

Until Ics stock 6.1.1.B.1.10 media buttons previous and next were recognized by Spirit FM.
But I've recently updated Xperia Go to Jelly Bean stock 6.2.A.0.400 and I noticed that on it Spirit FM has a bug that does not recognize the media buttons previous and next present on the headphones or even the widgets which have such a function media next or media previous. Thinking that the problem was the firmware from Sony I have test with other music players and I noticed that they all support properly the media buttons previous and next so I think it goes updated somewhere parts the Spirit Fm to fix this bug which does not support the media buttons previous and next on Jelly Bean.

As always look forward to your answers and hope for a speedy resolution of the bug.
Thank you so much!!!
 

danielalarcon

Senior Member
Aug 22, 2012
181
48
Guatemala
Post 6000. :)

Samsung, Motorola and LG all seem to be removing or disabling FM on recent high end / flagship devices.

The ST-Ericsson proposed Android FM API continues to go nowhere after more than 2 years, and ST-Ericsson seems to be imploding.

And the much bally-hooed Sprint deal with US broadcasters to enable FM on 30 million smartphones in the US doesn't seem to be going anywhere fast either.

Someone such as myself, whose only income is from an OTA FM app, has got to wonder if the writing is on the wall.

Even if lower end phones still have FM, logic and experience dictate that high end phone owners are MUCH more likely to buy apps such as Spirit.

I'm pretty sure there's at least 1 year of life left in Spirit. As time goes on, more and more GS1, GS2, GS3 etc. owners will be installing custom ROMs, so there's a long tail effect I think.

But I have to keep my eyes open to what's going on, and consider what other or related app areas I might need to eventually transition to. Audio related makes sense.

At least 1 more year of life means that I'll have good time to get the bugs out of digital audio modes, and there are still many new features to come.

Since I'm not getting a GS4 this year, I'm considering an Xperia Z or HTC One or similar. The former is getting an AOSP, but Sony might abandon that after a year like they did for Xperia S.

HTC One seems to me better and will sell better, despite some issues with bootloader locks and less info from HTC. I see many more threads for HTC One than Xperia Z.

Strange thing though is that I've had very few queries about either phone yet, despite a few sales.

FreeXperia, the "CM variant" for Sony devices, has a working open source FM app; the first and only CM FM app since the GB days. So, I expect few sales on Sony's.

Maybe I won't even get a new phone this year. If I do it will likely be the HTC One, or a similar device, like the lesser M4.

But, if Spirit works reasonably well on the HTC One without me getting one, and/or if demand is low enough, I may not get a One or any phone at all this year.

In a way it will be nice to concentrate on the very popular phones I already have, instead of constantly having to reverse engineer and make fixes for new devices.

+1

I agree, unfortunately the s4 is not what I was hoping for, fm seems to be leaving the phone industry, at least high end, the only thing that gets my attention is sony xperia z or the flagship under the hood that is coming.

Anyway, thanks Mike, for helping me and others have fm support on the galaxy s1,s2 and now s3 on custom rom lik e cm.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using xda premium
 

mikereidis

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 28, 2011
7,823
4,146
Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada
Hi, may I ask if there is a compatibility hint for the variant Samsung S7562 Galaxy S Duos since this dual SIM seems quite appealing in my case. Do we know what kind of FM chip it includes?

I don't know, and I don't have the resources to support this phone.

It's likely a Broadcom FM/combo chip though, which is fine, especially when rooted.

The tricky part is always enabling FM audio and making it co-operate with other audio.
 

mikereidis

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 28, 2011
7,823
4,146
Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada
updated Xperia Go to Jelly Bean stock 6.2.A.0.400 and I noticed that on it Spirit FM has a bug that does not recognize the media buttons previous and next present on the headphones or even the widgets which have such a function media next or media previous. Thinking that the problem was the firmware from Sony I have test with other music players and I noticed that they all support properly the media buttons previous and next so I think it goes updated somewhere parts the Spirit Fm to fix this bug which does not support the media buttons previous and next on Jelly Bean.

Thanks for testing. Let's just call it a "mis-understanding" rather than a bug. :) It seems kind of strange that this issue doesn't happen on other JB ROMs, AFAIK.

