In this complete guide we will explain all of the methods you can use to find out if your mobile phone has FM radio, but it is hidden. This is something very common in recent years, as most manufacturers choose to include the FM Radio chip, but disable it so that it cannot be used and thus eliminate a strong foe of streaming services.
It is possible that your phone has this chip, but you cannot tell with the naked eye since it is hidden from the manufacturers. To solve this problem, we explain three simple methods that will be very useful to know if your mobile has a hidden FM radio. Let's get to know them!
Look for the Radio app on your mobile
Searching for the Radio app is the easiest way to find out if your mobile has FM Radio.
The easiest way to find out if your mobile has FM radio is to search for the Radio app on your mobile. On some devices, this application is still pre-installed, so you can find it easily by looking in the application menu. In my case, which I have a Samsung mobile phone, the Radio app is located inside an application folder called Samsung.
If the app search is positive, you can confirm that your mobile has that FM Radio chip and that it is not hidden by the manufacturer. Conversely, if you can't find this app, you need to use other ways to find out if your mobile has FM radio.
Confirm if you have the FM radio chip through the system test
While this procedure is a little more complicated than the previous one, you won't need much time to perform it either. It consists of carrying out a diagnostic test on your Android which it gives you access to the various components of the terminal. This will take you to the list of items and check whether or not it has the FM Radio chip.
The diagnostics menu is hidden on most mobiles, so it is necessary enter a code in the Phone app to access it. Depending on the manufacturer of the terminal, one or the other of the following codes must be marked:
- Samsung: write the code * # 0 * # all together.
- Xiaomi: by writing the code * # * # 64844 # * # * all together or through the CIT menu.
- Sony **: write the code * # * # 7378423 # * # * all together.
- HTC: by typing the code * # * # 3424 # * # * all together.
- Huawei: with the code * # * # 2846579 # * # * in the Phone app.
This hardware test will not always include the FM radio chip, as is the case with Samsung devices, where you can test things like the camera, but you won't find information on the chip. For example, despite having a radio app on my Samsung mobile, the hidden diagnostic menu does not inform me of the existence of FM Radio.
On the opposite side are the Xiaomi terminals, where you can easily check if they have FM radio by accessing the CIT menu. In the components list, as you can see in the following screenshots, you can test the operation of the FM radio (it is included).
With the NextRadio app
If neither of the above two methods helped you to know if your Android mobile has FM radio, you can still resort to one last solution. It's called NextRadio and it is a free app that uses the FM Radio chip to give you access to stations, unlike most radio apps that do it via streaming.
Not all is positive in relation to NextRadio and this app is not compatible with all devices. To check if your mobile is, you just have to go to its Google Play page, where you can check if you can download it or not. If your mobile is compatible and NextRadio works normally, you will have confirmed that the terminal has FM radio.
In case you have not been able to access the FM radio of your mobile in any of the above three ways, you can always listen to your favorite channels with best radio apps for android, for which you will only need an Internet connection, thus forgetting the FM radio.
