yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lgt_auto:
I received my AT&T version (H810) of the G4 this week. I had been assured by AT&T chat rep that their version has no features missing compared to other versions, but when I installed NextRadio, I got a message that my carrier doesn't allow access to the FM radio receiver of my device. A recent Reddit post says that the Verizon G4 (VS986) also doesn't have FM radio. This appears to be similar to the G3, in which only the international version had FM Radio, and that may have been a hardware-level difference. Of course the most obvious reason this capability is not supported by most US carriers is that they would like you to pay them to stream data rather than listen for free. There are general discussions of this practice elsewhere. My intention for this thread is to have a place to accumulate knowledge about the technical issues related to this function (or lack of it) on versions of the G4.

Does anyone know if blocked FM is a software or hardware issue on the different G4 versions? Is this something that might be fixed with new software if the phone is rooted?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lgt_auto:
Other Versions

The article about Verizon's G4 was actually at Android Central. There was a Reddit post indicating that FM doesn't work on the T-Mobile phone. I think I read somewhere that it is supported on the Sprint phone.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] davelee1054:
Maybe it's your location? Works fine in San Francisco.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] phillymade:
tunein working fine for me on the east coast on VZW
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] water-:
davelee--what carrier is your phone on?

phillymade, looks like you are talking about streaming FM channels...different animal. This is talking about using FM w/o any data...like an old sony walkman.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] MicroMod777:
No dice on my T-Mobile G4.

BTW, sent an email to the FCC and congress!
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] inick73376:
This isn't something I used but its sucked when I see something like this stripped off my device b/c of the carrier.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] davelee1054:
what does the fcc and congress have anything to do with this?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] xd0:
[MENTION=5231506]davelee1054[/MENTION]

What is the model number of your phone?

Is it H815?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] MicroMod777:
I clicked on the "I want my FM Radio" link from that app and it gave us the option of choosing to do that. Sounded good to me and couldn't hurt.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] the_scotsman:
Wow, you guys in the US really do get screwed over big time by your carriers. Why on earth do they remove things like FM Radio, themes, Smart Settings etc....it boggles the mind. Makes me so thankful I don't get my phone from a US carrier :eek:
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] MicroMod777:
Greed is what runs our country my friend! Unless there a some kind of kickback $ to the carrier, they won't allow it. Worst one is Verizon who only care about the high paying customer. How do I know this? I worked there as a tech for four years till they fired 1000 of us in Southern California call center to maximize their profits. They started closing other centers also around the US outsourcing their calls now.

Management always made us look at their bills to see how much they pay a month before making any decisions on their accounts.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Joe USer:
Any chance that the stock FM Radio app might work instead of NextRadio?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lgt_auto:
I'm new to Android, but I don't see any apps that look like a stock FM Radio app. Is that a LG app that is included on the unlocked phone? I imagine that any carrier that would prevent the FM receiver from functioning would remove that app from their phones. But it's a good point that failure of NextRadio to work might not prove that the FM receiver is disabled. I'll try a couple more radio apps.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lgt_auto:
After writing that last post, I looked for alternatives to NextRadio, but most if not all of the other free FM apps use streaming. I did find a $7 app called Spirit1. Included in the description is:

If you're an average phone user, & don't know what Android "rooting" is, Spirit will likely not offer you much more than your stock FM app. If your phone does not have a stock FM app, it is unlikely that Spirit will work on it.

- Digital audio features supported ONLY on: ROOTED Non-stock AOSP International Galaxy S/S2/S3/Note/Note2/Player, HTC One/OneXL/OneS/Evo 4G LTE/Xperia T and most Sony 2012+ devices.

FM antenna is listed in the G4 spec. There's always the hope if nothing else works that the feature could be turned on in a rooted device with a different ROM, but I doubt enabling broadcast FM is the highest priority of anybody who would be doing that.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] MicroMod777:
Back in the day when I had the grand daddy of Android, the "Nexus One", (wish I would of never sold it), dev's were able to enable FM Radio.

FM Radio support added to the Nexus One with custom kernel

http://www.talkandroid.com/6291-fm-radio-support-added-to-the-nexus-one/

I'm sure if we really wanted to we could probably do the same to the G4, but most people (dev's) don't care for it anymore.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] blitzzin:
Does not work on Verizon Wireless model VS986
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] xd0:
Guys,

Does the international model (H815) have the FM Radio app pre-installed?

HTC Aria A6380 (I bought that international version specifically to listen FM radio) had stock FM Radio app. At time, when I installed ROM with Android 4.4.4, I was using free Sprint UL FM Radio app. It worked well then...

