Walkie-talkies were once very popular and powerful tools of communication. Back in the day before the advent of the cell phones, walkie-talkies came in handy to facilitate real time communication and are championed to have pioneered the development of the communication technologies we have today.
Currently, the smartphone has become an indispensable device for both work and pleasure due to its wide array of tools and features such as web browsing, GPS enabled apps, and gaming, thus facilitating communication, entertainment, travel among other things.
Despite the popularity, and leaps and bounds achieved by the smartphones, the push-to-talk (PTT) walkie-talkies still thrive in different fields; they are mainly used in pleasure communication and other specialized areas such as business, construction industry, military, etc.
Fortunately enough, for those who often use a walkie-talkie, they will be glad to hear that there exist apps that can be installed on both Android and Apple devices to convert them into a walkie-talkie. Yes, you can instantly convert that smartphone you always carry around into a walkie-talkie by just the click of a button. The walkie-talkie app enables your smartphone to mimic the instant push-to-talk communication experience only found in walkie-talkie communication.
Why Use A Walkie-Talkie App?
Walkie-talkie apps provide you with the convenience and simplicity of a text message coupled with the context and nuance of a phone call. More like a good old-fashioned walkie-talkie, they allow you to record and send short audio messages instantly.
The benefits of walkie-talkie apps include:
Instant Connectivity
The apps use PTT communications that offer instant connectivity, as opposed to making a call or sending a message which requires one to key in the numbers, wait for calling tone and wait for the other party to respond. This aspect of speed makes the apps suitable when speed of connectivity is critical, such as in emergency situations.
Perfect For Group Communication
PTT communication will triumph any day over mobile phone calls and text messaging in instances where real-time group communication is required. In some work environments such as security, construction, transportation, events & conventions, police, and oil refineries, workers on site can instantaneously communicate with each other by installing a walkie-talkie app on their phones rather than wasting time calling and texting each other.
Affordable And Convenient
Besides the fact that most of these apps can be downloaded for free from both the Android and Apple stores, they also facilitate communication free of charge, especially the ones that utilize the wifi functionality when there is no live internet connection.
Extend The Smartphone Functionality
Smartphones can be compared to a Swiss army knife that can do almost everything. Thus, a walkie-talkie app adds features that make your smartphone even more indispensable. These apps utilize smartphone features to perform beyond the traditional walkie-talkie functionality. They have the advantage of extensive coverage through the use of internet, thus users can keep in-touch from huge distances; you can have a chat with your friends who are overseas.
Interoperability
Some walkie-talkie apps can interoperate with traditional walkie-talkies through the use of a gateway. Thus, smartphone users can use their smartphones to have PTT communications with walkie-talkie users.
How does it work?
