Spirit1, Spirit2 Real FM Radio General Thread

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Kess78

Senior Member
Oct 3, 2010
168
22
Hmm you right finally AF works, I just didn't make the RSSI go down enough, and it looks like its a very efficient AF, much better than the one on the Sola (which was an automatic one also not carried out by Spirit).

I tried NA band and still no RT :(

You should tell the guy to try the LG G2 method :)

The Xperia Z is a year old already and the Z2 is likely to be presented at the MWC so maybe you could be more interested by this one
 

mervluk

Senior Member
Jan 30, 2013
272
79
Just for info on 4.3 stock Spirit1 works fine on my rooted XZ, but sound only with Digital Audio method, which requires root? (not it seems at least for me the various Sony ones, although the default setting always worked up to 4.2.2). I've never had RDS though, but do get the station info. Better audio than Sony's stock FM IMO. As mentioned earlier Spirit 2 works fully too, with RDS, with excellent audio but the sound breaks up unless the screen is kept on with the EQ display switched on.** Edit: Though thinking about it, as the big idea behind Spirit2 seems to be to make FM a visual experience, forcing the screen to remain on is no bad thing! I think though that both versions, when on digital settings use the same audio processing and give the same audio quality??, so at the moment aren't the differences to the customer just cosmetic if you have the option of using either - which not all FM capable phones do, I realise (albeit Spirit 2 is much more technically pleasing to the Dev!). Sadly as Spirit seems best on AOSP roms there's an unfortunate consequence in unlocking Sony's which is the loss of the Bravia engine (for screen) and Walkman, if you use phone for streaming, and this man at least shall not live by FM alone!!

Just out of interest does Spirit 2 still "hang on" after closing with the most recent incarnation, so messing up Spirit 1 (requiring a reboot and sometimes a reinstall to recover stereo audio?) if you're foolish enough, like me, to try both!!

** I doubt it, but could this be anything to do with Spirit1's EQ display (not of course the audio) "switching off" with the screen as it seems as it takes a few seconds to start again once the screen is reactivated, whereas Spirit2's version seems to keep "playing" when the screen is off?
 
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mikereidis

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Jan 28, 2011
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Hmm you right finally AF works, I just didn't make the RSSI go down enough, and it looks like its a very efficient AF, much better than the one on the Sola (which was an automatic one also not carried out by Spirit).

I tried NA band and still no RT :(

You should tell the guy to try the LG G2 method :)

The Xperia Z is a year old already and the Z2 is likely to be presented at the MWC so maybe you could be more interested by this one

I sent you a new Unlocked test release to the last gmail I have for you.

I ripped open the Z Android 4.3 Radio3.apk and found it mostly did what LG G2 did, except for speaker. I hate it when OEMs like HTC and Sony change their FM audio APIs every Android version.

Yeah, but the Z can be had as cheap as $240 or so on EBay. I read a bit about the compact Z1; looks nice; it may be popular, but at this point I'm not going to spend $700 on a Sony; not unless I can feel sure it's worth the money and the time I'd have to "invest".
 

mikereidis

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Jan 28, 2011
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will this work with google edition htc one?
do u need be rooted
if not will ur other app work for htc one google edition?

Both Spirit1 and Spirit2 work on GPE HTC One, with 2 requirements:


  1. Phone must be rooted.
  2. Bluetooth must be off. I might be able to fix this someday.


There is an annoying 8-10 second wait at startup, due to Bluetooth off.


Spirit2 only supports digital audio mode, and there are still some audio dropouts with digital sometimes.


And... Spirit2 still seems to freeze up on the One sometimes.
 

mikereidis

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OK, wow, this will take a bit of time to answer, so I'll edit this post bit by bit as I put my kids to bed...

Just for info on 4.3 stock Spirit1 works fine on my rooted XZ, but sound only with Digital Audio method, which requires root? (not it seems at least for me the various Sony ones, although the default setting always worked up to 4.2.2).

As posted above, it looks like the latest Jan 15 Spirit1 Unlocked can work on some Sony's by setting Audio-> Method to "LG G2". I have a test release that should work better, maybe I'll put a new debug release on Play soon.