I'll try to get the stock JB running on my Xperia P.
 

antonio89drop

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2009
427
157
Thanks for testing. Let's just call it a "mis-understanding" rather than a bug. :) It seems kind of strange that this issue doesn't happen on other JB ROMs, AFAIK.

I'll try to get the stock JB running on my Xperia P.



Thanks Mike await your information shortly on the "mis-understanding" :) is a feature that I use often.

Thank you very much!
 

mikereidis

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 28, 2011
7,823
4,146
Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada
Thanks Mike await your information shortly on the "mis-understanding" :) is a feature that I use often.

Thank you very much!

I'm unable so far to OTA Update My Xperia P to stock JB: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=41019386&postcount=2981

My stock wired headset only has 1 media button for pause/play. I tried a Samsung GS3 headset and it worked OK. Next and Previous went to volume control for Spirit and Walkman.

I've never been able to over-ride volume on Samsung's and I wonder if I can't over-ride on Sony too.
 

mikereidis

Inactive Recognized Developer
Jan 28, 2011
7,823
4,146
Ottawa/Gatineau, Canada
As my updated sig indicates, I badly need time off from Spirit to do the 100 jobs in the "job jar". :)

I ask you all to help yourselves to all the info in the first 3 posts of this thread, and links to FAQs and trouble-shooting tips and other info.

If it's not in the compatibility list, I can't support it.

If you're having annoying problems with audio, digital features, etc., please just be patient. They've probably proven difficult to fix.

The less email I get right now, the better. I might sign off for a while or add an auto-reply.

Thanks ! :)


------------
Weather is nice; 24 C or 75 F and sunny; this year is a new personal record for earliest grass cut, garden starting and AG pool opening; and yet there was snow in the forest until 10 days ago, LOL.
 
Apr 16, 2013
34
1
Lamongan
Spirit is a real, tuned, over-the-air FM radio app for Android. It does not require Internet access.

I NEED to take some time off, so please help yourself to all the info in the first 3 posts of this thread, and links to FAQs and trouble-shooting tips and other info : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=41055663#post41055663

Galaxy S4 = No OTA FM: "In with a bang, and out with a whimper." http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=40952026&postcount=6001

Where has all the FM gone ? Gone to streaming, every one ? http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=40952008&postcount=6000

See Supported Device List in post #2 below.

Variants:
  • Spirit Free: Basic & Mono. Digital audio on Galaxy S. See post #3.
  • Spirit Two Free Alpha: Digital Audio & other Unlocked features.
  • Spirit Light: (supported but no longer sold.)
  • Spirit Unlocked: RDS, Media Buttons, Lockscreen & much more.

Spirit is the ONLY fully digital FM app:
  • Bluetooth A2DP headsets in CD quality stereo.
  • Recording in CD quality stereo.
  • External visualizers, equalizers and effects.
  • Internal Wave and FFT visual: 5x8 dB & log2 43 - 22,050 Hz.

Digital audio support:
  • Rooted International Galaxy S, S2, S3, Note, Note2.
  • Rooted HTC One XL, One S, Evo 4G LTE, Sony Xperia T.
  • Most stock Sony 2012-2013 devices.

Record only support:
  • Stock International Galaxy S2 Jelly-Bean, S3, Note, Note2.


Download:

Info:


News:


Please purchase Spirit Unlocked for full features, excellent support, and help Android FM.

Thanks ! :)
Mike.


I try spirit free (0420) for my SAMSUNG GALAXY WONDER using custom rom cyanogenmod 10.1 alpha 4 kernel 3.4. it makes my phone stop and i must reboot to workaround. before it in alpha 3 I tried to use spirit free it was in function/ it was ok.

thanks....
 

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    Spirit1 and Spirit2 are real, tuned, over-the-air FM radio apps for Android. They do not require Internet access.

    Android 6+ Marshmallow Speaker mode and HTC One M8/Qualcomm startup problems: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=64465957&postcount=9434

    Dec 2, 2015: I'm going to close this thread for now at least, because sadly, too many "non customers" are coming here asking for support for paid versions and I've become very tired of it. Customers please email me mikereidis@gmail.com for support. Thanks !

