In this era of text messages, social media, and instant messaging, you might feel walkie-talkies are quite an old school now. However, this is not correct. The ethos behind walkie-talkies has noticed a resurrection in recent years, with walkie-talkie-emulating applications seen in the Play Store and App Store. In this article, we look at a list of best walkie talkie apps for Android and iOS.
Even if it might seem weird, sound plays a major role. Sending a fast voice message is often quicker than typing on a screen, and in several cases, it is more comfortable as well. When the cold comes, it means reduced time using your numb fingers to type, and increased time to keep your digits warm.
Apple Watches on WatchOS 5 already have a Walkie-Talkie mode, but what about your smartphone? We can help you with applications that will emulate the regular walkie-talkie experience.
1. Zello
This is a popular walkie-talkie application that you need to check out. You can speak directly with individual people, or you can create a group channel for your pal or workgroup.
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Voice messages get played instantly after launching the app or you can play it later via a voicemail-like system. Users can send texts, pictures or alerts. Owners can also set a volume level for every individual user.
2. Voxer
It works like a regular instant messaging app, and it is home to a threaded view text chat that supports sending pictures. Sadly, you cannot broadcast out your messages into channels, but group chats can be created if you need to reach out to several people simultaneously. However, users must expect bugs in it.
3. VoicePing
This app is available for both Android and iOS and it was developed to function like a regular messaging application. However, there is more than the chat app UI here.
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Voice messages can be played from any contact at any time, even when the screen is off and the phone is locked. Users can also decide to chat 1-to-1 or choose about 200 contacts in a group chat. You can use headsets with PTT buttons with this one.
4. Breakr
It is simple to use. Just hold the button down, speak and release the button to send your message. You can also type in your message and it will be read out loud to whoever you send it to with its text-to-speech service. It also comes with a voice changer if you love to chat anonymously. Breakr provides a 24-hour chat history, meaning, you will not miss any message.
5. Two Way
This is a decent walkie-talkie application for extroverts. Users are not allowed to select individual contacts in this one and they cannot send texts or pictures. Rather, you can choose a particular geographical area (local or national) and broadcast it to that area.
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By so doing, you will be opening your broadcasts for everybody else to listen to and respond to. For a private convo, tap “Key Pad,” and select a channel to chat in.
More Information On Walkie-talkie:
A walkie-talkie (more formally known as a handheld transceiver, or HT) is a hand-held, portable, two-way radio transceiver. Its development during the Second World War has been variously credited to Donald L.
Hings, radio engineer Alfred J. Gross, and engineering teams at Motorola. First used for infantry, similar designs were created for field artillery and tank units, and after the war, walkie-talkies spread to public safety and eventually commercial and jobsite work.
Typical walkie-talkies resemble a telephone handset, with a speaker built into one end and a microphone in the other (in some devices the speaker also is used as the microphone) and an antenna mounted on the top of the unit.
They are held up to the face to talk. A walkie-talkie is a half-duplex communication device. Multiple walkie-talkies use a single radio channel, and only one radio on the channel can transmit at a time, although any number can listen.
The transceiver is normally in receive mode; when the user wants to talk they must press a “push-to-talk” (PTT) button that turns off the receiver and turns on the transmitter.
Some cellular telephone networks offer a push-to-talk handset that allows walkie-talkie-like operation over the cellular network, without dialing a call each time. However, the cellphone provider must be accessible.
Walkie-talkies for public safety, commercial and industrial uses may be part of trunked radio systems, which dynamically allocate radio channels for more efficient use of limited radio spectrum.
Such systems always work with a base station that acts as a repeater and controller, although individual handsets and mobiles may have a mode that bypasses the base station.
There you have it – a comprehensive list of best walkie talkie apps. If you have other recommendations, feel free to drop them in the comment section below.