What is walkie-talkie on Apple Watch?

By: Emmanuel

What is walkie-talkie on an Apple Watch?

The walkie-talkie on the Apple Watch is an app that simulates radio communications technology used by regular walkie-talkies. This feature on the Apple watch is similar to the real walkie-talkie, where you have to press a button to talk and release it when you want to hear someone talking to you. Walkie-talkie was added to the Apple watch with the watch0S 5 update and remains in the newer watchOS version.

How to set up a walkie-talkie on an Apple watch

Unlock your Apple Watch and go to the Walkie-Talkie app.
A list of people you can talk to on the walkie-talkie will appear.
You will also see a plus sign at the bottom of the list to add new people to your contacts list.
Click the plus sign and select the person you want to walkie-talkie with.
The contact will appear on the list as a new yellow icon.
Use this method to add lots of people to your Walkie-Talkie list.

Note: The person you add has to accept your invitation on their Watch.

How to remove a friend on Apple Watch walkie-talkie

If for any reason, you want to stop chatting with a friend on the walkie-talkie, you can remove them. You can do this from either your Apple Watch or your iPhone.

How to remove a friend on walkie-talkie on an Apple Watch

To remove a friend on walkie-talkie on your Apple Watch, follow the steps below:

Open the walkie-talkie app on your Apple watch.
Go to the contact of the friend you want to remove and swipe left on their icon.
Click the delete button.
You can have successfully removed them from the walkie-talkie app.

How to remove a friend on walkie-talkie from an iPhone

Open the Apple Watch app on your iPhone and select walkie-talkie.
Click on Edit.
Go to the person’s contact you want to remove and hit the minus (-) button.
This will remove the person from your Apple watch walkie-talkie list.

How to accept an invitation on Apple Watch Walkie-talkie

When someone invites you on Walkie-talkie, you will get a notification on your Apple watch. Click on “Always Allow” beside the notification. If you don’t see the notification, you can check the notification center. You can also check the Walkie-talkie app for invitations. Click on it and accept.

Issues encountered when receiving and sending an invitation on the Apple Watch walkie-talkie

If you notice an issue when you send an invitation on the walkie-talkie app or you can’t receive the notification, here is how to resolve it:

Go to your iPhone and open the settings app.
Click on FaceTime and ensure you are signed in with your Apple ID.
Select your email under “You Can Be Reached By FaceTime At.”
After selecting this and the problem persists, restart your iPhone and Apple watch.
Once your Watch is on, try resending the invitation.
Go to the walkie-talkie app on your Apple watch.
Remove the contact by swiping left and clicking the delete icon
Select the plus button at the bottom of the screen and select the same contact.

If the problem continues after following the above steps, check if your Watch is updated to WatchOS 5.3 or the latest version. If it is, then you have to contact Apple Support.

How to start an Apple Watch walkie-talkie conversation

Go to the walkie-talkie app on your Apple watch.
Turn on the green setting at the top of the app.
Click on the friend you want to chat with.
Touch and hold the Talk button that appears on your Watch face.
Say what you want to say.
If the walkie-talkie app shows connecting, wait for it to connect. Once it’s done connecting, you and your friend can hear and talk to each other.

Note: The first time you try chatting with someone on the walkie-talkie, the person will have to give you permission for the conversation to continue. However, it’s a one-time deal. The button they have to click on is “Always Allow.” From then, your devices trust each other and allow conversations to continue.

How to talk on an Apple watch walkie-talkie

Once you’ve selected the contact, you want to talk to, tap and hold the talk button that appears on your screen and starts talking. Once you are done talking, let go of the button. Your friend will hear what you say instantly.

How to change the volume on my walkie-talkie app

If you can’t hear what your friend is saying, or you are outside, and people can hear what your friend is saying on the Walkie-talkie app, you will have to increase or decrease the volume. To do this, you just have to turn the Digital crown whichever way, depending on the volume you want.

How to turn off or turn on the Apple watch walkie-talkie app

Go to the walkie-talkie app on your Apple Watch.
Toggle the switch at the top of your screen to either turn it on or off.
You can also turn off or turn on the walkie-talkie through the control center.
Just tap the Walkie-talkie button there to either turn it on or off.

What is the range of walkie-talkie on an Apple watch?

The traditional walkie-talkie has a limited range of 5 – 10 miles, depending on certain conditions. The range will differ in places like mountains, empty fields, densely populated areas, etc.