I've never had RDS though, but do get the station info.

RDS IS station info. Do you see text showing the station type, station ID, etc ? That's RDS. But you say Spirit2 has it, so I guess you understand that ? And you're running Spirit2 on your unrooted phone and RDS works ?


Better audio than Sony's stock FM IMO.

AFAIR, the Sony FM app can't go through audio processing: EQ, bass boost etc.

But does this work with Spirit, using digital audio ? I think results have been mixed.


As mentioned earlier Spirit 2 works fully too, with RDS, with excellent audio but the sound breaks up unless the screen is kept on with the EQ display switched on.** I think though that both versions, when on digital settings use the same audio processing and give the same audio quality??, so at the moment aren't the differences to the customer just cosmetic if you have the option of using either - which not all FM capable phones do, I realise (albeit Spirit 2 is much more technically pleasing to the Dev!)

Spirit1 and Spirit2 digital audio have been mostly identical until recently.

Then I went on a 2 week adventure of switching Spirit2 to a new low level NDK OpenSL ES architecture that is alleged to be the one true way to try to achieve high performance, glitch free, low latency digital audio on Android. Playing audio files glitch-free on Android is easy; anything more sophisticated seems to require both luck (based on your ROM, kernel, Android build, with OEM ROMs being worst.) and detective skills and time to chase down whatever is creating the problem and coming up with some fix or workaround, and doing this all over again with every different audio architecture and/or generation of chips.

The new architecture, and matching native sample rates and buffer sizes, seemed to help, but visuals, EQ and other things were gone, though they maybe could be custom recreated from scratch with a whole bunch more code and time, LOL. But it turned out most of the benefit was from just matching native sample rates and buffer sizes and not from the OpenSL ES.

So I switched Spirit2 back to the old architecture, but with the new sample rates and buffer sizes, in cases where it didn't cause a problem. Here are the results for the new Feb10 Spirit2:

For Qualcomm devices (except HTC OneXL/S/Evo4G) such as yours, samplerate changed from 22050 to 48000. Buffer size increased from 320 to 3840 bytes. I've noted that my MotoG can handle this, but only if visualizer is off. EQ etc is OK.

BTW, you can change Spirit1 Unlocked sample rate for digital. See the end of the Digital settings. And if you don't use AF you can test buffer sizes while running with AF-> AF Period. Default 500 disables this.

Qualcomm HTC OneXL etc still can't handle 48000, and won't work at 24000, so I had to slow it down to the 22050 it's always been at. Buffer size still at the too small 320 because other values don't work as well.

Samsung devices from GS1 - Note2 have never had any digital problems, despite 3 different audio systems, and remain at their native 44100. Different buffer sizes are used, but they've never been fussy.

LG G2 is now at 48000 and it seems better (waiting for reports) than the previous 44100 default for all. But there is still audio interruption when turning display on/off at least.

HTC One I tried to change to 48000 but it just wouldn't work, so back to 44100.


Sadly as Spirit seems best on AOSP roms there's an unfortunate consequence in unlocking Sony's which is the loss of the Bravia engine (for screen) and Walkman, if you use phone for streaming, and this man at least shall not live by FM alone!!

And that's an unfortunate consequence of most stock ROM users not wanting to pay for an app, and Sony's relatively poor showing in popularity among ROMers at least.


Just out of interest does Spirit 2 still "hang on" after closing with the most recent incarnation, so messing up Spirit 1 (requiring a reboot and sometimes a reinstall to recover stereo audio?) if you're foolish enough, like me, to try both!!

I dunno. :) Some release of Spirit2, maybe soon, may allow enabling/disabling OEM API support on Sony. But I'm still seriously considering killing the stock Sony support in Spirit2, which continues to be a big pain for very little gain.

There are at least 2 software layers too many in Spirit2 right now, and all to support the stock Sony API, which was once the "proposed standard Android FM API" but which went nowhere. This might be the source of my HTC One troubles.


** I doubt it, but could this be anything to do with Spirit1's EQ display (not of course the audio) "switching off" with the screen as it seems as it takes a few seconds to start again once the screen is reactivated, whereas Spirit2's version seems to keep "playing" when the screen is off?

