Report: Apple to Activate Latent FM Radio in iPhone, touch

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iphone-fm

Apple may enable iPhone and iPod touch users to receive FM radio via a built-in feature previously dormant, says a report. The Cupertino, Calif. company is developing a radio.app that operates similar to the FM feature in the latest iPod Nanos, according to the 9to5Mac blog.

Although the latest iPhones and iPod touch devices have long been able to broadcast via an FM signal, allowing hands-free operation in cars, reception of FM signals until now has been limited to the Nike+ system. Release of the Apple-built FM app is delayed as engineers work out kinks in integrating Mobile iTunes Store transactions. The function, already available for the iPod Nano, lets listeners of radio stations that support tagging to get song information available from iTunes and purchase music.


Apple has a history of enabling sleeping features after shipping products. The company waited 9 months before activating Bluetooth in second-generation iPod touch devices. Cupertino has yet to switch-on 802.11n wireless networking in new iPhones and iPods.

[Via 9to5Mac and Gadget Lab]

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