I guess this time with LG G4 I'll have to do the same. I'll buy its international version H815. Greedy US carriers will not get my money for their mangled devices...
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] the_scotsman:
My Asian (Taiwan) 815 does have the FM Radio app by default.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jhold:
I bought the international H815, it has the stock FM Radio app, Next Radio does NOT work however, I get the same message that was posted on page 1 about the app not having access.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Joe USer:
Sounds like Next Radio doesn't support this phone yet. If US users want to try FM radio, a good starting point would be to get a copy of the stock app from the 815 to see if it works.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] porkandbeans:
Can someone post the stock FM radio app from the LG G4, so that I can try to install on my LG G4 us version? Thanks.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] piedra92:
The NextRadio works on the Sprint LG G4 (LS991).
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Ogreczar:
G4 FM Radio Issue - Circle Radio

Okay, I have an interesting tidbit. I was also searching for the FM Radio feature, as a Tmobile customer. Definitely failed with Next Radio and I did more searching. Turns out there is an LG-specific app called Circle Radio. So, theoretically, it should work in the circle cover/case and work on the phone.

Unfortunately, it also fails to actually execute for me. I'm betting it'll work on the Int'l version. Can anyone confirm?

For me, this is a highly desirable feature versus a data plan driven variant of FM radio. I am not worried about the streaming costs or whatever... I participate in facilities that use radio transmissions from TVs to broadcast audio within the building. It's a way to access the audio through my phone for the localized broadcast.

I think the carriers are over-looking that market segment. It's not always about paid content (i.e., streaming) versus OTA.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Joe USer:
Circle Radio requires that the stock app be installed, it says so in the description.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DattKiddKFC:
LG G4 T-Mobile

I tried the next radio app on my LG G4 H11 and received the same thing. My carrier blocked it. Does anyone know of a way around this?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] frigidazzi:
H815 fm radio apk

https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B7CDXLAcz1YVdVpOaVB4Q2N2V00/edit?usp=docslist_api
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] willshep:
TuneIn (Pro) works for me on T-Mobile G4
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] csmith8507:
Installed that on my Verizon G4 and it doesn't work. Looks like it works in "Mock" mode, but doesn't actually work. Does that mean that best case scenario is we need a new kernel and worst would be hardware is disabled?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] FLHXRider:
TuneIn is a streaming service. This thread is about using the phone to receive terrestrial FM radio.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Soulfistication:
No, seriously - contact the FCC and congress

Hi, please bear with me on my very first post as a newbie. Earlier content in this thread seems to raise the question of the legality (arguably from an antitrust perspective) of domestic carriers willfully disabling 3rd party products for their own commercial prospects. If this bothers you then you might do something about it. I suggest respectfully that you please start by reading the congressional letter to the FCC chairman Tom Wheeler dated March 3, 2015 (it seems as a newbie I cannot post links - but search the term "FM chips get attention in congress" and look for article on NRB.org)

Do you think the public is entitled to some clear and detailed answers about how its airwaves are being controlled?

Do you expect to earn more liberties by remaining silent . . . ?

THANKS kindly.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lart2150:
I just tried on the t-mobile version and I get the same thing :(

http://imgur.com/PUFxiGa

edit:

I just took a quick look at the system image we have and there's a few files out there that are missing at least on the t-mobile rom that look like they could be important.

/system/etc/permissions/com.broadcom.fm.xml

/system/framework/arm/com.broadcom.fm.odex

/system/framework/arm64/com.broadcom.fm.odex

/system/framework/com.broadcom.fm.jar
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Gemichi:
same here. I hope the H811 is not missing the fm radio on the hardware side...maybe putting in a stock LG rom will fix the problem?

is there a way to check if the fm chip is still there?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] spydie:
I believe the chip is in all of them, but Verizon (and others) chose to disable the chip. I believe it's been software disabled and hopefully someone can find a way around this to re-enable it without having to root the phone and install a new ROM.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Gemichi:
It really make me wonder why they disabled the fm radio...do they think this is a good way to force people to use more data? reading from somewhere else, it said fm radio use less battery than data, which I think its a good thing since I started listening to a radio channel while driving now :D
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Xx_xBLADEx_xX:
Same here, mock mode :(
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] FLHXRider:
That seems to be the prevailing opinion, though as I've posted before it makes no sense in T-Mobile's case as streaming services do not deduct from one's data balance.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Gemichi:
ok after looking at iFixit teardown of the H811 G4, it shows a broadcom chip that is named BCM4339. On broadcom website, it shows this chip has "Integrated Bluetooth and FM radio cores". While looking at the tmobile support forum, someone stated that it doesn't...@.@ I'm sure broadcom won't lie or make confusing chip right?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bigjustinturbo:
Is it just me, or does this app request a whole ton of permissions upon installation?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Lolento:
does the fm radio app work now with root available????
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Tomyk89:
Nope. Root may give us the access to make it work, but just having root isn't enough.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbx74205:
What would need to be done to enable it to work after rooting your phone? I'd really love to get FM radio on my AT&T G4
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] CAG-man:
I'd like to see this happen now that we have root. I downloaded the G3 fm radio app from this thread.https://m.reddit.com/r/LGG3/comments/2jwf3e/how_can_we_go_about_getting_the_fm_receiver/

Im going to look into the international image to see if there are any libraries work. Can anyone who are using the ATT Puerto Rico rom confirm that the fm radio works with that if it is present?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] aztk21:
Keep us posted. I'm also very interested to see where this goes as I would like to make use of the radio chip instead of streaming local FM stations.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] coolgare:
I'm also interested and e-signed the petition as well. I believe what the US carriers are doing should be illegal.

