- Apple’s Walkie Talkie feature appears to be missing in watchOS 27
- Allows you to chat with a partner through your Apple Watch
- Users have reported that it is nowhere to be seen in the first beta version of watchOS 27.
When Apple announces new software, as it did at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) on June 8, the usual procedure is for the company to add new features. But this time, eagle-eyed sleuths have noticed that a nice feature has been removed from watchOS 27, and there’s no indication it’s coming back.
The feature in question is called Walkie Talkie and allows you to raise your wrist and chat with another connected Apple Watch user. It’s a fun little way to communicate with other people and can be especially entertaining for younger children.
However, it seems that Walkie Talkie is completely absent in the watchOS 27 developer beta that Apple recently released. Although Apple has not made any official announcement on this topic, a walkie talkie appears to be missing from the first beta build of watchOS 27.
Users have taken to social media to express their disappointment, with user ra4oasis lamenting: “Well, that sucks. My son and I use it all the time.” Meanwhile, user Loupetron_Primal explained the usefulness of the feature: “My best friend and I live in a split-level apartment. He’s upstairs and I’m downstairs. We’ve used this feature for years instead of yelling.”
A sadly neglected feature
While I can’t say I’ve been a frequent Walkie Talkie user, it has had its moments over the years that I’ve owned an Apple Watch. It’s a great retro throwback and has genuine utility for those times when you don’t need a full phone call or text conversation.
However, Apple has barely given it a second glance since it launched Walkie Talkie in 2018. It hasn’t had any significant updates in the years since, and I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that many Apple Watch users don’t even know it exists. That suggests this could be a deliberate removal of the app by Apple rather than a mistake or oversight.
Additionally, the Walkie Talkie has been the subject of complaints and criticism for its occasional unreliability. On Reddit, for example, user nate390 argued that it was always a bit buggy: “It was a really good idea, but in my experience, it didn’t work well. Well, it worked when both parties were on the phone, but not so much when one end or the other was connected to an iPhone via Bluetooth.” With that in mind, perhaps we shouldn’t be too surprised that it doesn’t make the cut in watchOS 27.
Still, it’s disappointing that this feature has seemingly been removed entirely; perhaps Apple felt it wasn’t worth the effort to fix it. While there is a small chance that Apple will change course before watchOS 27 is released to the public in the fall, don’t bet the farm on it.
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