Zello Walkie Talkie

Description of App

Zello turns your phone into a walkie talkie and works anywhere in the world as long as you are connected to the internet! Join millions of people who use Zello instead of texting and calls. You can use it one-on-one with a friend, for a live group call with your family or soccer team. The Zello app can even replace 2-way radios at work. Zello is the only place for live open group communication – old school CB Radio style. Create a live Zello channel for your forum or customers, or enjoy conversations from across the globe. • Free live voice over any network or Wi-Fi connection • See who’s available or busy • Send photos, text or location to friends instantly • Replay messages later, even if your phone was off • Cross-platform • Free with no ads • Won’t spam your friends • Lets you delete your account

Version

4.95.2

Free or Paid

Free

Apple Watch Support

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone

iOS Version

13.5.1

Accessibility Comments

This is very accessible to use. There is only one unlabeled button you will find towards the top of the screen on some pages. This button is your profile. Other than that, navigating around is a bit messy but easy to use.

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads all page elements.

Button Labeling

Most buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

There are some minor accessibility issues with this app, but they are easy to deal with.

Other Comments

Feel free to contact me on Zello. My user name on Zello is =AnonyMouse=.

App Store Link

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zello-walkie-talkie/id508231856?mt=8&ign-mpt=uo…

Developer's Website

http://zello.com/

Developer's Twitter Username

@Zello

Recommendations

7 people have recommended this app

Most recently recommended by Danielle 7 years 10 months ago

Options

Comments

History inaccessible

As the subject says. If you double click on the message history, nothing happens unfortunately. Not sure what solo mode is for, but not tried using a chat room yet. Would be nice if you could text with this too like with whatsapp etc. Looked really promising that it had a pc client as well, but client is inaccessible, which is a real shame, as the app is accessible on android too, so I thought it'd work on the pc as well.

scratch that

The pc client is accessible

2 Channels to add

For those of you who have installed this app, be sure to add the AppleVis and VoiceOver channels to your lists.

Talk history appears inaccessible

Just doing a little testing, and when VoiceOver is disabled you flick up on the 'History' bar at the bottom of the screen to reveal a list of recent audio clips. Tapping on these will play them back. When on this screen the History bar appears to be about one quarter down the page, and you flick down on this to slide it back out of sight.

I've yet to find a way of replicating this with VoiceOver.

Accessing the History page

Thanks to Randy we now know how to access the History area of this app:

<Begin quote>
Hi from big R.
I figured out the history from Zello. If one double taps on history, one holds down on the second tap. While one is holding down on, slide your finger up the screen. A history panel opens. You can see within a contact you are inside of. You can play, delete, or clear your history. Hope this helps you guys.
Big R
<end quote>

To close the History page you do a one-fingered double-tap and hold when VoiceOver focus is on 'History'. Now, without lifting your finger, slide it down the screen for a couple of centimeters and then lift.

Stores your contacts

Hi, In the privacy policy of Zello it says: "Zello Inc uses third party hosting providers to store your data. We store your username, password in the encrypted form, contact list and e-mail address." Giving someone your own data is fine, but I really dislike how apps often just grab your contacts. What's the use of being careful about what information you disclose when your friends may happily share their contacts, which may also include your address, with any service they happen to like. I was interested in this app but will not use it out of respect for my friends' privacy.

Sharing and Privacy

Sandra, Thanks very much for making that aware to those that might find this very important to them. I respect that and understand your concerns. Unfortunetly, there are a lot of apps out there that do this without you concent. You may or not know that most if not all of the Social Networking apps do the same. Twitter, Google+, Facebook, Four Square, and etc. So if any one use this that beware they do the exact same thing. Just as any of the Walkie Talkie apps also do the same. So it happens more than you realize. The hard part is that currently we don't have any control over this. However, Apple have been made aware of these apps that take your iinformation without your consent and now are going to require apps to ask you if they can do this. So I'm glad that Apple is taking control over these invasion of sharing your information without your consent. So remember just because Zello does this does not mean they are abusing your information nor sharing them with anyone else. As you stated it is stored on their server and encrypted. So it is a matter of trust which I can not say if I can trust anyone for that matter. We are talking about a huge amount of apps that are in the app store and many are found here at AppleVis that take your information already. Zello is just another app among many of your app probably on your device that do the same thing. Thanks again for making this aware to all of us. Cheers.

Not even encrypted

Hi, because of the wording and the place the comma is put I think that only your password is encrypted, but not your contact list. I use iCloud, too, which of course means I am giving Apple access to my contacts and other private information. But I try to give this kind of info to as few services as possible.

