Why did you take away the Walkie Talkie App in WatchOS 27??

All I can find is: Use Walkie-Talkie on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

"With watchOS 27, Walkie-Talkie has been discontinued. After you update your Apple Watch to watchOS 27, the Walkie-Talkie app will no longer appear on your watch, and it's not available to download from the App Store. If you’re using watchOS 26 or earlier, you won’t be able to start a Walkie-Talkie conversation with a friend who has updated to watchOS 27."

You have posted in a voluntary, user-to-user technical support community. Responses are exclusively from other users like yourself, not Apple. Apple does not always tell us why they do things, nor are they likely to read your comment on this user to user forum. If you wish to voice your displeasure to Apple then click on this link for Apple products feedback links --> Product Feedback - Apple

Apple may not respond but your comment will be read.

I never used it but from reading the article it looks to me like its functions were already provided by other features such as simply making a phone call or using Facetime.

I believe it was discontinued due to lack of use/popularity. It sounds like it was useful to you, however. Let Apple know your views on this Product Feedback - Apple

I believe one reason for its lack of popularity was that most teens, pre-teens, and adults seem to strongly prefer to simply talk to their watches using Siri. Instead of pushing buttons, images, etc. I can't prove this with actual use data but it is what I have observed. I have never seen teens or pre-teens using walkie talkie but always see them voice commanding their devices to send messages, while walking, bicycling, driving, etc.

"Siri, text Dad, I'm busy don't bother me"

Note that these messages can be dictated and voiced back audibly, much like the walkie talkie app.

Even my 4-year old granddaughter does this routinely with her parents' phones on Siri, with Alexa in the house, with my watch. She asks my watch questions, sends her parents messages thru my watch, just with her voice, no buttons. I think she would have trouble pushing small buttons instead. Maybe there is a short window of children' ages when the walkie talkie is the way to go but I would guess it lasts only a short time. I think voice activated devices are the most popular thing now and are the wave of the future for the user community that includes the demographics most important to companies like Apple.

Not making excuses, but I think I understand why Apple did this. That said, it seems like it would have been a small amount of "overhead" to have kept the feature.

You are not petitioning Apple in these user-to-user forums where all of us are just fellow users. Submit your concerns to Apple.

Feedback - Watch - Apple

You are not addressing Apple in these forums. We here are all just fellow users and Apple Support is not here. That means your “why” question cannot be answered here.

But if the Walkie Talkie app was removed my own personal opinion is that the vast majority of people were not using it. Apple does indeed remove things from time to time and that upsets some users. You will just have to deal wth it as you cannot re-download and install it nor can you use it with earlier versions of it. It’s gone.

I know, this is really frustrating. BUT you could try third party walkie talkie apps because those do exist.

Just an FYI, if you want to prevent other Apple Watches from updating to 27 just always keep an eye out because even if you turn auto updates off be careful. Because, my SE 3 recently decided it wanted to start downloading the update even though I had it turned off...

You can make your thoughts known to Apple here:

Feedback - Watch - Apple

Russ5tide wrote:

The removal of this app significantly frustrates me. The walkie talkie app was actually used by me regularly and a family member. Said family member had a fall and didn’t have their phone on them and they were able to quickly walkie me to come help them. For that reason ALONE the walkie talkie app should be left on the Apple Watch even if not a lot of people use it. Apple claims their watches are about “health” but than go and remove an app that essentially works like a life alert for older people?? This is the kind of thing that’s makes me hesitate when I think about “upgrading” an Apple device.

Your relative may want to think about enabling Fall Detection. It will automatically call emergency services and notify emergency contacts if they fall. In the case of a serious fall where they need immediate medical attention or if they were unconscious, this is actually a far better solution than Walkie-Talkie.

Use Fall Detection with Apple Watch - Apple Support

Your relative could also have said, "Siri, call Russ," and placed a call. This can be done without using their hands.

Zurarczurx wrote:

In my experience this would result in a response from Siri along the lines of "I have added Barnstaple to your InBox list."

You can also send audio messages through iMessages. I personally despise them but some people swear by them.