    Dec 2, 2015: Spirit apps now available via Paypal through the new Alpha level Official XDA App: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=64109123&postcount=9431

    Spirit2 2015_03_25_lollipop & KitKat slow rollout: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=59681989#post59681989

    Mar 18/19, 2015: New Spirit2 release for Lollipop+: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1059296&page=904#post59544280

    Feb 21, 2015: Spirit's 4th birthday, Spirit2 analog mode & other New features: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=58992351#post58992351

    GOOGLE BAN on the Spirit apps (SELinux, lifted). :( http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=59810554&postcount=9046

    DAMMIT Google ! :( DAMMIT new EU VAT policies ! :( : http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=58184929&postcount=8824

    LG G3 official support ?: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=57367265&postcount=8710

    Spirit2 Lollipop HTC One M7 & M8 GPE with root: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1059296&page=872#post57367616

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    Nexus 6, 9, Player & Android 5.0: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1059296&page=854#post56094758

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    Spirit2 is officially released ! :) New thread for Spirit2: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2537861

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    New 30 day refund policy: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=50889714

    Digital Radio, the "Euro Chip Initiative" and "The Universal Smartphone Radio Project":http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=50416866&postcount=7511

    Permissions problems on recent ROMs: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=48749760#post48749760

    --------------------
    Spirit name: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=45326547&postcount=6771

    New phones: Note 3 LTE, HTC One Mini, Xperia Z Ultra & Z1/Honami: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1059296&page=673

    Broadcom OEM API for unrooted changes on Android 4.3 HTC One: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=44953912#post44953912

    Nexus 7 2013: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=44800402#post44800402

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    HTC One GPE Android 4.3 solution: Use Spirit August 5 or later version: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44298000&postcount=6585 apk: http://d-h.st/gWe

    Android 4.3 may break FM on devices using Broadcom FM/combo chips: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44233922&postcount=6571

    "Spying" on FM radio usage stats: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=44018032&postcount=6522

    Effem FM app in some CM ROMs ? : http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=43795132#post43795132

    HTC One GPE + digital audio (Unlocked): http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=43071149&postcount=6332

    HTC One first AOSP/Google support: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=42922397#post42922397

    HTC One Nexus Experience phone: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=42060507&postcount=6156

    Galaxy S4 MINI GT-I9190 FM: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=42061724&postcount=6157

    Galaxy S4 = No OTA FM: "In with a bang, and out with a whimper." http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=40952026&postcount=6001

    Where has all the FM gone ? Gone to streaming, every one ? http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=40952008&postcount=6000

    See Supported Device List in post #2 below.

    Variants:
    • Spirit Free: Basic & Mono. Digital audio on Galaxy S. See post #3.
    • Spirit Two Free Alpha: Digital Audio & other Unlocked features.
    • Spirit Light: (supported but no longer sold.)
    • Spirit Unlocked: RDS, Media Buttons, Lockscreen & much more.

    Spirit is the ONLY fully digital FM app:
    • Bluetooth A2DP headsets in CD quality stereo.
    • Recording in CD quality stereo.
    • External visualizers, equalizers and effects.
    • Internal Wave and FFT visual: 5x8 dB & log2 43 - 22,050 Hz.

    Digital audio support:
    • Rooted HTC One, One XL, One S, Evo 4G LTE, Sony Xperia T.
    • Rooted International non-US Galaxy S, S2, S3, Note, Note2.
    • Most stock Sony 2012-2013 devices.

    Record only support:
    • Stock International Galaxy S2 Jelly-Bean, S3, Note, Note2.


    Download:
    Info:


    News:


    Please purchase Spirit Unlocked for full features, excellent support, and help Android FM.

    Thanks ! :)
    Mike.
    92
    Compatibility

    Edit August 18, 2015: I haven't updated this list since June 29, 2013 largely because FM has been dying on Android devices. Samsung hasn't supported FM on flagships since the International GS3 GT-I9300 and Note2 GT-N7100 and never supported FM on US flagships except for some rare Sprint devices.

    If there is no stock working FM app on your device, chances are close to zero these days, especially on Samsungs.