Which Contacts Are Being Stored?

I could be wrong but I would assume that the contacts Zello are talking about being stored are the contacts list of other Zello users you create within the app itself and not the actual Iphone contacts on your phone. Simply means that when or if you login to your Zello account on a different phone your Zello contacts would already be there so no need to search for them again. As I said could be wrong but this would make sense to me and as stated previously, the practice of apps secretly 'storing' your iphone contacts is now frowned upon. Hope I'm not wrong as this is a good app. :)

Thanks for feedback

Thanks for your feedback, we are looking forward to improve VoiceOver support in the future updates! We only store your Zello contact list on our servers so that you can access it from any device. We never store any of your address book contacts and only access them when you use Address book feature from Add a contact to let you pick people you want to add or invite.

Thanks for clarifying

Thanks, Alex, for clarifying this. I'm glad I can use Zello without giving away more data than I like. :-)

I verry much like zello. I

I verry much like zello. I remember it from the loudtalks days. I know you've always been helpfull in fixing accessibility issues and making sure the app is universally accessible. Sorry to say this I don't mean to be rude but this should be adressed as is pretty easy to do: Now most of the buttons are clearly labeled but those are not real button labels. Most likelly you've just used images with enough descriptive file names. For example as a voiceover user when looking to the controls available when a contact is expanded we can hear: for example "Back button normal" button, "Menu button normal" button, "PS talk button normal" button. In the quotes there is a label for the control and then voiceover automatically reports its role. thus the semantic info that a control is a button is available for default ios controls and needs to only be added for custom controls. Also having the label just say: "Back", "Menu" and so on would be still reasonable while it removes extra unneeded verbosity. Another issue which has already been discussed is the history control. It is now treated like a plain text by voice over thus the first time voiceover user is unable to say how to interact with that control. The way it's currently reported suggest that's its not interactive at all. It would be preferred to try to make that into a switch and attach an action into it so when voiceover is turned on double press toggles the switch. Sorry for such a long boring detailed post. Perhaps It would be more appropriate to post this to the zello guys directly. I will go to their blog to look for a suitable place as well.

accessibility

The pc app is accessible. Also when using the history in the iphone app you have to double tap holding on the second where it says history. Then without removing your finger slide it down then up. You can then go right flick into the history. The first thing you will see is clear history then the messages.

Channels

Hi, when you're not in a channel, is there any way to stop the talking from it? It's getting mixed between my personal conversations so i was wondering if there was a way to mute. Thanks for help in advance.

Solo Mode

Yes, when you are in a particular channel you only want to hear. Go to the Menu button. Double tap on it. This brings up a list of actions. Select the Turn On the Solo Mode. This will prevent you from hearing other channels. Hope this was helpful and was what you were looking for.

Zello version 1.1 has been

Zello version 1.1 has been released. VoiceOver support is among the listed improvements, and the developers have done a great job at labeling the buttons. Also, reports from the AppleVis channel indicate that all one need do to access the history now is double tap. Audio quality improvements over WiFi are also listed, but I haven't had a chance to try this yet. My hat is off to the developers of Zello for increasing VoiceOver support in their app!

Improvements in v1.1

Yes, I must agree with the new improvements. Everything is now labeled correctly. New geatures like the better voice quality over Wi Fi does work very well. Could be all in my mind but it does seem to have improved the trampling over other still talking. Hard to tell until everyone has updated over to v1.1. Yes, hats off to the developer in focusing on the Voice Over issues! Thank you Zello!

Version 1.2

Zello now has updated their version to 1.2. Thankfully, we now have more features to play with. I do like the fact we can know rename people in our contact list. There is also a nice feature to send alerts to people. Most of all! The Channel Details no longer crashes! Yea! However, I still would like to see that the History button get resolved. I am having a lot of issues in trying to close it. It opens great but closing it is feat. Yes, there is the History button and I do double tap on this but it doesn't always let me go through to allow me to talk again on the channel. It appears it is still open. Wierd. Also, a lot of people are still having the problem with the Busy status. Many people are getting their status changed to Busy for whatever reason and not know that they are in the Busy status. Being in the Busy status does not allow you to hear people. There needs to be a confirmation or a pop up to let you know you are in a busy status. Other than that the new update works great! I've already done some testing on it and liked what I've seen. I really like the fact that my Contacts now are in alphabetical order and that I can see everyone on e my list. Nicely done Zello! What's New in Version 1.2 - Call alert -- send audible alert with optional text to your contacts - Swipe display on the talk screen to quickly switch between recent contacts - Added option to rename contacts - Bug fixes and improved stability

