Today’s technology gives us plenty of ways to communicate. However, sometimes old school is the best method. There is still quite a large use case for walkie talkies. They include emergency situations, construction sites, and other such places where quick, but short vocal communications are necessary. Hardware solutions still work best in this area, but you can recreate it with your smartphone without too much trouble. Here are the best walkie talkie apps for Android!
It should be said that all of these devices use some sort of VoIP technology for its walkie talkie functionality. Most mobile devices don’t have the hardware required to broadcast over radio frequencies like actual walkie talkies. If you need something like that, you probably need to go with a hardware solution with dedicated radios for that sort of communication.
- HeyTell
- Two Way
- Voxer Walkie Talkie Messenger
- Zello PTT Walkie Talkie
- Carrier PTT solutions
- Bonus: Get a radio operator license
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HeyTell
Price: Free / $2.99
HeyTell is an old school app that does the walkie talkie stuff pretty well. It’s a cross-platform voice messaging service with push-to-talk functionality just like a walkie talkie. The app also features a voice changer, notifications when you receive messages, very low data usage, and a social system with a friends list, a block list, and other such tools. The app has its ups and downs with each update, but it generally worked well in our testing.
Two Way
Price: Free
Two Way is another decent walkie talkie app. It boasts above average privacy with no sign ups and no data collection. It works more like a traditional walkie talkie. You and a friend (or friends) select a channel number and then press the button to send communications. It has low data usage and low battery impact in our testing. The app definitely has its issues, but it’s definitely better than most.
Voxer Walkie Talkie Messenger
Price: Free / $3.99 per month / $29.99 per year
Voxer Walkie Talkie Messenger is a decent mix of a messenger app and a walkie talkie app. It supports individual and group messages along with the ability to listen to messages later if you don’t have the time at that moment. The app also boasts encryption, groups with up to 500 people, cross-platform support, and more. You can also pay the subscription costs to get unlimited message storage versus the 30-day storage history of the free version along with some other controls and functions. Some people have a lot of trouble with this one and others find that it works perfectly. We definitely recommend trying the free version first.
Zello PTT Walkie Talkie
Price: Free
Zello PTT Walkie Talkie is the most popular walkie talkie app on this list. It has a metric ton of features and a powerful free version for individuals. The app includes real-time voice streaming, text and voice messages, group channels with up to 6,000 participants, and it can even map your PTT button to a hardware button on your device. This app was used in a few disaster areas in the United States over the last few years and it’s a rock solid experience overall. There is a premium subscription version, but we’re pretty sure you don’t have to worry about it unless you’re a business.
Carrier push to talk solutions
Price: Free (usually)
Many carriers have a not-so-secret push-to-talk service available to plan subscribers. We were able to find apps for Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint. We’re sure they’re available on some other carriers as well. These apps use the carrier network to send short voice communications just like a walkie talkie. It’s not available on every phone, though, so you may need to get a hold of a customer service rep for your carrier to find out more details. Be warned, though, that these apps all seem to have their fair share of problems. The Sprint app is linked at the button below. You can find the Verizon PTT app and the AT&T PTT app by clicking the respective links.
Bonus: Get your radio operator license
Price: Free / Varies
A really fun idea is getting a legitimate radio operator license. You can then use and connect to exclusive radio networks across the world. You usually need hardware for this, but there are a few Android apps that require an operator’s license in order to use such as EchoLink. We linked an app below that lets you take practice versions of the radio operator’s licensing test for practice and you can hit the EchoLink link to see what kinds of stuff you get access to with such a license. We included it as a bonus because, well, you can get this functionality without a license.
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If we missed any great walkie talkie apps, tell us about them in the comments! You can also click here to check out our latest Android app and game lists!