T-Mobile Becomes 3rd Wireless Carrier To Back FM Chip Activations

T-Mobile became the third wireless carrier to support FM chip activations in its smartphones, NextRadio said Friday. Activating the FM chip, already built into every smartphone sold in America, “allows users to download the NextRadio app and engage in a visually compelling, interactive experience with local radio stations, without the data charges and battery drain of streaming,” NextRadio said. Word of T-Mobile’s endorsement for FM chip activations came in a tweet from CEO John Legere that NextRadio publicized, in which he said the carrier “will push our OEM partners to support” the move. Sprint has supported FM chip activations in smartphones for years, while AT&T added its support for FM chip activations last month (see 1507280054). Virtually all the FM chip activations to date have come in Android smartphones. Apple has remained the biggest holdout on FM chip activations in its iPhones, but through no "lack of effort" from Sprint to win Apple over, NextRadio told us at the NAB Show in April (see 1504140047). As for any possible change since in Apple's resistance, "Apple does what they want but the more carriers asking, the more Android phones supporting FM radio and the more consumers asking for NextRadio can only help get Apple’s attention," NextRadio President Paul Brenner emailed us Friday. "We are ready to talk to them any time about the power of local radio." Apple representatives didn't comment.