Version 1.3

Some new features worth taking a looking at. The biggest bugs are finally squashed. History button now open and closes better. Can now go in to the Channel Details without crashing. The horrible Notification that would never go away is also fixed. I really like the ability to add moderators to the channel now! The only downside is that there are now a couple of unlabel buttons that need to be labeled. The new Channel tab is a nice feature. I do like this. It separates the Channels from the Contact list. Overall a good update and well done. What's New in Version 1.3 - Moved channels to a separate tab - Channel owner now can assign moderators from channel users - Added option to invite friends to a channel - Display who is talking on a channel in local notifications - Support listen-only use for old iPod Touch, which doesn't have a microphone - Tap channel icon to quickly connect or disconnect the channel - Removed Headphones and Away statuses, leaving only Available, Busy, and Offline - Fixed failure to setup a call when clear to send alert is turned off - Bug fixes and UI improvements

Status changing to Busy

I'm also having problems with my status sometimes being changed to Busy without me having requested such a change. I don't know what I'm doing to make this happen, but it's really annoying when someone sends you a message, and it turns out you were set to Busy for hours or days and never knew it! Whatever is causing this, imho there should be a setting to never change my status unless I request such a change.

I thought it was just me.

I thought it was just me. Your correct I am having this issue as well, I will tweet with the guys at zello.

Version 1.4

The UI has really change a bit within the Channel themselves. I like this. So selecting for that Solo and Speaker mode is quite simple with out having to dive in to the Option Menu. The Next and Previous Channel located on both side of the screen is a nice update. Now switch channel and contacts quite fast with out having to completely jump out of the channel itself. Also, the last thing to note. If you tap on the person who is talking will not only show who is talking but if you leave it there it will tell you who the next person is when they start to talk. This will keep annoucing the person name as the conversation continues. Nice! I like that. What's New in Version 1.4 - Streamlined navigation and improved UI - Improved VoiceOver support - Stability improvements and bugfixes - Support using headset button as PTT toggle - Parse URLs in alerts - Added Bulgarian translation (contributed by Андреан Джамбазов) - Added Italian translation (contributed by Danilo Bestagno) - Added Polish translation (contributed by Paweł Masarczyk) - Added Hebrew translation (contributed by שי)

Version 1.5

Zello was really quick in fixing those nasty new bugs. They are now squashed and is a lot more stable in this new release. What's New in Version 1.5 - Fixed crash on start when running on iOS 4.2 - Fixed crash when tapping user icon in Recents - Support inviting contacts from address book to a channel - Updated localization

Version 1.6

Some new features to check out! The most noticable ones are the Improved handling of simultaneous talk in group and public conversations and the Audio Options. Can't wait to see how the - Improved handling of simultaneous talk in group and public conversations will work out when everyone get the new update! However, there is one minor issues but workable. In the My Info -> Settings you will find the new Audio Options. There are three clicks as you swipe to the right of the Audio Heading. Those clicks have no labels! Yikes! Have no fear Here is what they are and how to use them.! The first one is the Recording Amplifier. The second one is the Playback amplifier. Lastly, is the Microphone Gain Now to use them is quite easy. Say you are on the first click as you swipe right of the Audio Heading. That would be the Recording Amplifier. All you do is use one finger tap and hold. It will say the percentage rate. Slide your finger to the right to increase it and then swipe it back to the left to decrease it. That works for all three of the new Audio Options. So Enjoy! What's New in Version 1.6 - Added support for sharing messages on Facebook, Twitter via e-mail or SMS - Improved handling of simultaneous talk in group and public conversations - Added option to delete selected messages from history - Added new audio options - Solo mode now works in the background too - Bugfixes

Version 1.7

The Voice Over problem with in the Settings is working quite well now! The Current Trend in the Channel is a bit different. However, the option of the Busy problem is finally resolved! That was one of the biggest complaint I've seen. I am very glad to see this fixed! The Remot PTR I am still not sure what this does exactly. So if anyone can ellaborate on this. That would be great!

What's New in Version 1.7

- Added Trending channels section to Channels tab
- Improved in-app notifications
- Improved contact invitation flow
- Remote control PTT operation is now an option
- Fixed a bug when Zello status changes to Busy on audio interruption and doesn't return back to Available
- Improved VoiceOver support
- Fixed slow start up for users having 500+ contacts
- Faster sign in over slow network, reduced data usage
- Added Indonesian localization (contributed by Jonet Rohmanyu)
- Fixed several crashes

I found out what the remote ptt is!

