LG and NextRadio announced this morning that going forward, LG will enable an FM chip inside its smartphones, allowing for access to your local FM radio broadcasts in the US and Canada. Neither company said which LG phones would have the chip (maybe the LG V30?), but I’d imagine it’ll be most of them. They certainly didn’t suggest this would be a limited rollout.
Not only will LG phone owners be able to listen to local sports, music, and talk programs, they’ll also gain access to audio emergency alerts when cellular coverage is poor or unavailable. This direct FM connection also means less battery usage than a streaming app you might be using today.
Finally, NextRadio says that much of this is “subject to agreements with wireless carriers,” but they may preload the NextRadio app on some models.
// PRnewswire