The five reasons why mobile phones no longer include an FM radio

The radio has become the saving of communications in the blackout that has taken place in Spain and that has left the entire peninsula without electricity for many hours. Only archipelagos and autonomous cities have been saved from the incident, although in some cases they have also had problems with telecommunications.

Until not many years ago mobiles always included FM wave receptorswhich allowed listening to the radio without the Internet. However, for some time the manufacturers prioritize the cost, space and other aspects to remove this characteristic that many miss, and rightly.

There are multiple reasons why manufacturers no longer include this characteristic, although it should be asked if despite everything it is convenient to include, even for emergency situations such as lived. Brands such as Apple have shown that functions can be created for very specific uses if that means that they can Help us in accidents and urgencies.

Fall in radio use

One of the main reasons why manufacturers no longer include an FM radio is because the audience of it is gradually falling. In countries like Spain The average age of the listeners is above 53 years, which shows that, although Young people listen to some stationsthey do it in a much less intense way than their parents and grandparents.

This invites manufacturers not to prioritize this type of receivers When the chips are designed, which after all are the ones that include these functions. Rare is that a brand wants to implement an FM radio receptor on its own if the processor manufacturer has not done so. And brands like MediaTak or Qualcomm are increasingly give less importance.

In addition, the inertia of use of This technology is still in carswhich is one of the spaces where it is most used, and in houses and offices, but using online stations or devices designed for this exclusively, such as famous transistors. Few people, even those who usually listen to radio, use the mobile as a main way to do so.

Space and cost

Another rather obvious reason why processors and mobile manufacturers do not bet on FM radio is because it is a component that It costs money and occupies space. They are not the latest technology chips, but everything adds when trying to contain the manufacturing cost of mobiles, especially now with the increase in tariffs in many countries.

As for space, the tendency of Try to make mobiles as light as possibleand as fine as possible already collides with the strategy of Increase battery capacityand being able to eliminate internal elements is always an advantage for manufacturers, because they can dedicate that space to other things, or remove it to make the mobile thinner and light.

There are no headphones jack

Another problem with the inclusion of FM radio is that You also need to put a 3.5 mm headphone jack. This is because for the radio to work, it needs an antenna, and the headphones cable works as one, reaching the more than 80 cm that are needed. The mobile could be restructured to include a new antenna only for the FM radio, but it is not very viable given the rest of the reasons that are presented in this article. In addition, the signal is best received when that antenna is deployed, not compacted.

Some mobile phones allow the use of headphones with Jack 3.5 mm connector in the USB-C port, using an adapter, but for this to serve as an antenna, the mobile must be designed for it, allowing to receive analog signals in addition to digital. Not all mobiles with USB-C port have benefits so that they can be used as antennas connecting headphones.

Wireless headphones

Even in the event that a mobile has headphones jack, that does not mean that the brands will implement the FM radio. Besides, Most users already opt for wireless headphones modelswhich are much more comfortable to use.

AND The price is no longer a barrierbecause there are models of less than 20 euros that serve perfectly to listen to music, make calls etc. At the beginning of this technology it could be thought that paying more than 200 euros for TWS headphones such as Airpods was too much and that cable could continue to do their function, but currently the price is not so different.

It’s free

One of the advantages for FM radio consumers is that It can be consumed for free. It does not imply the payment of an Internet rate, much less than a monthly fee as it happens with video or music Straming applications. And that is not pleasure from some mobile phone operators.

The case of Verizon was sounded, which In 2016 it disabled the FM radio chip of several LG models that were sold in their stores. However, of that almost a decade ago and mobile operators no longer have the power that they once had to demand great changes to mobile manufacturers in their terminals if they wanted to distribute them in their stores.

As can be seen, There are many reasons why the majority of mobiles who are currently sold. However, there are models that continue to carry it, just as there are some models that keep the infrared emitter or the microSD slot. It remains to be seen that a situation like the one lived in Spain will become the reason why this changes, but if these types of cuts in the supply begin to be common in more countries, perhaps mobile manufacturers are raised.