A method and device is provided for the detection of data symbols contained in a received radio signal, whereby each data symbol is allocated transmit-side a symbol value-specific PN sequence of successive PN chips in the chip clock and the PN sequences allocated to the data symbols are offset QPSK modulated. The method of the invention for incoherent detection provides for converting the received radio signal into a complex baseband signal sampled in the chip clock, generating a demodulated signal by differential demodulation of the complex baseband signal sampled in the chip clock, providing the derived sequences, calculating correlation results by correlating the demodulated signal with the derived sequences, and deriving, i.e., detecting, the values of the data symbols by evaluating the correlation results. In this case, each derived sequence is assigned to a PN sequence allocable transmit-side and includes derived chips, whose values in each case correspond to a logic linking of particular PN chips of the PN sequence allocable transmit-side that is assigned the derived sequence. The invention relates furthermore to a corresponding receiving unit.