We are through 2019 and operating the most outdated mode of communication- walkie talkie may not seem to fit our lifestyle. After all, who would want to carry those heavy and expensive systems in this day and age?
That said, have you ever been to the mountain ranges or for hiking or camping. You can probably feel the pain of running from one spot to another to find a cell network. While this clearly reasons why network connectivity is unreliable, it’s where the good old walkie talkie shines. But, does it have to be that difficult to carry the walkie talkies. Not anymore, walkie talkie apps are already here.
You can simply get yourself one of the apps from the App Store or Play Store and transform your phones into a walkie talkie and connect with the contacts instantly. As users incline to use walkie talkie apps, mobile app development for corresponding apps has been picking up speed at a rapid rate.
If you, too, are looking to invest in walkie talkie app development, here’s all you need to know about how to develop a walkie talkie app.
What are walkie talkie apps?
Walkie Talkie Apps enable smartphones to have push-to-talk features that transform them into a walkie talkie. Some of these apps are also capable of interoperating between the walkie talkie systems by making the use of specific gateways.
Simply put, users can relish the benefit of instant communications without paying carrier charges. While this may not appear to be a significant change when communicating with the domestic users, you can relish great benefits when you are overseas and want to avoid paying huge charges for small duration calls. This implies that the walkie talkie users can stay connected to fellow users even while they are overseas.
What are the benefits of walkie talkie apps?
- Walkie talkie apps offer seamless connectivity even in the calamity-hit areas ensuring that the users are able to share their locations with the authorities and loved ones.
- The benefits of mobile walkie talkies can be clearly seen with the lesser carrier charges that a user has to pay when communicating. This is more significant when the communicating parties are not in the same country.
- Turning your smartphones into walkie talkies liberates you from carrying bulky systems in addition to the phones. Moreover, smartphones are an entity which is available with us round-the-clock.
- They are faster to connect and easier to use.
- When communicating in a building to carry out business processes, a user can stay in touch with the team at all the times without having to carry another system.
What are the popular walkie talkie apps on the market?
1. Zello
Zello boasts of transforming your smartphone into a walkie talkie with lightning fast free PTT (Push to Talk) radio app. With this app available across iOS and Android, users can communicate with the contacts privately or join public channels to join on-going discussions.
Various features available in Zello include:
- Real-time streaming, high-quality voice
- Functionality to map hardware PTT (Push to Talk) button
- Contacts availability and text status
- Public and private channels for over 6000 users
- Bluetooth headset support for selected phones
- Android wear support
- Voice history
- Call alert
- Images
- Push notifications
- Operability across WiFi, 2TG, 3G, and 4G
2. Two way
Two way is another walkie talkie application that enables various users to communicate with each other at an instant. The app does not need each user to sign up separately and does not collect any information from them. The most attractive part of the app is its simple and intuitive interface that enables users to connect with friends, family members, and co-workers.
Two Way is more like a traditional walkie talkie wherein you can select the channel number or location using a map and talk to anyone in the same channel. This result of efficient cross-platform application development is available across iOS and Android and runs with minimal battery usage.
3. Marco Polo
Marco Polo is quickly gaining popularity among the walkie talkie apps. It renders efficient functions like Face-to-face messaging delivered in walkie talkie style. Users can either communicate with individual contacts or create group conversations. With Marco Polo, users can also relish fun features like voice and video filters, instant emoji reactions when someone is watching live, and a lot more. Further, no matter if you are an Android fan or an iOS loyalist, Marco Polo enables you to talk to each other and works efficiently over WiFi across the globe.
4. Apple Watch Walkie Talkie
As apparent from the name, the walkie talkie app is available exclusively for Apple Watch users. A user would be required to be set up for FaceTime in order to make and receive FaceTime audio calls.
With the app, a user can transform Apple Watch into a walkie talkie and send a voice note to one of the contacts. The receiver will be able to listen to this message instantly on their Apple Watch. The drawback of this app includes its availability only for the phone’s contacts and not public or group conversations.