KathrynP. wrote:

Exactly this! My son isn’t old enough for a phone so we got him a watch with a plan. He does call us on it but we mainly used this app and now it’s gone. I’m so mad!

Tell Apple:

Product Feedback - Apple

He's a kid. He'll adapt quickly.

The removal of this app significantly frustrates me. The walkie talkie app was actually used by me regularly and a family member. Said family member had a fall and didn’t have their phone on them and they were able to quickly walkie me to come help them. For that reason ALONE the walkie talkie app should be left on the Apple Watch even if not a lot of people use it. Apple claims their watches are about “health” but than go and remove an app that essentially works like a life alert for older people?? This is the kind of thing that’s makes me hesitate when I think about “upgrading” an Apple device. These tech companies don’t care about the consequences to their decisions and it’s extremely frustrating. Apple, please bring walkie talkie back. I think if you promoted the app more. More people would use it like me who have found it to be an essential tool in daily life. Now you just go and take it away without any care in the world. Thanks AGAIN Apple!!! I truly wish there were better alternatives!!!

IdrisSeabright wrote:

Your relative could also have said, "Siri, call Russ," and placed a call. This can be done without using their hands.

In my experience this would result in a response from Siri along the lines of "I have added Barnstaple to your InBox list."

Zurarczurx wrote:

In my experience this would result in a response from Siri along the lines of "I have added Barnstaple to your InBox list."

Siri is about 95% accurate for me. Perhaps I just enunciate more clearly.

Zurarczurx wrote:

IdrisSeabright wrote:

In my experience this would result in a response from Siri along the lines of "I have added Barnstaple to your InBox list."

I don't experience that, maybe you need to initialize your Siri recognition of your voice again. I use Siri with my watch all the time when riding my bicycle in workouts (it works fine, even despite considerable ambient noise, traffic, etc., in fact I sometimes get a "high noise level" warning from the watch during those rides), and also while driving. Even if there is background music or other people talking, Siri almost always responds properly to what I ask for. Our 4-year old, who doesn't always articulate clearly or properly in her little kid voice, has no trouble getting my watch Siri to hear and understand her (which can be a different type of problem, sometimes, depending on what she is asking for).

Russ5tide wrote:

Said family member had a fall and didn’t have their phone on them and they were able to quickly walkie me to come help them. For that reason ALONE the walkie talkie app should be left on the Apple Watch even if not a lot of people use it. Apple claims their watches are about “health” but than go and remove an app that essentially works like a life alert for older people?? This is the kind of thing that’s makes me hesitate when I think about “upgrading” an Apple device. These tech companies don’t care about the consequences to their decisions and it’s extremely frustrating.

Having not long ago had to take care of elder family members who insisted on independent living but were prone to falls, I respectfully have to 100% disagree with you on this.

A person can voice activate any number of functions in an emergency on a watch, even if they are unable to move.

"Siri, text Russ, I need help"

"Siri, call Russ"

"Siri, call 911"

Once I was rolling on the floor playing with our 4-year old and my watch asked me if it should call emergency personnel as it detected I had landed on the ground and had detected a fall, even though in that case it was intentional. I was pretty impressed, but assured it I was just fine and was just horsing around.

For an elderly person whose memory might be impaired, who might be easily confused, and who could be physically incapacitated, I think the voice activated options are much more effective "life alerts" than having to remember what to do to push tiny buttons on a device like an Apple watch.

I sympathize with your situation as I have been there myself with both my parents as well as my wife's parents. But I think the walkie talkie functions were much better suited to little kids than to older people needing life alert communications. The walkie talkie offered little kids a fun way to stay in contact with their parents. That said, I think the voice activated options might resonate just fine with them. My 4-year old is quite expert at telling Siri and Alexa what to do and she would do it endlessly if we allowed her to.

I’m upset too as this was a way for me to stay in contact with my grandchild while at the park! They don’t have iPhones but parent and my old Apple Watches they are too young for a iPhone!

Thank you Apple for not thinking about the younger children too who uses the watches!