    The only additions I have made in over 2 years are: Sony Xperia Z2/Z3 or compatible, rooted LG G2 International or Sprint, and rooted devices with Qualcomm FM/combo and audio chips, such as the HTC One M8, Xperia Z1 and similar, and some lesser known devices.


    November 12, 2012 compatibility list with more info on older devices: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=1059296&page=480


    No FM:

    These devices, and many more, are not physically capable of FM, except as noted:
    • Samsung Galaxy S4/S5/S6/Note3/Note4/Note5 & most US/LTE models of Galaxy S, S2, S3, Note, Note2.
    • All Google Nexus's except Nexus One w/ custom kernel.
    • Motorola Verizon Razr HD & M / Maxx. (Australia variant has FM.)
    • Motorola Verizon Razr I XT890 (JB update disables FM. May 8 worked w/ root, but no audio.)
    • HTC Verizon Droid Incredible 4G LTE.
    Manufacturers:
    • Samsung: 70 %
    • HTC: 23 %
    • Motorola: 4 %
    • Sony: 1.3 %
    • Huawei: 1.0 %
    • LG: 0.8 %

    Devices:

    As of April 7, 2013: 69 devices supported, except as noted.

    Other devices may work, but I can't support them.

    By 2013 popularity: most to least. I own the most popular and can support them much better.

    Samsung (14):
    • Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 / M / T
    • Galaxy S3 GT-I9300
    • Galaxy S GT-I9000 / M / B / 9010
    • Galaxy Note GT-N7000
    • Galaxy S Plus
    • Galaxy Note2 3G GT-N7100
    • Galaxy W / Wonder / GT-I8150 / B
    • Galaxy Cooper GT-S5830 / L / D / B
    • Galaxy S2 GT-I9100G
    • Galaxy Gio GT-S5660 / M
    • Galaxy 5 / Europa / 550 / i5500 / i5503
    • Galaxy SL GT-I9003
    • Galaxy Mini / Dart SGH-T499 / Tass GT-S5570
    • Galaxy Player / S WI-FI

    HTC (30):
    • One Stock, Google Play Edition & AOSP
    • One X LTE (AT&T) / XL / Evo 4G LTE / One S
    • One X International S720e
    • Sensation 4G / XE Z715e
    • Desire HD / Inspire 4G
    • Desire
    • Nexus One (need root & non-stock kernel)
    • One V (Virgin Mobile variant needs root)
    • Desire Z / G2 / Evo Shift 4G (G2 needs root)
    • Desire S
    • Wildfire S A510e / PG762
    • One X+ LTE (AT&T) (Not on custom ROMs)
    • Droid Incredible 2 / S S710E
    • HD2 / Leo / T8585 / T9193
    • Explorer a310e / a310b (No RDS unless rooted)
    • Velocity 4G
    • Evo 4G / Supersonic (2010)
    • Evo Design 4G / Kingdom / Acquire / HeroS
    • Aria / Liberty / Intruder A6366
    • Glacier / T-Mobile myTouch 4G
    • myTouch 4G Slide
    • One X+ 3G (Not on custom ROMs ; disabled pending confirmation)
    • ThunderBolt / Scorpion ADR6400L
    • Wildfire
    • Droid Incredible ADR6300
    • Amaze 4G / Ruby
    • Legend
    • Sensation XL X315e
    • Chacha / Status
    • Desire X (1 confirmation stock un-rooted)
    Motorola (12):
    • Defy A8210 / MB525
    • Droid 4 (need root)
    • Droid Bionic (JB update need root: http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2256439)
    • Photon 4G MB855
    • Droid X2
    • Droid 3
    • Droid X
    • Milestone 3 XT860 / ME863
    • Pro Plus ME632 / MB632
    • Droid2 A955 CDMA (need root & mono)
    • Atrix 2 MB865
    • Bravo MB520

    Sony (11) (Most only work stock for now):
    • Xperia S / SL LT22i / ii
    • Xperia Acro S LT26w
    • Xperia Ion LT28h / at / i
    • Xperia P LT22i
    • Xperia Sola MT27i
    • Xperia Go ST27a / i
    • Xperia U ST25i
    • Xperia T LT30a / at / p
    • Xperia V LT25i
    • Xperia TX LT29i
    • Xperia Z C6603 / C6602 (no speaker ?). ZL & Tablet Z may work with Audio-> Method = "Qualcomm Intent".

