Top-line models now are terrestrial radio-capable in the U.S.
But FM is lost in Windows Mobile update.
The public pressure on FCC for broadcasting emergency capabilities and NextRadio’s lobbying efforts have borne fruit in the U.S. Through an update, telecom operators T-Mobile and Sprint have enabled the FM chip in its Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge smartphones, according to Android Authority.
While the FCC is considering how to improve wireless emergency alerts (WEA), the National Broadcasters Association and National Public Radio recommend that the FM chips in mobile devices be activated. According to the NAB’s research, virtually all smartphones sold in the U.S. during the second quarter of 2015 came with an FM tuner, though FM reception was disabled by the carriers in 63% of them.
But there are some worrying news for Windows Phone users. Microsoft posted a list of known issues in the latest Windows 10 Mobile Insider preview build 14322. However, it missed the fact that installing the build also makes the FM Radio app disappear. There's no word on if this is a bug, or if Microsoft decided to take away the app from this version. The global market share of the Windows OS is declining and now only about 4 %.
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