Admit that at times, you’ve also found yourself in a situation without cellular coverage, making it impossible to make a call with decent quality. This concern has become a thing of the past ever since the Apple Watch came into our possession. With this device, coverage limitations are no longer an issue, allowing you to make calls without constraints.
For quite some time now, the Walkie Talkie app has been a staple feature on all Apple Watches. While many may use it casually to converse with others, its capabilities extend beyond mere conversation. In fact, this app offers numerous functionalities that might surprise you. Most notably, it serves as an option for making ‘calls’ and communicating with anyone, all without the need to worry about cellular coverage.
How do I use the Walkie Talkie app?
This app offers a blend of usefulness and complexity when it comes to setting it up. Activating it and adding new contacts might prove a tad bewildering. If we start from the beginning, the initial step involves adding new acquaintances with whom you can communicate through Walkie Talkie. To accomplish this, follow these steps:
- Open the Walkie Talkie app on your Apple Watch and tap ‘Add friends’, then select the person you wish to communicate with.
- Subsequently, the contact you invited must accept the invitation. Initially, their contact card will appear in gray, and only after their acceptance will it turn yellow, allowing you to converse.
Next, proceed to the other Apple Watch where the recipient must have received the invitation notification. If you’ve missed the notification, you can enter the Walkie Talkie app and check for pending invitations. From there, you can accept them.
Once both invitations are accepted and you both have the Walkie Talkie app ready, the anticipated moment arrives: initiating the conversation regardless of the distance. To do so, follow these straightforward steps:
- Launch the Walkie Talkie app on your Apple Watch.
- Select the desired contact.
- You’ll encounter a prominent yellow button; press and hold it, then speak your message. If you see the message ‘connecting’, wait until the connection is established. Following that, your contact will receive your message and can respond.
There you have it! You can now communicate using your Apple Watch like a Walkie Talkie. Remember, as long as this function is active on your Apple Watch, you can receive voice messages. If you wish to avoid disturbances, you have the option to deactivate this function either within the app or from the control center.
This Walkie has its limitations
Of course, not everything in this Walkie Talkie solution is flawless and seamless; it comes with its own set of limitations, some of which can be rather intricate.
A significant limitation to note is that both you and the individual you intend to communicate with using this method must possess an Apple Watch Series 1 or a more recent model, running watchOS 5.3 or a later iteration. As a result, you won’t have the freedom to call just anyone under any circumstances. Additionally, both you and your friend must have iPhones running iOS 12.4 or later versions and configured to facilitate audio calls via FaceTime.
It’s true that an internet connection is required, meaning you must be connected via WiFi or cellular data (though connectivity won’t be possible if you lack cellular coverage). As a result, if you’re within WiFi range but lack cellular coverage, this option becomes an excellent means of communication with individuals who meet the necessary criteria. And just to clarify, there’s no kind of distance limitation as is often the case with conventional Walkie Talkies.