    Huawei (1):
    • Ascend G300 u8815

    LG (2):
    • Optimus One P500
    • Optimus 2X P990 re-enabled on Play & semi-official for AOSP ROMs as of June 29
    35
    This is an early document, for further details see: "Dec 19 Spirit2 design details": http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?p=35571087

    Next Gen: Spirit2

    After almost 2 years, Spirit FM (Spirit1 or version 1) is "mature". Among over 10,000 paid customers, many have been happy to run Spirit on 2-4 generations of phones.
    From HTC Legends, Desires and Nexus1's running Android 2.1 Eclair, to OneX, Galaxy S, S2, and now S3 & Note2 running Android 4.2 Jellybean.

    Spirit1 was not designed much, it was rapidly built using an open source app as it's base. This enabled a quick implementation on many phones, ROMs, etc.
    A lot of quick hacks has accumulated, and now it's difficult to change or cleanup many sections of code without creating bugs on some phone and ROM combinations.

    It's time to start fresh and design and build Spirit2 "properly".
    I'll create a system to enable new settings/options in a few minutes, instead of an hour or more, editing 5 or 6 different files.
    The code will be much cleaner, efficient and bug free when it doesn't have to support 7 different versions of Android, 200 different phones and 10 different FM APIs.


    Spirit1 Future

    Spirit1 will not disappear. Support will continue, but I can't guarantee I'll be able to make it work on old (3-4 year) phones running Android 4.2 JellyBean, for example.
    No major new functions will likely be added to Spirit1. For example, FM record may remain an experimental test option, but will not be supported.

    I will continue to make and release some minor bug and compatibility fixes; timing & extent to be determined. My focus will be on Spirit2, the future.
    I hope those disappointed will eventually appreciate my decision to focus on the future when they get a new device.

    I expect to cease sales of Spirit1 at some time; maybe in months or maybe years. At present, Google doesn't provide a good way to do this, and still allow
    existing customers to re-download. AFAICT we can only set the price to high values, such as $99.99 or $249. If you ever see such a price on Spirit1 Light,
    or Light & Unlocked, don't be appalled. It just means I wish to stop new sales while keeping existing customers happy.

    In the short term, Spirit1 might even become a testing ground for Spirit2. Before a device is officially supported by Spirit2, it may be enabled on Spirit1.
    Sometimes I get several reports that a new phone works OK. Then after some time, major problems become evident that make me regret calling the device supported,
    especially for rarer devices.


    Spirit2 Plans

    Plans are always subject to change. Gotta be nimble. :)

    Spirit2 will be available on Google Play around January, 2013. Beta versions will be available earlier, linked on a new XDA thread.
    No Light version is planned, but a free version may be. Price should be the same as Spirit1 Unlocked.

    Existing Spirit1 Unlocked customers can upgrade at no cost to Spirit2. Spirit2 isn't about making you pay twice.
    But if you feel generous and appreciative of my support over the last few years, I'd be happy if you made a 2nd purchase.
    Or as some appreciative users have, a 3rd, via Light or an additional tip/donation. :)

    The upgrade path from Light to Spirit1 Unlocked, or to Spirit2, or from Unlocked to Spirit2 is the same. I cancel your original order, even 2 years later, and you get
    a full refund. Then you simply buy the new version. You can email me for special needs, such as needing 2 versions for different phones.
    I cancel any order at any time on request anyway, so this is nothing new.

    Spirit2 will focus on a smaller number of popular phones among custom ROM developers and users. I will only support phones that I own for testing, and those with
    very similar architectures. The 80/20 rule applies here, and focusing on 20% of the phones, for 80% coverage just makes sense.

    If you want to run Spirit2, I recommend popular high end devices, mostly from Samsung and HTC. I'll be happy to make exceptions for other OEMs with popular higher end
    phones, or phones with a similar architecture. For example, LG Optimus G and some Motorola devices have the same S3/S4/+ Qualcomm FM/audio architecture as HTC OneX LTE.


