Radio.GetRadiosAsync Method

Definition

Namespace:
Windows.Devices.Radios
Edit

Retrieves a collection (snapshot) of Radio objects representing the radios present when the call executes.

public:
 static IAsyncOperation<IVectorView<Radio ^> ^> ^ GetRadiosAsync();
/// [Windows.Foundation.Metadata.RemoteAsync]
 static IAsyncOperation<IVectorView<Radio>> GetRadiosAsync();
[Windows.Foundation.Metadata.RemoteAsync]
public static IAsyncOperation<IReadOnlyList<Radio>> GetRadiosAsync();
function getRadiosAsync()
Public Shared Function GetRadiosAsync () As IAsyncOperation(Of IReadOnlyList(Of Radio))

Returns

IAsyncOperation<IVectorView<Radio>>

IAsyncOperation<IReadOnlyList<Radio>>

On successful completion, a read-only list of Radio objects representing the radios present at call time.

Attributes
RemoteAsyncAttribute

Examples

Basic enumeration pattern (C#):

var radios = await Radio.GetRadiosAsync();
if (radios.Count == 0)
{
    // App-specific: disable radio-dependent UI or show a contextual message
}
foreach (var r in radios)
{
    // App-specific: aggregate by r.Kind or subscribe to r.StateChanged
}

Remarks

Snapshot behavior

Each invocation returns a fresh snapshot. Radios physically added or removed since the previous call will appear or disappear accordingly. Cache validity is therefore limited; re-enumerate when you receive hardware change signals or user actions implying device addition/removal.

Empty results

An empty collection does not imply failure. It can mean:

  • Platform does not expose radio enumeration (for example, Xbox in many configurations).
  • The process architecture is incompatible (see Architecture considerations below).
  • The user/device has no radios currently enabled or present. Validate required capabilities (for APIs that require them) before retry logic.

Re-enumeration guidance

Re-query when:

  • A UI that lists radios is brought back to foreground after suspension.
  • You receive a radio state change and need to detect newly available hardware.
  • A device arrival/removal notification occurs (classic desktop companion component).

Avoid excessive polling; enumerate on demand or event-driven triggers.

Architecture considerations

  • UWP apps: Works across x86, x64, and ARM64.
  • Desktop (Win32) processes: Enumeration returns radios only when process architecture matches the OS architecture (x64 process on x64 OS, ARM64 on ARM64). An x86 process on x64/ARM64 commonly yields an empty list.

Note

Architecture mismatch and platform restrictions are common reasons for an empty result. Handle the empty case defensively instead of surfacing generic error messaging.

Platform notes

  • Xbox: Enumeration may return zero radios; state control operations may be unavailable.

Applies to

See also