If you were born in the 80s or 90s, I am sure you know how listening to the radio was an addictive experience. We all loved to hear the radio, especially with all the chatter of RJs.
Fast forward to today, I still love listening to the radio, and while it works great in cars, it’s getting harder to find the radio hardware on phones these days. Android OEMs have either completely removed it from their phone or don’t have an app. In this post, I am sharing how you can listen to FM radio on Android devices with and without radio hardware.
The Best FM Radio Apps for Android
Listen to FM radio on Android devices with Radio Hardware
Look for the radio app on your phone: Some phone manufacturers are delivering FM radio hardware in the phone. Open app drawer on the phone, and search for FM radio. If it appears on the list, you can listen to the radio using earphones. Some OEMs have also implemented the features to record, change output mode, and change regional band when you change your location.
NextRadio: If your phone has an FM receiver chip, but it is not activated by default, you can try Next Radio app. While it works, it’s not compatible with all devices, even if the phone in question has the necessary radio hardware. Here is a complete list of devices it is compatible with. It offers
- Live guide or browse radio stations by genre or frequency.
- Displays artwork and song information.
- List of recently played songs, and an option to buy it from the store.
- Like and dislike songs.
- Social sharing.
Listen to FM Radio on Android Devices without Radio Hardware
Many popular Android devices like the Mi A1, Mi A2, and other devices lack the necessary radio hardware. Since everything is on the internet, a lot of local radio stations have opted to live stream or serve recordings of their broadcast so anybody can listen to it. All you need is an internet connection.
It’s one of the best apps for hardcore radio listeners. It streams 91.1 Radio City, 104 Fever FM, 98.3 Radio Mirchi, 95.0 Hit FM, 104.8 Oye FM, AIR, and more.
- Supports multiple radio stations from Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru.
- All radio stations have been sorted into categories according to languages.
- You can listen to radio over Bluetooth.
- Add radio stations to favorites.
- Sleep timer to automatically stop radio after some time.
If you want to listen to radio broadcasts from countries outside India, this app is the way to go. Organized by country, and genre, you will be able to find out a couple of stations which matches your taste. They are particularly useful when you are traveling, and still, want to listen to your local radio stations.
That said, it misses on covering some popular radio stations from cities in India but then it brings in a variety of other stations which is missing are the FM India app.
While there are tons of FM radio apps for Android, these are the best ones you can use right now. If you are using any other app, share with us in the comments.