    Spirit2 Design

    Spirit2 design started November, 2012, after a 12 month delay from original plans. :)

    Spirit2 will support digital audio features, such as FM recording, Bluetooth, VU meters and who knows what, possibly including visualizations and audio analysis.
    Phones that are not capable of digital audio features likely won't be supported. Thankfully, the wildly popular GS2 GT-i9100 is now proven to support digital FM audio.

    Unchanged from my original 2011 plan, Spirit will use and support the ST-Ericsson proposed Android FM API, hereafter referred to as "Android FM API", despite it's
    mere "proposed" status. The Android FM API was first proposed over 2 years ago now, and seems to slowly be making it's way into AOSP. It's slow progress,
    and uncertain future, has disappointed me. I hope that Spirit2 will help this FM API gain support from
    phone and FM chip OEMs, as well as other 3rd party app developers.

    Many Sony 2012 phones support this API already, on devices based on ST-Ericsson, Broadcom and Qualcomm FM chips at least. So stock, unrooted Sony devices should be
    well supported, in theory at least. I'm not committing to official Sony support at this time however.
    This API is similar to other "OEM Proprietary FM APIa" that don't need SU/root. But it's not proprietary, it's openly documented & uses open source code.

    Other "OEM Proprietary" APIs will likely not be supported. Spirit2 will retain a focus on custom AOSP type ROMs that are incapable of running stock FM apps.
    Support for different FM chips will be via plugins, exactly as specified for use with the Android FM API.

    Unless and until phone or chip OEMs supply suitable FM chip plugins, Spirit2 will provide them. Sony has at least 3 plugins, but it's not clear if Sony can or would
    allow their free re-distribution for other devices.

    Third party developers will be able to write apps using the open, rich & documented Android FM API.
    They will be able to run as standalone apps, widgets, etc. without Spirit2, on devices such as the Sony's that support this API (or a slight derivative).

    On devices that do not support this API natively, 3rd party apps will be able to call compatible functions in the bottom-half, service portion of Spirit2.
    They won't have to bother with tedious, boring stuff such as configuration, as the top-half, app/GUI portion of Spirit2 can handle that.
    Or they could provide their own configuration mechanisms and do anything that Spirit2 does.

    I hope that custom ROMs will be built using the Android FM API AOSP code, and support FM natively within their audio libraries and frameworks.
    But I can't count on this anytime soon, so Spirit2 will do it's best to emulate functionality that is ideally done in the internals of a ROM.
    This is the current situation with Spirit1 on many custom ROMs and it requires LOTS of effort and can never be perfect.

    "FM Chip control" is just one part of the Android FM API. The other major component is audio routing and control. Audio has been the major challenge of Spirit1.
    The FM chip/API code has changed very little during 2012.

    A device that fully supports the Android FM API makes audio issues quite simple. The app can simply start or stop the audio with easy functions. Complexities like
    volume control, headset cable media buttons, lockscreen controls, and possibly A2DP Bluetooth support can be taken care of by the framework of the ROM.
    Even FM recording should be simple, on devices that support it. Spirit1 supports a simple FM record function, but it only works on devices like GS3 at present.

    But Spirit2 will remain a more or less normal SU/root app, as Spirit1 is. I'm one person & don't have the resources to get involved in building kernels, libraries,
    frameworks and ROMs. So Spirit2 will have components that replicate, as best it can, a proper system service for handling FM and FM related audio.

    It seems to make sense to design & build a plugin mechanism for handling FM audio, similar in concept to the FM chip plugin for the Android FM API.
    The Android FM API chip plugin, a library file such as libfmradio.cg2900.so, is oriented to code at the C/C++/JNI layer of Android/Java.
    The Spirit2 audio system plugin is more likely to be done at the Java level, as there are many Android Java APIs that are required or useful.

    Hypothetically, Spirit2 could run even on officially unsupported phones, if someone has or writes an FM plugin and an audio plugin.
    Many FM chips could be supported, with at least basic features, by a single generic V4L FM plugin. A simple generic audio plugin could be created
    that would rely on configurable "reflected" Java APIs or shell scripts etc. The "real world" however, is messier than this might imply.

    Some portions of Spirit2 will be open sourced. Details to be determined.


    EDIT: Which phones/architectures will Spirit2 support ?