You say EQ, I think you mean visualizer. The latest Spirit2's disable visualize by default, but allow it to be re-enabled per start. It uses a bunch of CPU, even when it's invisible because Spirit1 is on main screen. AND it seems to create crashes from time to time on certain phones/ROMs.
 
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julioforo

Member
Oct 11, 2008
45
10
Mine is D802 (International I think)

If I choose Lg G2 method everything works fine except that there is no sound.
If I choose Digital g2, the phone restarts...
 

mikereidis

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Mine is D802 (International I think)

If I choose Lg G2 method everything works fine except that there is no sound.
If I choose Digital g2, the phone restarts...

Yeah, digital crashes the kernel on stock kernels, and CM10.2 kernels.

Use the "Sony/QC Intent" Audio-> Method. Both this and the LG G2 method worked for me on stock ROM.

I should switch back to a stock ROM to make sure it works OK and sets method automatically. Right now it defaults to digital, which reboots on stock kernels.
 

mikereidis

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Jan 28, 2011
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Mine is D802 (International I think)

If I choose Lg G2 method everything works fine except that there is no sound.
If I choose Digital g2, the phone restarts...

OK, I loaded d3rp_LG_G2_RLS2 ROM which is VZ8 and tested with Spirit1 Unlocked Jan 15...

On this stock ROM the easiest is just to deny SU to Spirit1 and the OEM FM API will be used. And then the default Sony/QC Intent method will work, as will LG G2.

Otherwise, you can give Spirit SU/root (eg to experiment w/ digital or send me logs) if you set Debug-> FM API to "OEM Proprietary".

The main loss with the Broadcom API is RDS PI Program ID; that's 4 hex digits to identify station in Europe or call letters in North America. PS, PT and RT are there; haven't tested AF. I should eventually be able to make non digital FM audio work with low level mode I think.

The big gain with the Broadcom API is being able to switch Bluetooth on or off while FM is running. And maybe I can find a kernel or workaround for digital audio and we can get FM over BT too.


I'm gonna give the "RayGlobe Flex - ls980" ROM a try too. This is a close port for Sprint phone from a stock International ROM. Maybe it'll stop bugging me to activate on CDMA too...

EDIT: "RayGlobe Flex - ls980" worked OK w/ furnace kernel after installing the ROM without wipe. Then I re-installed after a wipe with I think the stock kernel. And audio didn't work. But strangely it looked like the furnace kernel using "adb shell uname -a". So I wiped again and updated with the other mod kernel, Leware I think. And it works. But uname -a still stays "3.4.0-furnace-0.0.7...".
 
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mikereidis

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LG G2:

I've posted a new Spirit1 Unlocked Feb 14 beta on Google Play with LG G2 improvements.

Some extensive testing on stock kernels indicate they are "fragile". At random, some calls to the ALSA audio drivers cause the phone to freeze and/or reboot. AFAICT so far, that's just the way it is, so stock devices, rooted or not, have to use the OEM FM API and the OEM audio methods, defaulting now to "Sony/QC Intent".

All this works fine on CM11 and likely other AOSP ROMs with AOSP kernels.

So, for AOSP ROMs, the default Audio-> Method is "LG G2". But this method is different now; it's a non-digital method for AOSP ROMs. If the stock kernel didn't blow up regularly, it would work on that too, with low level FM API.

If you want digital audio, you have to set that explicitly now.

The advantages of this "non-digital" audio (which is still digital at the hardware level) are that audio drop-outs shouldn't happen and CPU and battery will do better.


I'm thinking now that Spirit2 needs non-digital audio options.
 
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LenAsh

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Mar 20, 2011
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LG G2:

I've posted a new Spirit1 Unlocked Feb 14 beta on Google Play with LG G2 improvements.

Some extensive testing on stock kernels indicate they are "fragile". At random, some calls to the ALSA audio drivers cause the phone to freeze and/or reboot. AFAICT so far, that's just the way it is, so stock devices, rooted or not, have to use the OEM FM API and the OEM audio methods, defaulting now to "Sony/QC Intent".

