Samsung's upcoming smartphones to have active FM radio chip in the US

Samsung has teamed up with NextRadio to bring FM service to its new phones. NextRadio made the announcement, rightly explaining that FM radio is essential in areas with low connectivity and in emergency and disaster situations where a connection might be difficult to obtain or maintain and where access to information could be a matter of life and death. With the chip unlocked, users will be able to listen to local radio on their phone using the NextRadio Android app.

Most smartphones ship with FM chips, but they are usually not enabled for various reasons. FM Radio isn't just for music; it's useful in an emergency situation since it is more resilient and has a longer range than a cellular signal.

FM stations can give people critical information even if a storm wipes out the local Internet infrastructure. In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai issued a public statement calling on the wireless industry to activate these dormant FM chips to assist in emergency situations.

So far, along with Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Alcatel have announced they will start enabling FM chips in their devices.