Earlier this year, Samsung committed to enabling the FM radio chips in its upcoming smartphones in the U.S. and Canada. But while the carrier versions of the Galaxy S9 do indeed have FM radio support, it turns out that the unlocked models don't.
According to NextRadio, makers of an FM radio app for Android and iOS, Samsung forgot to add the NAM FM API to its unlocked devices. The good news is that Samsung will add it in with the first update that it releases for the unlocked S9, according to the statement NextRadio gave to Android Police:
"Samsung mistakenly did not add the NAB FM API to the unlocked devices. Our team confirmed this with them a couple of days after release upon receiving reports the app did not work. Samsung has said it will be in the first update they do, but have not yet settled on a date.
The model numbers are SM-G960UI and SM-G965UI that do not currently work for FM. SM-G960U and SM-G965U are sold through carriers and do work for FM."
FM radio is handy because it lets you tune in to music or talk radio without you having to worry about your cellular connection or data usage. It's free, too, so you can use it whenever you want without having to pony up $10 per month like you do with popular music streaming services. Owners of the unlocked Galaxy S9 in the U.S. may be frustrated that their expensive new flagship phone doesn't have these features because it lacks FM radio support, but thankfully a fix is comoing.
Do you ever listen to FM radio on your smartphone?
