Streaming Drive-in FM channel will significantly improve your movie experience, which you can easily do with a regular car radio. But what if your car’s stereo system is faulty? How to listen to Drive in radio on iPhone?
This article will walk you through the steps of setting up your iPhone for the best signals possible!
Steps to listen to Drive-in radio on iPhone without Wifi
Unfortunately, most iPhones cannot connect to Drive-in audio without Internet. Apple announced that their recent models do not come with FM chips or have a headphone jack to set up an FM antenna.
However, iPhone 6 and older models do have an iPhone FM tuner that allows you to catch radio signals without Wifi. If this is your case, you should prepare:
- Headphones or earphones
- An FM radio app
Once you’ve gathered what you need, use the following steps to play Drive in radio on iPhone and tune into other local stations:
Step 1. Download an FM radio app, such as NextRadio app, and activate it. Then, click the menu icon, choose Settings, and enable the FM Only Mode.
Step 2. Connect the earphones to your iPhone.
Step 3. In the NextRadio app, go back to the menu icon, tap local FM radio from the drop list, and select the channel you want to listen to.
Once you activate the FM Only Mode for iPhone 5, you can listen to FM radio on iPhone and update information wherever you go. No more depending on Wifi or mobile network services!
- Note: Since your headphones’ wires act as an antenna to catch radio signals, wireless earbuds won’t work for this procedure.
Steps to Listen to Drive-in Radio on Iphone With Wifi
If you own one of Apple’s latest iPhones, you must use a Drive in radio app. These apps are often for free, but they work via Internet connection. So, you must either have access to a nearby Wifi network or use cellular data.
Follow these steps to set up radio on iPhone for Drive in without the Internet:
Step 1: Install a radio app
As mentioned above, most iPhones don’t have FM chips. So to begin, you need to install a Drive in movie theater FM transmitter app, such as SiriusXM, TuneIn, Simple Radio, or myTuner Radio. It will act as a radio tuner on iPhone.
Though iPhones have Apple Music with multiple radio stations, the app connects to few local stations and might not enable Drive-in frequencies.
Step 2. Select the channel
After downloading the app, open it and find the frequency that Drive-in broadcasts the movie’s audio. You can enter the number manually or search for nearby stations. Then, tune into the channel to live stream the audio while watching the movie on the big screen.
Step 3. Connect your iPhone to the car’s stereo system (optional)
You can listen to the audio on your phone, but the sound quality won’t be as good as your car’s sound system. A further step you can take is to connect your iPhone to your car radio and stream the audio.
First, put your car in accessory mode. You either need to switch the car’s key to the ACC position or press the ignition button twice.
After that, make sure the car’s Bluetooth is on and pair it with your iPhone. Once paired, the movie’s audio will stream on the car’s speakers.
List of Radio Apps for Your Iphone
If you own one of Apple’s latest iPhones, you must use a Drive in radio app. These apps are often for free, but they work via Internet connection. So, you must either have access to a nearby Wifi network or use cellular data.
Follow these steps to set up radio on iPhone for Drive in without the Internet:
Step 1: Install a radio app
As mentioned above, most iPhones don’t have FM chips. So to begin, you need to install a Drive in movie theater FM transmitter app, such as SiriusXM, TuneIn, Simple Radio, or myTuner Radio. It will act as a radio tuner on iPhone.
Though iPhones have Apple Music with multiple radio stations, the app connects to few local stations and might not enable Drive-in frequencies.
Step 2. Select the channel
After downloading the app, open it and find the frequency that Drive-in broadcasts the movie’s audio. You can enter the number manually or search for nearby stations. Then, tune into the channel to live stream the audio while watching the movie on the big screen.
Step 3. Connect your iPhone to the car’s stereo system (optional)
You can listen to the audio on your phone, but the sound quality won’t be as good as your car’s sound system. A further step you can take is to connect your iPhone to your car radio and stream the audio.
First, put your car in accessory mode. You either need to switch the car’s key to the ACC position or press the ignition button twice.
After that, make sure the car’s Bluetooth is on and pair it with your iPhone. Once paired, the movie’s audio will stream on the car’s speakers.
Using your phone for Drive-in’s audio is not difficult, the trick is whether the app you use can connect to local stations or not. Below are some apps that allow you to listen to radio on iPhone.
1. Simple Radio
Simple Radio covers over 50,000 local and international stations. The app is simple, easy to use, and quick to set up.
2. My Tuner Radio
Another radio app for iPhone for Drive in is MyTuner Radio. Besides accessing the Drive-in station, you can listen to local radio on iPhone with MyTuner in more than 200 countries.
The perk of this app is you can listen in the background and add the Drive-in channel to a favorite list so you can quickly turn it on next time.
3. TuneIn Radio
TuneIn is a popular free Internet radio service that has more than 100,000 stations. However, the app runs ads to maintain the budget for their team, so your audio might be interrupted from time to time.
4. SiriusXM
SiriusXM offers numerous channels, ranging from sports and news to music and local ones. The catch is it charges a monthly description from its users, which starts at $9.99 per month.
With the subscription, the app provides an ad-free experience, user-friendly app interface, and stable connection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use your phone to listen at Drive-in?
Yes, you can. If something goes wrong with your car’s head unit, you can tune your phone into the Drive-in channel and enjoy the audio.
Although most iPhones don’t have FM transmitters, you can download a radio app and use it to access any FM frequency you want.
How to listen to Drive-in movies without killing the battery?
Keeping your car in Accessory Mode for the length of an entire movie can drain your car’s battery quickly. A way to avoid this is to listen to the audio on your phone. But if you don’t want to sacrifice the quality, try the following methods:
- Turn on the engine for a while to recharge the battery
- Disconnect the subwoofers and amplifiers
- Turn off the lights and AC/heater
- Bring a power bank for car radios
Conclusion
Modern theaters can never replace Drive-in! We hope our guide on how to listen to Drive in radio on iPhone helps bring you and your beloved ones the best moments. Before you leave, save this article to refer back to it next time you go to the Drive-in.
And if you find it helpful, don’t forget to share it with a friend in need. Thank you for reading!