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No radio on Vodafone Smart x9

Leecb
2: Seeker
2: Seeker

Myself and my daughter both have brand new Vodafone smart x9 phones. They are supposed to come with a radio but we can find an app to use the radio.

Tried Google play but can't find an app option that allows me to use the radio tuner.

Any ideas?

31 REPLIES 31

The only full specs appear to be on third party sites. I trawled the website for ages and there only appears to be a basic summary of screen, battery and camera. I asked Vodafone several times for a spec and they were unable to provide one or signpost me to one on their website. I also asked them one 4 separate occasions if it has FM radio and was told yes it has - this included when I asked for the problem to be escalated as a complaint and they finished the chat by saying it 'has and FM radio'!

Sorry, forgot your last paragraph! I now realise many do not have FM radio. It seems, as an aside, that most have the capability as it comes with the chip set but the companied chose to turn it off.

I use the FM radio on my phone regularly to listen to local football commentary amongst other things. I do not have the data to stream it and in any case the football does not get streamed because of rights issues.

The FM radio was therefore a feature I was specifically looking for.

hrym
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Ah.   If you were replying on a 3rd party site, I'm afraid Vodafone won't be able to help with this.  If you have a specific need (and I can see why on all the fronts you mention), it would be advisable to satisfy yourself that what you're buying fulfills your requirements.

I know it's an extra piece of kit to carry, but there are very small sports radios available for quite modest prices.   You'd probably find that the total net cost was less than buying a phone that did have a radio. (The Sony XA2 is around £250 SIM free)

Not sure what you are saying in your first paragraph?

I checked the Vodafone website and there is no full specification on there (at least I nor their staff can find one) I then asked Vodafone several times if it has an FM radio and every time they said they had. I bought it on that basis. Hope that clarifies.

Hopefully I will get a response either to the complaint or to this thread (from someone clarifying they are from Vodafone) then I can at least attempt finalise this.

hrym
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Ah,  if you were told by someone at Vodafone that the device has a radio, that's different.   Who did you contact - was it 191, LiveChat or a shop?   We're coming back to the question of whether there's an out of date spec sheet on the system somewhere, whether it was straightforward misinformation or a misunderstanding.

For all that, a phone with a radio would, as far as I can see, cost you more than an X9 and a small personal radio and it's quite likely that there'll be no phones with radios quite soon, so you'd need an extra device at some point in any case.

It was on live chat. To be fair with when I am it is imaterial as to the reason they got it wrong - they did and I bought a phone on that basis. One of the phones is a direct replacement for the old equivalent model that does have an FM radio.

Anyway all I now need is either contact from someone (with authority) on here who confirms they are from Vodafone or the promised response to my complaint via live chat. Then perhaps we can find a way forward.

Loz
Moderator (Retired)
Moderator (Retired)

@Leecb I'm sorry for any confusion that's been caused, myself, @Blair and @Mark who have contacted you previously, are moderators and work for Vodafone.
If you'd like us to take a closer look into your account regarding the Live Chat conversations you've had, you'll need to get in touch with us. As @Blair previously advised, he's sent you a private message with these details, so you're able to contact us. Once you've done this, we'll be able to get a better understanding of what's happened.

Thanks for clarifying. I have been told I am due a call following my request this be escalated as a complaint in a live chat. To avoid this being dealt with twice at the same time I will awate that call. Thanks.

hrym
17: Community Champion
17: Community Champion

Trawling around, I found this.   Apparently, some devices have an FM chip, but lack the means to use it.  It doesn't require any modification, so might be worth a try.   Otherwise, the Sony XA2 at about £250 is still the cheapest phone I can find that has a radio listed in the manufacturer specs.

Martinfay
1: Seeker

Smart x9 has got a fm radio chip. You can easily check this by entering the engineer mode:

*#*#833#*#*

Choose FM and you can perform full test of your internal chip.

The issue is a lack of a proper app to use this chip. 

NextRadio app is not compatible and to use Spirit FM you need to root your device.

The only way to solve that problem is to extract a radio app from another similar ZTE device and set the permissions accordingly.

It's better to say that x9 is not able to receive FM radio because the hassle needed to make it work exceeds knowledge of a common user.

Regards,