Hello Anonimouse and others. I read on the support page and I know what the remote control ptt does. If you have the apple earbuds plugged in, you can use the center button as a talk button. You can even do this while the app is in the background, according to the FAQ. I haven't tested this out but I'm planning to give it a try. Basically, if the remote ptt is activated, you can exit the app. If you prefer to be in solo mode, I can see how this can be very benificial. Let's say you're surfing the net, and some one sends you a message. You can simply hit that center button on your headset and talk to them, and hit the button again to release your microphone. From what I do know, this only works if the headset is plugged in, so the two-finger double tap as the play-pause gesture won't work if you wish to have it on speaker phone. I'll sign into zello and go on the apple vis channel in a few minutes to test this out. Have a great day! Melissa Roe

Problems in v1.7

Just wanted to share a couple of things to note. Thanks to Melissa in helping us to figure out what the Remote PTR feature does. This allows you to use your iPhone ear buds that has the clicker. The clicker allows you to press and speak and press again to stop talking. Nice feature! However, there are quite a few bugs to report in v1.7. It is a bit late but wanted to give those a heads up that haven't updated to v1.7. I advise that you don't do this yet. There are two areas that are having a lot of problems. They are the Contacts tab and the Channels tab. The bug reports are still coming in. At this time in the Channel tab we have several reports of channels of being randomly connecting and disconnecting all by themselves. This is mostly happening as you open Zello to use. The other issues is that those that have v1.7 and have added any channels will find them only to disappear from time to time. It is like it has been added. The next time they come in. It is gone. The Contacts tab is also have been having the issues of adding a contact only to have them disappeared. This has not been confirmed by multiple sources but it almost seems that the people using Zello on their PC can't discuss or communicate with people in private at this time. No issues with devices to devcies. Just PC to devices. If I hear any more if you have some quirks you are experiencing please report them here so that others will know of the problems! Thanks!

Version 1.8

Version 1.7 had a lot of bugs with in the Channel page. This has appeared to have fixed the issues! Also, includes some new minor features.

What's New in Version 1.8

- Fixed a crash when using @Work accounts
- Added option to hide trending channels (use Edit on Channels tab)
- Added option to report abusive channels
- Bugfixes

Version 1.9

What's New in Version 1.9

- Added user and channel profiles
- Fixed remote control not working when the app in the background
- Added option to send location to your contact
- iPhone 5 compatibility fixes
- Various bugfixes and performance improvements

What happened to the trending

What happened to the trending channels list? I really miss that feature. I can see it in the channels and it Parriera, that it's turned on, but I don't see you heading for it in actual channels list, and I don't see any trending channels. I love that feature!

Version 2.1

This is no doubt a major overhaul to the interface as you knew it. So far it appears to be completely accessible. However, keep in mind they have competely transformed this and you will need to relearn where everything is and how things work.

If you have noticed anything buggy or not accessible. Please let us know!

What's New in Version 2.1

- Updated UI to match Zello+ application
- Added support for Zelect channels, where new users are screened by moderators before they are allowed to join the conversation. This feature requires moderators and new users update the app
- Added option to adjust particular user's volume
- Added option to see the and free storage space occupied by voice history
- Alerts text is saved to history now
- Many bug fixes and performance improvements
- Trending channels are coming back soon!

Version 2.2

What's New in Version 2.2

- Fixed a bug with interruptions in Zelect channels
- Improved contacts authorization flow, added options to decline / block all, and resend contact request
- Added option to disable voice history
- Save log of users blocked in a channel history
- Bugfixes

Version 2.3

What's New in Version 2.3

- Improved one-to-one call flow performance (requires app update for both users)
- Improved background mode operation -- mix Zello messages with other audio when possible
- Improved VoiceOver support
- Bugfixes and stability improvements

Still no trending list? Oh

Still no trending list? Oh well. It's still a very awesome app. My thanks to the developers!

Oopse, I was wrong… There is

Oopse, I was wrong… There is a trending list. Thank you dev team!

