In the wake of the recent devastating hurricanes that hit the U.S., Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, the Federal Communications Commission has urged Apple Inc. to activate FM radio chips in iPhones so that people can access life-saving information – even though that’s impossible.

The U.S. communications regulator has come under strong criticism of its handling of the hurricane response and it now seems that FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is trying to shift some of the attention to the tech giant.

In his statement Thursday Pai requested Apple “activate” the FM chips in iPhones to help assist people in areas where wireless networks are still down. “I am asking Apple to activate the FM chips that are in its iPhones,” Pai said. “It is time for Apple to step up to the plate and put the safety of the American people first.” The FCC reported this week that 91 percent of wireless networks were still down in Puerto Rico.

Although Pai hopes Apple will “reconsider its decision,” it isn’t possible considering the company’s iPhones haven’t contained FM chips for over a year. “iPhone 7 and iPhone 8 models do not have FM radio chips in them nor do they have antennas designed to support FM signals, so it is not possible to enable FM reception in these products,” Apple said in a statement to MacRumors. Although it wasn’t specifically mentioned, it is believed that this is also the case for Apple’s premium iPhone X.

The FCC’s statement was sparked by an editorial in the Sun Sentinel, which called on Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook to “flip the switch” and provide people access to FM broadcasts. Critics also suggest Apple doesn’t want to activate the feature as people will be less likely to pay for services like Apple Music, which has just passed 30 million subscribers.

Although the iPhone 7 and 8 lack the FM chip altogether, there’s no switch that can be flipped in previous models either. There are FM chips in older iPhone models, but Apple never intended for the iPhone to be used as an FM radio, according to sources who spoke to Apple columnist John Gruber. When these older iPhone models were manufactured, the company only connected the parts that the iPhone needed, so there is not even a software update that can be issued to rectify this situation.

Considering the FCC tests all radio devices before they go on sale in the U.S., the regulator should have been aware that the iPhone 7 and 8 don’t contain the necessary FM chips. The FCC has yet to provide a follow-up statement to Apple’s response.

Safety solutions on iPhones

Apple did note that it has “engineered modern safety solutions into our products.” Here are two of them:

Emergency SOS

Apple points out that users can “dial emergency services and access Medical ID card information directly from the Lock Screen.” In iOS 11, Apple rolled out a new Emergency SOS feature that once enabled will allow users to quickly call emergency services without the need to unlock their device.

To enable the Emergency SOS feature, go to the Settings app > Emergency SOS > toggle “Auto Call” to On > enable Countdown Sound. The countdown sound, which will trigger a three-second warning sound before connecting to emergency services, can be useful if you accidentally enable the feature or not if you are currently in a dangerous situation.

In the case of an emergency, on an iPhone 8 or 8 Plus, press and hold the Side (Sleep/Wake) button and one of the Volume buttons. The emergency slider will appear and the countdown (if enabled) will begin and automatically connect once the countdown ends. To skip the countdown, simply drag the Emergency SOS slider.

For iPhone 7 or earlier models, press the Side button rapidly five times.  

Government alerts

While Apple also points out that it enables “government emergency notifications, ranging from Weather Advisories to AMBER alerts.”

To enable government alerts on your iPhone, go to Settings > Notifications. Scroll to the bottom of the page and enable one or both of the switches for AMBER alerts and Emergency alerts.

Image: Apple