For public safety FCC Urges Apple to activate FM radio chip on iPhones

UPDATED 4:10 p.m. PT with information from Apple as well as details about iPhone usage.

The federal government is pleading with Apple to activate FM radio chips inside iPhones for the purposes of public safety.

But Apple's response may burst the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) bubble: some iPhones don't even have the chips installed.

As the events of Hurricane's Harvey, Irma, and Maria proved, cell phone networks are susceptible to widespread failure. But when cell networks fail, radio remains as a steadfast and reliable communicator of critical emergency information. Hence why the FCC wants iPhones to have working radio chips.

SEE ALSO: Tim Cook thinks you should stop whining about the iPhone X's $1,000 price tag

"When wireless networks go down during a natural disaster, smartphones with activated FM chips can allow Americans to get vital access to life-saving information," FFC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement on Thursday.

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According to Pai, every "major" phone manufacturer, except Apple, has activated their FM radio chips:

Apple is the one major phone manufacturer that has resisted doing so. But I hope the company will reconsider its position, given the devastation wrought by Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. That’s why I am asking Apple to activate the FM chips that are in its iPhones. It is time for Apple to step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first.

Apple said in a statement though the iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 don't have FM chips, adding that it has other emergency features, such as calling 911 from the lock screen.

Tweet may have been deleted

Apple didn't give an excuse for the other models with FM chips inside -- which as of December 2016 made up the majority of its market share of 85.8 million Americans, according to comScore, with only an estimated 12.6% of iPhone users owning the 7 and 7S. The iPhone 8, which was released this month, is moving off shelves slowly as the iPhone X release looms. One simple rationale for blocking FM transmissions on the older phones might be that Apple believes FM radio could potentially provide some competition with its own streaming service, Apple Music.

It might seem odd that phones, both old and new, are fitted with an FM radio chip. The reason why is that cellphones almost universally use Qualcomm’s reliable LTE modem chip, which has in it an FM radio component — likely because people outside the U.S. rely on their phones to access the radio.

With the recent release of the glitchy iOS 11 software update, Apple is presently fixing bugs. While they're hard at work, perhaps the company will heed the FCC Chairman's recommendation that they turn on the radio for their older phones.

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