Looking at the limited range in the traditional walkie-talkie, you may wonder how far your friend has to be to reach him on the Apple watch walkie-talkie app. You’ll be glad to know that the Walkie-Talkie app on your Apple watch doesn’t have a limited range. As long as you have an internet connection, there is no limit.

Unlike the traditional walkie-talkie that uses radio signals to send data and voice, the Walkie-talkie app on your Apple Watch uses a cellular network or wifi connection to function. Since it doesn’t have a limited range, the Apple watch walkie-talkie can be used internationally.

How to check if my Apple watch walkie-talkie range is unlimited?

The walkie-talkie makes use of the Push-to-Talk FaceTime audio connection. To check if the walkie-talkie has an unlimited range, there are a few things to consider.

The walkie-talkie uses FaceTime. This means you must download the FaceTime app if you don’t have one.
Enable FaceTime on your device through settings, then select FaceTime and enable it.
Ensure you have a stable internet connection.
Allow FaceTime to use cellular data in your cellular settings.

Once all these are enabled, follow the already explained processes to chat with someone on the walkie-talkie. Select a friend that is far from you. You will notice that you can still chat with them, not minding the distance.

Troubleshooting the walkie-talkie app on the Apple Watch

Although the walkie-talkie is an easy-to-use app for chatting with friends, you might have some trouble using it. Here are a few steps to troubleshoot and solve issues while using the walkie talkie app on Apple Watch.

Update your device OS

If you face any problem with the walkie-talkie app, you should first update the software on both your iPhone and Apple Watch to the latest version. This is because Apple tends to add solutions to their device’s general problems through software updates.

Apple Watch users

The walkie-talkie is only for Apple Watch users, so if you try contacting someone outside the Apple ecosystem, you won’t get a response or an accepted invitation.

Charge the Apple watch

If your Apple watch battery is low, you won’t be able to talk on the walkie-talkie. However, a toggle shows if your friend is available on the walkie-talkie. Sometimes it shows available when your friend has a low battery, leaving you with no response. So ensure you and your friend have fully charged your Apple Watches(not overcharge) before starting a walkie-talkie conversation

Frequently Asked Questions on the Walkie-Talkie app on an Apple Watch

Q. How do I know if my contact has accepted my invitation on the walkie-talkie app?

A. To know if your contact has accepted your invitation on the walkie-talkie app, you have to look at the color of their contact card. If the contact card stays grey, they haven’t accepted it. However, if it shows yellow, you know they have accepted it, and you can chat on the walkie-talkie app.

Q. Will I get walkie-talkie notifications if my Apple watch is on silent?

A. When your Apple Watch is silent and a walkie-talkie notification comes in, you will hear a chiming sound and your friend’s voice. However, if you are on theater mode, you will be automatically unavailable on the walkie-talkie. Do Not Disturb on your Apple Watch is similar to your iPhone. If you want notifications on the walkie-talkie app to appear on DND mode, you can manage that in the settings.

Q. Will my friend hear what I say on the walkie-talkie app?

A. Yes, your friend will hear what you say on the walkie-talkie app if you follow the steps listed in this article to set up the app. Once you talk, they receive alerts on their end and can reply.

Q. Can my friends reach me on the Apple walkie-talkie app when it’s turned off?

A. If you turn off your walkie-talkie app, your friends can still reach you. However, it will show you are unavailable and receive a notification asking if you want to talk. If you do, you accept it, but if not, you can ignore or reject it.

Q. Does all Apple watches have a walkie-talkie app?

A. As mentioned earlier, the walkie-talkie app came with the watchOS 5 updates. This means that the walkie-talkie is available to all Apple watches that can update their operating system to WatchOS 5.

Q. Can I use the Apple walkie-talkie app if my iPhone is not close by?

A. Yes, you can still use the walkie-talkie app even when your iPhone is not close to you. Just connect your Apple watch to a wifi or cellular connection.

Wrap Up

The walkie-talkie app allows Apple Watch users to engage in instant verbal communication. The walkie-talkie app can come in handy when you are not with your phone. Just get wifi and talk to who you want to.

This article has explained what Walkie-talkie is on an Apple watch. It also explained all you need to know about the app. If you have questions about walkie-talkie on an Apple watch, kindly leave them in the comment section below. Thanks for reading.

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