All this works fine on CM11 and likely other AOSP ROMs with AOSP kernels.

So, for AOSP ROMs, the default Audio-> Method is "LG G2". But this method is different now; it's a non-digital method for AOSP ROMs. If the stock kernel didn't blow up regularly, it would work on that too, with low level FM API.

If you want digital audio, you have to set that explicitly now.

The advantages of this "non-digital" audio (which is still digital at the hardware level) are that audio drop-outs shouldn't happen and CPU and battery will do better.

Works fine on non-digital (LG G2 d802 CM11) in terms of operability, The "RF" performance is similar to Spirit2 with the unfortunate periods of semi-muted static every few walked "yards". Like early stock LG FM was (though without the Spirit semi-muting). No audio pops though!

Trying to be more "scientific/objective", I took my other LG G2 d802 on stock with the LG stock app running whilst out walking together with my CM11 d802 - 2 pairs of the same headset (HTC Desire type are the dog's conkers for FM reception) one ear with Spirit and the other ear with stock LG FM. Quite a reasonable comparison and eliminates signal variation and propagation funnies. Significant difference... On the walk back, I tried Spirit2 in one ear and Stock in the other. Very similar, but appeared better than Spirit with less muting. That may have been my new relative position to the transmitter though, so not overly conclusive.
 
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mikereidis

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Works fine on non-digital (LG G2 d802 CM11) in terms of operability, The "RF" performance is similar to Spirit2 with the unfortunate periods of semi-muted static every few walked "yards". Like early stock LG FM was (though without the Spirit semi-muting). No audio pops though!

Trying to be more "scientific/objective", I took my other LG G2 d802 on stock with the LG stock app running whilst out walking together with my CM11 d802 - 2 pairs of the same headset (HTC Desire type are the dog's conkers for FM reception) one ear with Spirit and the other ear with stock LG FM. Quite a reasonable comparison and eliminates signal variation and propagation funnies. Significant difference... On the walk back, I tried Spirit2 in one ear and Stock in the other. Very similar, but appeared better than Spirit with less muting. That may have been my new relative position to the transmitter though, so not overly conclusive.

You have TWO d802s, one stock and one CM11 ?? Good opportunity to test... :)

If this is just a soft mute issue, you should be able to test them next to each other. Tune a strong station and verify/adjust so volume is the same. Compare RSSI, though the OEM API will use some different scale.

If you now tune both to a weak station, I'd guess one should have much lower volume.


Do you see "BC OEM" flash at startup on stock ? Does Spirit show the problem with BC OEM, but the stock app on that phone doesn't ?
 

LenAsh

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Mar 20, 2011
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You have TWO d802s, one stock and one CM11 ?? Good opportunity to test... :)

If this is just a soft mute issue, you should be able to test them next to each other. Tune a strong station and verify/adjust so volume is the same. Compare RSSI, though the OEM API will use some different scale.

If you now tune both to a weak station, I'd guess one should have much lower volume.


Do you see "BC OEM" flash at startup on stock ? Does Spirit show the problem with BC OEM, but the stock app on that phone doesn't ?

(I fell lucky with a 2nd G2 in mint condition that someone had allegedly "bricked" and sold it me for a pittance. It took 15 minutes to sort. One of my daughters now uses it (so I only have minimal access to it now)).

BC OEM doesn't appear on CM11 or Stock as far as I can see.

Weak station-wise, and with lots of moving the headset cable around, the Stock app keeps the volume the same - no muting happened. Stock only seems to mute when searching for stations. Spirit2 on the same channel can be made to constantly flip the volume up and down as the signal drops to single figure RSSI. I tried to record this but for some reason I can't find the recorded file on the SDcard.

The stock app doesn't show RSSI.

I'm going to try Spirit1 and 2 on forced mono on tomorrow's outing and see what behaviours I get. I'm assuming that forced mono occurs in the FM front end and not in the audio path.

I think that if the soft mute can be disabled, and Spirit2 could have the pseudo-"Analogue" option (or the occasional audio pops/clicks eliminated on Digital) then the app would go from pretty acceptable to a very good solution.
 
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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 !

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    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" ! :)