[duckduke]

Has anyone tried this app on PRIV?? Does it work??

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...oapp.nextradio

The FAQ states that its working in US and soon Latin America. But, the list of supported devices does not include PRIV:
Supported Devices - NextRadio

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions - NextRadio

(if replying please state carrier, i.e. - ATT, Sprint, etc.)

[Bla1ze]

Doesn't work.

[duckduke]

Absolute bummer.

Another app (SpiritFM) is working on other android phones but appears that the phone has to be rooted....... don't think that will work will PRIV

Posted via CB10

[JG_Agustin]

Doesn't work.

Reminds of people asking for certain Android apps on BB10...

This is not a deal breaker for me, but it's a useful feature of BB10, it's sad to see it wasn't enabled on the PRIV.

Posted with my powerful and masterful  Passport!

[chuckiev79]

Radio.com works as well as iheart radio.

[123dcp]

But do radio.com and iheart radio allow you to listen to all local FM stations, including any that are broadcasting sports that are not allowed to be broadcast over the internet? Nope. Do they work if your data coverage is absent or inconsistent? Nope. Would they work after a disaster knocked out local cell service? Nope.

They're nice, but they're not a full substitute for activation of the FM radio circuitry that is sitting in the phone, unactivated.

[123dcp]

Supposedly AT&T is activating the radios on its user's smartphones and the Priv does have the required FM capability in its chipset. However, at this time NextRadio indicates that the circuitry is not enabled on my AT&T Blackberry Priv. Perhaps it is possible that the phone might lack the required connections between the chip and the headphone jack to allow use of the headphone cable as an antenna, but it seems like all that is required is an update to the software to activate the FM radio. If AT&T wants it activated, I'm not sure why it wouldn't be. AT&T announced this policy in mid-2015 and said that it would apply to phones sold in 2016 and older phones would be updated. I got my Priv in December and it's now almost May. I wonder what the hold-up is.

[megafan2000]

I wonder what the hold-up is.

Because they want us to use our data. As 123dcp said, what happens when you lose data coverage - no local basic radio.

I have no intention of streaming radio ever so I can hear the traffic or mass transit reports and local sports talk during my daily commute. I have been lugging my Classic along since I got my Priv in February. I would like to not have to do that anymore.

[duckduke]

Supposedly AT&T is activating the radios on its user's smartphones and the Priv does have the required FM capability in its chipset. However, at this time NextRadio indicates that the circuitry is not enabled on my AT&T Blackberry Priv. Perhaps it is possible that the phone might lack the required connections between the chip and the headphone jack to allow use of the headphone cable as an antenna, but it seems like all that is required is an update to the software to activate the FM radio. If AT&T wants it activated, I'm not sure why it wouldn't be. AT&T announced this policy in mid-2015 and said that it would apply to phones sold in 2016 and older phones would be updated. I got my Priv in December and it's now almost May. I wonder what the hold-up is.

SO ......... if I ordered a factory unlocked PRIV and did not put a SIM card in it........... would the FM work??

I have a factory unlocked PP and on ATT...... my FM radio has worked since day 1. That's what I don't understand. If I have a factory unlocked PRIV running on Blackberry fed OS updates, why wouldn't the radio work (assuming ATT or carrier is preventing it otherwise). This is what I don't understand.

[123dcp]

I have grandfathered unlimited data the last time I checked with my IT folks, so that wouldn't make AT&T much money in my case. While AT&T is indubitably evil, this has more the smell of a foul-up than an evil plan to me.

[123dcp]

No idea.

Google certainly has no beef with Android allowing the FM radio to work, AT&T announced almost a year ago that it wants to enable the radio functionality on all of its phones, BlackBerry has no apparent interest in disabling it.

I guess it's still possible that BlackBerry built the phones in a way that lacks some required connection between the deadphone jack (antenna) and the circuitry in the FM-capable chipset, so that software activation of the radio is impossible, but my guess is that either BlackBerry hasn't given AT&T the necessary software tools or NextRadio simply has an incorrect entry in its database about which phones have FM activated. It's easy to imagine that AT&T and NextRadio might not have communicated fully about a fairly minor phone. So, who wants to call AT&T to ask if it's activated, call BlackBerry to ask why it isn't activated if that's what AT&T wants, and call NextRadio to ask if they're sure it doesn't work.

[Wezard]

No idea.

Google certainly has no beef with Android allowing the FM radio to work, AT&T announced almost a year ago that it wants to enable the radio functionality on all of its phones, BlackBerry has no apparent interest in disabling it.

I guess it's still possible that BlackBerry built the phones in a way that lacks some required connection between the deadphone jack (antenna) and the circuitry in the FM-capable chipset, so that software activation of the radio is impossible, but my guess is that either BlackBerry hasn't given AT&T the necessary software tools or NextRadio simply has an incorrect entry in its database about which phones have FM activated. It's easy to imagine that AT&T and NextRadio might not have communicated fully about a fairly minor phone. So, who wants to call AT&T to ask if it's activated, call BlackBerry to ask why it isn't activated if that's what AT&T wants, and call NextRadio to ask if they're sure it doesn't work.

According to the FCC filings, the Priv has an FM radio, BlackBerry has not seen fit to activate it. No idea why. Call BlackBerry, calling anyone else is a waste of time.

[coolbreeze78]

The FM radio, while some think is antiquated, should not be deactivated, ever. Microsoft Lumias have the FM chip and it's worked for years, now they have decided to end support going forward, rendering FM useless (3rd party apps should still work). Nextradio has a pretty vocal campaign to enable chips by carriers, but it's very slow to catch on.

If I'm, say, in the woods I will have my phone on me. I may not have a signal. If a disaster strikes or there is bad/dangerous weather near me, I'll want to hear updates from news/weather. Having the ability to tune in via my FM radio enabled phone is, frankly, a safety concern. Yes I could carry a small radio with me, but let's be honest here...everyone has their phone on them at all times.

This practice of turning off or not turning on FM chips is a safety concern. If there is an emergency and cell towers are non-functional or data networks overloaded, FM on your phone is all you may have to stay safe. Interesting ramifications from a legal perspective here I think. I know carriers want data profit and streaming ad revenue, but there are larger concerns at play here are going unnoticed. Data, while highly reliable, isn't 100% guaranteed. Nor is FM radio, but it's much more likely to operate during an emergency than cell towers.

[Wezard]

Agreed, add the FCC to the call list.

[megafan2000]

Here's a tweet I sent a month or so ago. T-Mobile replied that it's on Blackberry.

https://twitter.com/TMobileHelp/stat...32524858867716

[123dcp]

That's interesting. It puts the blame on BlackBerry for not revising its version of Android to enable FM. I don't see any financial interest on Blackberry's part in obstructing this, so I was reluctant to believe BlackBerry was to blame, but at this point everything points BB's way. Maybe BlackBerry has some real reason, but my guess is managerial incompetence.

Well, now we all know who to call (and e-mail and tweet).

[megafan2000]

Who here has a T-Mobile (or any other carrier) Classic? Does it come with the radio?

My Classic is unlocked from Amazon and had the radio app right out of the box.
My previous Android, a myTouch from t-Mobile also had the radio app out of the box.

I previously had a 9360 from T-Mobile that didn't have a radio with the default 7.0 OS but once I was able to update to 7.1, it got the radio.
My Priv is from T-Mobile and doesn't have the radio so I was always hoping the Marshmallow update would fix that.