My 2c:

I have an unlimited plan, so <free> streaming services aren't an issue in my book. I can see how someone with a capped plan would have major issues with this feature not only being locked out by carrier software, but some are saying carriers may have even gone as far as removing the hardware entirely.

What gets me is when I try and listen to a local sporting event - I can listen through a car stereo no problem, but on my phone which I pay a hefty monthly price, NO WAY!

With streaming services, the sporting events (hometown) I want to hear are blacked-out locally, so I would need to go through proxy/vpn to make the network think I'm in a different location. Normal folk are forced into big-dollar services like mlb tv, espn redzone, or nhl centerice and such. Pisses me off.

All I want to do is listen to the effing game.

Edit: Oh yeah - and then if you try and watch a local game on a big-dollar streaming service, guess what? It's blacked-out to the local market as well, so you're stuck with the same problem.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dontbeweakvato:
In build.prop there is a ro.fm.transmitter set to 'false'.......
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Lolento:
Does this work by changing the build.prop?

(I haven't done root yet but I have no reason to unless FM is working...)
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] mrwinkle:
No already tried it, no dice.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] MoodSwinger:
Guys, I think the problem with the build.prop line is that it states "transmitter" what we need is the FM "receiver". I used to think the same thing before, like one was kind of interchangeable with the other when it came to those things. But after working on making my Moto go from CDMA (VZ) to GSM unlocked, the tweaks and using "RadioComm" for motorola, they are very specific in the language and the programming.

Just like the previous scenario, No one thought the Moto could do GSM but the chipset was the same as those used in other devices and had both band spectrums available, you just had to enable or unblock it. I would be reasonably sure US variants aren't having "new" chips made without the FM module, Especially if the ID (number) is the same. Any revisions that add or remove abilities get a new ID once in production otherwise they wouldn't know if they are putting in the right piece, obviously. It was unbelievable how many people were convinced and would argue w me that the Moto absolutely could not do GSM, and I was posting replies to them using the device.

point being, especially w root I think this could be fixed, but also it might take something like a "RadioComm" program to enable. RadioComm is exclusively for Moto's i believe and I have not seen anything around that can change single lines of internal programming on any other manufacturer. You basically had to enable the radio then update the build.prop.

I for one would love FM radio abilities (for all reasons stated) and I think that it's just wrong for the carriers to disable normal working parts to force you into a paid situation. I'm also kind of surprised many of the terrestrial radio bigwigs haven't made a bigger push to congress and those in power to change this. You'd think they'd have a bigger stake in wanting this available, than just carrier customers who pay for everything. (sarcasm intentional, but serious too)

Just my input from my experiences. I think it can be done, I just don't know driven anyone (Dev) in the US is to really dig into it.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbx74205:
Hey guys, do we know if anyone has made any progress on this? One of the main reasons that I rooted my phone was to get access to the FM radio feature. If it works on the international version and the Sprint version, I'm hoping that it can't be that hard to get access for the other carrier versions. I also heard rumors that the Puerto Rico version of the AT&T G4 may have radio access, and that it's possible to flash the ROM for that onto the US G4. Any truth to that rumor, and if so, has anyone tried?
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Gemichi:
Ok so the boardcom chip BCM4339 also put on the nexus 5 which doesnt have a fm radio...but the one listed on ifixit has some extra letters at the end (BCM4339)HKUBG. i wonder whats that stands for...
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] wingcook:
From the Broadcomm website:

Looks like it's an issue with AT&T shutting down that part of the chip. I'm hoping there is a US version of CM or AOSP coming, but I understand there are issues with the bootloader.

Here's to hoping....:fingers-crossed:
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] graysooner:
Looks it's coming.....in future devices?

www.tmonews.com/2015/08/t-mobile-says-yes-to-the-fm-chip-will-push-oem-partners-to-do-the-same/
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbx74205:
Any chance that one of the devs is working on this? I know that there are much bigger things than FM radio on their minds, but it's definitely a nice to have! =)
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] user787:
Not know if att version can, but my device is the PR version, installed the apk posted here. Changed the build prop on an editor to true, return to false after reboot. Edited the build prop file on an text editor and assigned 644 permissions. Have a bootloop after reboot then had to wipe factory restore then restore my TB backup to have all the same as before the mods...