    Tentative, but:

    Galaxy S3/Note2
    Galaxy S2/Note
    OneX International
    OneS/X LTE, Evo 4G LTE & similar S3/S4/+ + WCN3660 + WCD9310. Might include Optimus G, Motorola.
    Any Nexus capable of FM. Nexus 4 ? 10 ?
    Sony 2012's maybe, since they support this API when stock.
    I'm keeping an eye on popularity & compatibility of Motorola Razr I.
    34
    Galaxy S GT-I9000 speaker damage risk:

    EDIT Feb 12, 2014: I still get occasional reports of speaker damage, about 1 every 3-4 months. Nothing can be done I'm afraid... :(

    EDIT May 20, 2013: One person has reported damage with digital audio mode. Virtually everything is different in this mode, so I can't imagine why it would happen. The only audio commonality is the analog outputs feeding into the inputs of the audio chip.

    March 23, 2013: See end of post for a potential digital audio solution. Digital audio is normally an Unlocked exclusive feature, but on Galaxy S it is available for Free users.
    There is a risk of speaker damage on Galaxy S GT-i9000 when running custom ICS or JB ROMs.

    If you've been running Spirit for at least 10-40 hours with no problem, your risk is minimal. I think this is hardware related and about 1-5 % are susceptible. I get about 1 report every 3 weeks now.

    Avoiding use of the speaker or keeping volume low does not help. Risk may increase when using USB cables to PCs or chargers or external amplifiers.

    If you are worried about Galaxy S speaker damage, then DO NOT use Spirit, unless on CM7 or a stock derived ROM. Use GB ROMs with proven safe FM, get a new phone, or just live without FM.

    Unless you are familar with ALSA programming, Ioctls and low level Linux/Android kernel stuff, as well as DC servos in amplifiers, please do not think you have useful technical advice to give about what I should study. I've spent at least 400 hours on this problem, with no analog solution.


    Have Damage ?:
    If you've had GalaxyS speaker damage, and are a BRAVE do it yourselfer, here are some Ebay links for speakers and instructions on replacing them: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=23014977&postcount=2355 All responsibility for any problems doing this is yours.

    Ringer/Buzzer Speakers are available on Ebay new for $6 shipped, or $8 refurbished shipped from the US to the US.

    I'm very sorry for any problems. I had no idea this problem would happen or go on this long. It's rare that software causes hardware damage.

    If you're angry, or think my dev skills are sub-par, please refer me to the secret documents for FM audio via Galaxy S ALSA controls. There is none. I've read the code for various audio libraries, and the ALSA drivers, many times, and though the March 4th, 2012 attempt seemed a virtual duplicate of the CM7 audio lib, the problem continued.

    If you've been affected, please email me at mikereidis@gmail.com to report.

    Thanks, and sorry for any troubles.


    Hopeful Digital Audio Solution:

    Using digital audio mode likely reduces or eliminates the risk. As of March 23, 2013, it's too early to tell.

    EDIT May 20: One person has reported damage with digital audio mode. Virtually everything is different in this mode, so I can't imagine why it would happen. The only audio commonality is the analog outputs feeding into the inputs of the audio chip.

    On first Spirit startup, or after clearing app data, you are presented with a choice of "Digital" or "Danger". Choose "Digital". If running Unlocked, restart Spirit to enable Visualizations and a record button.

    You can also set Menu-> Settings-> Audio-> Method to "Digital Auto" or "Digital GS1", both near the end of the list.

    If you hear interrupted high frequency "chipmunk" sounds, rebooting may help, at least until the microphone is used (but phone calls OK ?).

    If a reboot doesn't help, you can disable Digital-> Stereo and do Pause / Play. Audio is now mono of course, so you might as well set Audio-> Output Mode (or Channels next release) to "Mono Force".

    More chipmunk info: http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=39383252&postcount=5696

    Battery consumption may be a bit higher using digital. Unlocked uses substantially more CPU & battery when visualization is on screen, and when equalizers, effects and Bluetooth are in use.
    31
    I'm taking a MUCH needed break from Spirit and will restart work on Spirit2 in late October.


    After 2.7 years and over 9,000 hours spent developing, supporting and otherwise dealing with Spirit FM:

    - I need to draw a line in the sand here and take a week off to "detox" from the Internet.