5. Voxer
Voxer is a free walkie talkie app that combines the best of Live Voice, texts, photos, and videos into a robust secure messaging tool. It is the only app in the list that comes with end-to-end encryption. It allows users to instantly communicate with live voice, similar to a walkie-talkie or push-to-talk (PTT) device.
Various other features offered by Voxer include:
- Live audio
- Listen later to allow later playback, saving, or sharing
- Private chats backed by secure end-to-end encryption
- Ability to send photos, videos, and GIFs
- Group chats with over 500 individuals or team contacts
- Availability across iOS, Android, and Web
How do walkie talkie apps work?
The basic mechanics of a walkie talkie app is very much simple as compared to the counterparts. Instead of to and fro communication, most of the apps work on the same process where a user is required to use a single tap to pin his/ her current location. The app then lists down the contacts you can communicate with. Users can either select multiple of them to begin a group conversation or start an individual one.
Also Read- B2B Mobile App Development:A Complete Guide
What are the must-have features in a walkie talkie app?
The list of must-have features that you should consider if you want to develop a walkie talkie app include the following:
1. Sign Up/ Registration
This feature will enable the users to get on-board and start using the application. The system should be backed by OTP verification for the emails and contacts.
2. Profile management
Users should be able to manage their profiles. It can include the following fields:
- Username
- Password
- Profile Name
- Contact Number
- Email ID
- Profile Image/ Avatar
3. Automatic contact synchronization
The feature will enable users to maintain synch between the smartphone contacts and application contact list.
4. GPS-based Push to talk
This is the most important feature for a walkie talkie mobile app. It will enable users to transform their phones into the corresponding aids with a single tap. Callers and callees can pin their location and begin seamless voice and text communication instantly.
5. Contact list
This will allow the users to have their contact list handy and choose the ones he requires to connect with instantly. The list can be combined with the availability status to keep the users updated.
6. Communication options
Once the user has chosen the contact he wishes to connect with, he should be able given the communication choices at the fingertips. The options you can consider include:
- Audio calls
- Video calls
- Text messaging
- Multimedia messaging
- Group calling
- Group texting
7. Voice notes
Not every time a user is able to take a call or reply to a text message. This feature will empower such users to relish note functionality wherein they will be able to record, send and receive voice notes.
8. History
The option to save and view history will allow the users to keep track of the previous calls and messages they have received and sent.
9. Push notifications
Imagine looking for a contact who has been away at the time you were trying to reach out. Despite waiting for long, the user doesn’t turn out. After a while, you leave the app too but as soon as the user is online, you receive a push notification sending you an alert.
This will how Push Notifications help you.
10. Interoperability
This will ensure that the users are able to connect with each other regardless of their native platform. That is, no matter if your users are using the app on iOS or Android, they will be able to connect with each other.
11. Message status
The feature will enable users to stay abreast on the status of their message. They can keep track of things like Message delivered, read/ unread, etc.
12. Favorites
This feature allows users to keep their frequently contacted connections handy. They can simply tap a button to add a contact to their favorite list and get them handy even at the oddest hours or when they don’t really have time to scroll down a long list.
How much does it cost to develop a walkie talkie mobile app?
Development of an app is largely determined by multiple factors:
- The type of development: Native app development or Cross-platform app development
- The platforms you want to consider: iOS app development or Android app development or Development for both the platforms
- Features you want to include
However, an MVP with just the bare minimum features will cost you around USD 5,000 to 8,000.
Develop a walkie talkie app with Matellio
Matellio LLC is a global provider of best-in-class software engineering services. With over two decades of experience, our team has fostered digital edge for numerous ideas through expert IT solutions. We take pride in having delivered more than 600 successful projects across 107 nations while assisting clients through the journey of ideation to deployment. Our user-centric approach and customer-friendly methodology enable us to address each project with time-tested expertise that renders maximum client satisfaction. Aiming to be irreplaceable, we take pride in engineering solutions that support us to develop long-lasting relationships with clients as we continue delivering phenomenal services.