I do want FM on my G4 as sometimes I do listen to local talk shows at my work. I do have an spare Nokia Lumia 520 for business proporses (receive service request calls) that have FM from out of the box. That is what I use then...
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] k.s.deviate:
So I'm on Rogers in Canada model H812. Guess what.. no fm radio app on the device, and nextradio doesn't even come up in the play store (later find out its not available in Canada). I decided to call Rogers and ask why my G4 doesn't have this option when the phone is advertised from the manufacturer to have it. I have called into them before, specifically the tech support department and asked questions about my devices. Usually they are very knowledgeable (or at least appear to be since they have a script/user guide in front of them) however, this time I got "I'm sorry I'm a network technician and can not answer questions about devices as I don't know about them" answer... then I got "but I can transfer you to our device technicians who can help you for a fee of $40 and go over the full phone specifications with you"

WOW. no thanks.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jbx74205:
This seems like a lower priority for the dev guys. I wonder if we'll just have to wait for a rom based on the international image, or maybe wait until the carriers provide updates software next year (if that ever happens). I've been debating selling my H810 and buying the H815, but I'd wind up taking a loss of a couple hundred dollars. Not sure if it's worth it just for FM radio.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] c01e:
I find it kinda ironic that sprint (the guys who advertise unlimited data no less) leave it enabled because they know their network is buckling under all their new customers. But everyone else locks it.

Miss the days of FM on my Evo4G (and the days when even EVDO/A ran good in my town for that matter. Sprint still hasn't rolled out LTE in grand junction except for one ****ty tower covering the college campus.)
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] EyeWall:
Hikers

I'll add a use case the carriers ignore. I just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail and I ended up carrying a small FM radio with me since my phone's FM chip had been disabled by helpful TMO. There were huge stretches of the trail, esp in Maine, where there was no cell signal of any kind but you could still listen to FM, get weather updates, etc. To be clear, I had my phone on everyday while I was hiking so I could GPS track everything (I just carried a few spare batteries) ,so I could have just been listening to FM on it. Very valuable and something every modern smartphone should include by default IMHO!
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] :
Link is dead
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] apis10:
Can someone provide us with a new link for the apk?

I unlocked the bootloader and i cant find the fm radio app.

Thanks!
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sir Shark:
So, I have the international H815 and after it updated by OTA, the radio app opens, identifies the stations but... no sound!

Anyone else has this issue?

v20d-EUR-xx
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] gilligan8:
Because that is exactly who regulates these companies that are locking these chips and taking away part of what we pay for.

Problem is, the cell phone industry is WAY bigger than any group of people asking their elected officials to protect their interest.

So we lose to big corporate money, over and over.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] TybyShok:
same here on v20h version.
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sir Shark:
[MENTION=4320865]TybyShok[/MENTION]: I already solved it. Go to Settings/About/Atualization Centre (I don't know if it's exactly like this - my phone is in portuguese, not english...) and update the radio app.

Hope it works
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] TybyShok:
Yes it worked for me too after uninstall, reinstall/update and phone restart.

Thank you :D
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] n01z:
Ok, so up in Canada, I'm stuck with the locked bootloader and Lollipop. No FM, here.. I installed Xposed and Xposed Sensor Disabler. I noticed something sort of interesting. There were an additional 2 instances of a "Magnetic Field" sensor but they were classified as "Uncalibrated" (the first 2 Magnetic Field sensor spots appeared as the other sensors, like Accelerometer etc. appear). Could these be the disabled FM sensors?? If we can see them, shouldn't we be able to calibrate and enable them??
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BIG_BADASS:
The CPU, Chipset, Instruction Set, RAM, etc on the H810 is IDENTICAL to that of the H815 (International version, has all LG stock apps)... so you could just flash the H815 KDZ image onto your H810 and voila! You have all the default LG apps without any carrier restrictions!

They even support the same frequency bands! Please see below for full specs comparison:

http://www.phonemore.com/phone/lg-g4-h815/2115

http://www.phonemore.com/phone/lg-g4-h810/2116

As you can see, the hardware is IDENTICAL, so your phone will definitely be able to run the stock H815 firmware.

:)
[G4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] BIG_BADASS:
Those of you who have the H811, you're in luck. Your bootloader is unlockable, and hence, you can SAFELY (key word: SAFELY) flash the H815 international rom onto your device, and have all the original features that the carriers disable., including the FM radio.

Now for the REST of you, ie, those who have locked bootloaders, take a look at /system/build.prop because there is something interesting there...

search for the string "radio", and you'll see some interesting lines....

PS, I have not tried changing this values... but if someone wants to try , please go ahead.