Coming from another app
Apple removed Walkie-Talkie in watchOS 27. What now?
The button's gone. There are still a few ways to hear from your friends.
Apple removed Walkie-Talkie in watchOS 27. You can't reinstall it on a watch running that version.
If you used it with someone, that's a strange little thing to lose. A button you could press to talk to them, right there on your wrist.
If you haven't updated
Walkie-Talkie works on watchOS 5.3 through 26.6. Both watches need a supported version. Once either person moves to watchOS 27, that exchange stops working.
What did you like about it?
If you liked talking live, a FaceTime audio call still does that. If you liked sending a quick bit of audio, Messages can do that too.
If it was the feeling of having a walkie talkie, Matt and I make one for iPhone. It's called COPY.
A dial for your friends
COPY has twelve channels for friends and groups. Turn to someone. Hold down. Talk. Let go.
The big difference is that your friend opens COPY to listen. You can tell them something now without needing them to be free right now. Their reply waits for you too.
It runs on iPhone over Wi-Fi or cellular data and doesn't have an Apple Watch app today. We have Watch support on the horizon.
Talking is free. Invite the person you used to talk to on your watch. You'll have a channel together again, this time on your phones.