I bet there are days you wish you brought your walkie-talkie set with as it would make your life so much easier. Those days when you are organizing a team event or planning a rushed event and you just can’t seem to gather everyone around, let alone manage the whole damn thing.
Have you checked your pockets lately? Because chances are you are already carrying around a device that you can turn into a walkie-talkie in an instant. The device we are talking about is your smartphone, and the way you can upgrade it to be even more awesome is by installing one of those super simple walkie talkie apps! Walkie talkie app turns your phone into a walkie talkie in a heartbeat and allows you to communicate with your family, friends, or even complete strangers if they happen to have the same app installed on their phones.
They are super convenient simply because they are no additional burden! You are already carrying your phone with you, so why weigh yourself down with a similar device in day-to-day situations? Also, they run on your phones battery and The Internet, so they are practically always available (yes, we know, you sometimes run out of juice on your phone, but nowadays you can charge it practically anywhere!).
Now, you might say: ‘Why the heck would I want a walkie talkie on my phone when I can simply dial the number and talk to the person I need to talk to?’ Well, that is a fair point, but that is not always an option. To illustrate, let me draw you up a list of several great uses for this sort of app.
Benefits of Walkie Talkie Apps
- It is great when you are organizing an event and want to talk to a group of people at once. The point is, you can’t be everywhere at the same time and if you have an app you can simply communicate with the group and give clear instructions without having to call them all up one by one. This alone makes this sort of app valuable but bear with me; I have several other great uses.
- The bare essentials of a mobile walkie talkie app are usually completely free, which means most apps allow you to push the button and talk free of charge. There are some in-app buys you can spend your money on but these are usually not necessary to use the app for its basic functionality.
- Some walkie talkie apps can work perfectly fine even without a live internet connection. All they require is a Wi-Fi router access. This works great at your house and in large offices as in this case you won’t even use any of the Internet data plans you’ve got going.
Also, if you’d rather communicate on a closed network, then this is the best approached. You are completely in control of the network and you can own your own Wi-Fi router which is not connected to The Internet, thus ensuring complete privacy.
Cool Mobile Walkie Talkie Apps
There really is a bunch of apps out there you can choose from to run on your smartphone. Some are free, and some are not, so choose carefully; no point in paying for something if you can have it for absolutely free. Also, not all apps will work on all operating systems. Some work best on Android, others on iPhones, while a third separate group is meant for Windows-operated phone. Here is a list of most popular apps; we will include which operating system it works best on so you can make an easier decision about which one to install.
- iPTT – iPTT is available for free in Apple store and works only on iPhones. This is the original deal, the first they’ve created for this sort of use. The basic functionality is as simple as that of a proper walkie talkie; you simply push a button to talk and release it to receive messages. You can talk to individuals or groups, or have a secret conversation with a buddy on your list.
- Hey Tell – This is a simple app that has the bare minimum. No registration is required so you simply install it, choose a name and you are ready to go. The app will ask to import your contacts, and you can even import contacts from Facebook or Twitter. Great emphasis is placed on your privacy and you don’t have to share anything you don’t want to. It only supports voice but the upside is that it works on all three major platforms; Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone. Some functionalities are on a need to pay basis, such as group talk.
- TiKL Touch Talk Walkie-Talkie – Another simple app that has a push to talk functionality and supports messaging. You need a contact list and friends that use it and that’s it. There isn’t really that much to say other that this up will work great on iPhone and an Android phone, but it does not support Windows.
- Zello – This extremely useful push to talk app is great for construction sites and similar, where you have to communicate with large groups of people at the same time. It is actually a live communication channel that has the added benefit of recording all messages for archive purposes.
- Voxer – Through Voxer you can send live or recorded messages. You will receive recorded messages at your earliest convenience and you can respond later. It will work on Android devices and iPhones but sadly won’t work on a Windows Phone.
- LineApp – LineApp is somewhat different than all these apps in one important thing; it does not actually require The Internet to work! It only needs a Wi-Fi network and you can configure it to work just fine. It even works with some traditional walkie talkies such as Kenwood and Motorola models. It supports conference calls but you can easily set it up to stay in a push to talk mode if you need it that way.
Does This Spell Out Doom for Traditional Walkie-Talkies?
Absolutely not! While mobile walkie talkie apps are great for everyday situations, nothing can truly replace niche usability and versatility of a walkie talkie device. They have great range in certain outdoorsy situations and don’t depend on Internet or routers to work.
Your run-of-the-mill walkie talkies are still a great gadget to have when you go on camping or on a hunting trip with your buddies. Also, construction sites will fare far better if they stick to walkie talkies because they are great in emergency situations that might crop up at work.
The bottom line is, make sure you have a walkie talkie for heavy-duty use and for emergency cases but feel free to utilize the convenience and versatility of your smartphones and install a walkie talkie app!