    - Then I need a month for doing taxes and pressing family, household and personal tasks.

    - Then I need at least a few months to explore where Spirit is going with Spirit2 and/or some other FM app related stuff I'm considering.


    So,... given that I endeavour to be as honest and open as I can: I regret that going forward, I'm not going to be able to provide the high level of support
    I've been providing and been struggling to maintain.

    As always, if anyone has purchased Spirit and feel they haven't had sufficient enjoyment: I cancel any order at any time on request.

    For answers to most questions about Spirit, use the search feature on this XDA thread. If you can't find an answer, post, and hopefully some helpful person will answer,
    maybe even me occasionally. :) I previously answered every question on this thread, but I have to let that go now.

    I appreciate if anyone helps anyone else here, but ask that you be nice. I think it's probably better to ignore a poster than respond with an angry "Read the FAQ !".

    If Spirit doesn't work with default settings, maybe alternative settings will work. But this is the exception now. If it doesn't work by default, it probably won't.

    As time goes on, stock and custom ROMs will update/change and something may break in the FM access. I've hypothesized that for custom ROMs, within 3 months as many as 50%
    of ROMs will have a role in some problem with Spirit. If Spirit has 0 or just a few small updates in the next 3 months, I'll be interested to see the result.

    This breakage rate is largely the nature of the fast pace of change in ROMs, but change happens in stock ROMs too. The bluetooth stack has undergone major revisions in
    Android 4.2-4.3. I've dealt with that, and Android 4.3 related issues, so hopefully Spirit will run well on new or recent phones for a while.


    Since I'm looking at other "projects" in the Android FM app area, there's a reasonable chance that Spirit will continue to have related updates. But since I may
    (or may not) be concentrating on stock FM support, improvements may be restricted to stock support. The beta access for Spirit Unlocked and Light may be a way to deal with that.



    ----------------------------------------------------------------
    Sidebar:

    It's been a constant struggle to reverse engineer FM chip/API details as they change from chip to chip, phone to phone, OEM-OEM, Android version, API version, custom ROM, and more.

    Google isn't helping the cause any, nor are many of the phone OEMs, chip OEMs and carriers. Nobody else has been "crazy enough" to try what I'm doing with FM.

    Gee, even the top FM apps from Sony and Samsung don't do most of the digital audio features that Spirit can, even on an ancient GT-I9000 Galaxy S.

    But despite the work and crazy hours I put in, there are still some nasty & effectively unsolvable problems, like audio on Desire HD, a UI that needs serious improvement,
    and annoying things like 87.5 on startup with stock Broadcom API.

    The code for Spirit is a horrible mess, and deserves to be replaced with a (properly) designed Spirit2 or whatever.

    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    I'm not going to be monitoring my usual email address mikereidis@gmail.com as much, and not at all during any Internet "detox" week.

    This email will auto-respond that:

    - Purchase cancel requests (Only !) be sent to spirit.fm.unlocked.cancel@gmail.com, or perhaps to the normal email with "CANCEL"
    spelled out in capitals in the subject. And be patient please, even Google can be glacially slow handling these.

    I may or may not respond to any emails or posts. Sorry, I kinda hate to become "that kind of dev", but this is essential for me, and for Spirit, at this time.

    I appreciate all the appreciation for Spirit, and feel satisfied with the 4.7 out of 5 rating that Spirit Unlocked has on Play, from thousands of people.

    I hate to see that rating drop because I can't provide the same level of support, but I guess that would be fair and should be expected. I'd be more likely to drop a rating if I was the
    customer and there was little or no support for some problem.


    ----------------------------------------------------------------

    So, in the next few months, there is the potential for Spirit to re-continue, as it has for 2.7 years now. Or it may take a new form; remains to be seen.

    It's important for me to be honest and say that, instead of pretending I absolutely will return to Spirit if you can just wait. I refuse to be that kind of sales / business man.

    Business-wise, for Spirit as it exists now, some might see this as "burning a bridge". I see it more as a bridge in urgent need of repair/replacement to prevent loss of life. Need to replace the old wooden bridge with a modern steel structure...


    Thank you everyone for all your support, and see you on "the other side" ! :)