There are so many fun applications on Android smartphones, such that most people hardly remember the FM radio. Once in a while, you could remember and decide to use it but only to find out that the FM radio is not working on Android phones.
It may happen that you are yet to properly set up the radio features. Or probably, you are not familiar with proper usage since you rarely use. The following solutions can come in handy when FM radio is not working on phone. Read through and try them out.
Before trying out these solutions, ensure that you are doing the right thing. The Android FM radio does not have an antenna so the earphone or headset doubles as an antenna. This is the reason why most FM radio on Android will prompt you to connect a headphone.
- Ensure that your headphone is properly connected.
- Make sure you are sitting in a spot where you get a good signal reception. Sometimes, it is a simple problem of the signal.
Update OS to the latest software version
If you have been using your phone for a while, your Operating system might be the reason the FM radio is not working on Android. Every function in a smartphone is tied to the Operating System (OS) and when the OS is out of date, everything is affected.
Here is how to update the OS on Android.
- Connect your device to Wi-Fi.
- Launch Settings.
- Select About Phone.
- Click Check for Updates.
- If an update is available, an Update button will appear.
- Click on Update
- Next, tap on Install Now
- For some OS, you may see Reboot and install, or Install System Software. Click on it
- Allow the phone to reboot.
- Now you have updated your OS, you can launch your FM radio
Reboot/Restart your phone
If your FM radio was working fine, and then it stopped working all of a sudden, you may be dealing with a bug. Reboot your phone to see if it fixes it.
- Close all tabs on your android phone.
- Press down the Power button until you see the options
- Select Restart
- Give the phone a couple of minutes to restart and reboot
- Once done, connect your headset and relaunch the FM radio
Clear app data and cache of Radio app
If after updating your Android phone OS and the issue of “fm radio not working but am is” still exists, you can try another easy step. Simply clear app data and cache. Clearing data and Cache is most effective where you are getting an error message anytime you try to launch your FM radio.
- Launch Settings
- Navigate and click on Apps and Notifications
- Select FM radio from the list of apps and click on it
- Click on Storage & Cache
- Now click on Clear Cache. Give it a few seconds to clear
- Tap on clear storage
- After about 20 seconds, it will clear to show ‘0B’
- Close the menu.
- Connect your headset and relaunch the FM radio
- Search the frequency of the channel you want to listen to.
Download a third-party radio
Ordinarily, the first two solutions should fix any bug with the FM radio. If the FM radio is not working after both solutions, try downloading a third-party radio.
- Launch play store
- Search FM radio
- Several third-party radio options will show up in the list.
- Look for one with a good rating and user reviews. Also read through the description to be sure that the radio you have selected will work both online and offline.
- Click on Install
- Connect your headset and launch the newly installed radio. You can now search for preferred stations and save your favorites.
Try to visit the official service center
On rare occasions, your phone may have a fault that is preventing the FM radio from working properly. You are no expert, and so you may not know where or what to check. You can take the phone to an accredited service centre to see what the problem is. If you are within the warranty period, you can get it fixed at no extra cost to you.
Carlcare is the official after-sales service provider for TECNO, itel and Infinix phones. If you use any of these brands, you can use the Carlcare App or website to book a reservation so that you don’t have to wait in a queue.
If you use any other Android brand, visit the manufacturer’s website for directions to the official service center close to you.
Conclusion
FM radio not working on Android can either be due to a settings problem, a software problem or a hardware problem. You can use the solutions listed here to fix the settings and the software problem. For a hardware problem, you will need an expert technician to fix it. This is the reason for visiting an accredited service centre. It is safer and more reliable to take it to the official service centre so that the trained professionals can have a look at it.