Version 2.4

What's New in Version 2.4

- Added option to use PTT button in toggle mode
- Added option to turn off busy mode automatically when user presses PTT button
- Auto-play channel audio profile when connecting to a channel for the first time
- New optional audio notifications when network connection lost and restored
- Show who and when blocked a user in a channel in the blocked users list
- Display notifications when somebody is unblocked in a channel
- Added Swedish translation contributed by Jonas Bohdén
- Many bugfixes and performance improvements

Zello version 2.8

Updated Oct. 30/ 2013 Version 2.8 What's New in Version 2.8 Fixed crash when using Solo mode

Version 2.9

What's New in Version 2.9 - Added a button to re-play last message - Support for external wireless push-to-talk buttons (Bluetooth LE) - Right-to-left swipe on the talk screen to show Recents - Save incoming message missed due to audio device being occupied by a different app - Fixed channels connection state not restoring sometimes - Fixed busy mode reset when the app is killed by the system - Fixed history playback order bugs - Re-grouped Settings - Bugfixes

Version 2.13

Zello version 2.13 is now available:

"What's New in Version 2.13

- Replaced speaker switch with iOS volume and audio device selection control
- Improved Bluetooth LE Zello Button support
- Fixed audio switching to earpiece after phone call
- Fixed a condition sometimes causing Busy status reset
- Other bug fixes"

Can anyone

Can anyone do a podcast on how it works? I wanto have the app, but I'm not sure if I will download this if you don't do a podcast.
So please post a comment if you do a podcast.
Thanks

Ditto the podcast

I'd like to hear a podcast as well. I'm feeling particularly unadventurous about getting more social networks of late, so it would be much appreciated.

regarding the podcast

There is a podcast someone did when Zello for iOS was first released, but it's probably out of date because the layout has now changed.

It now feels like a webpage.

The sound, however, remains the same.

If you only want to hear how it sounds, you can still just listen to the podcast, even if it is out of date.

Where can I

Where can I find the podcast?
Thanks

Want to add me on Zello? Are you a fan of trance music or a DJ?

Hi everyone. My name is Heather, but I'm known by my friends and fans as DJ Hey. I've been a Zello user for a long time, and even created a Corstens Countdown channel for any Zello users who're fans of the Dutch trance DJ, Ferry Corsten. I'm a huge fan of him, and would love to have more people join the channel to chat with me and everyone on it about new episodes of his podcast and anything else related to him. So, if you're a fan of Ferry, like I am, and if you want to join the channel, search for Corstens Countdown in the channels section. If you're interested in adding me on Zello as a friend, search for DJHey20.

Update - Version 3.14

Zello Walkie Talkie, the free app on the app store that turns your iPad and iPhone into a walkie talkie, has just got an update. It has fixed a lot of bugs.

What's New in Version 3.14
- Fixed the bug causing occasional failure to reconnect after network loss
- Improved audio routes management
- Chinese localization restored for Hong Kong users
- Minor bugfixes

If you are having a better experience with this update or want to ask a question, just post a comment below.

Version 3.15 - New Features

Hi,

Zello Walkie Talkie, the cool app that transforms your apple device into a walkie talkie, has got some new features!

- Supported sending voice messages from offline

You are now able to send messages on Zello offline! This also includes if your network is weak.

- Added voice messages delivery status in history

Wanna see if your friend got your message yet? Check in the history for the message's delivery status.

- Improved private voice messaging performance in poor network conditions

You're talking to one of your contacts when all of a sudden your push to talk button only makes one beep. This has been fixed.

- Display user reputation under user's profile

I haven't really figured this out, but I will edit this forum when I do.

- Display channel's top users under channel profile. Top users list is based on votes for their messages in the channel

That heading pretty much self explains it. Depends on the users that vote the most messages.

- Added support for new channel type -- Zelect+ -- where only approved users can talk and listen

Cool! Again, that heading self explains it. So try out Zelect+ and see what you think.

- Fixed talk button being unresponsive on iOS 9.3

Finally! That bug drove us crazy. I've saw a lot of forums lately about Zello being unresponsive so I'm happy this is fixed!

- Bugfixes

Basic bugfixes to make the app better.

Questions? Please post a comment below and either me or some other user will reply.

Users Reputation in Zello! Whazzdat?

Users Reputation is a dynamic balanced result of plus and minus votes (sort of like/unlike) that a user gets in channels, plus some else parameters known only to the developers.
Every user has a certain number of daily votes available (actually 9) to vote messages or images in channels incoming from other users (nobody can to vote for himself).
Resulting values will form the channel's top users list (in channel profile) and user's reputation (in user's profile) with an algorithm result for each user in last 6 months and ever, both in the channel or in the whole platform.
So, it basically express numerically what its name says: the user's reputation in Zello according to other users evaluations during time.

Zello rocks!

I've been using Zello, since I've first used it on my iPod touch, than transfered it onto my iPhone 5s, and it rocks. me and my friend @djhey20 use the app all the time to communicate. I espcially enjoy the channels feature. it's a grate way to talk to other users around the world.

Love it!

I've only used Zello for a couple of days, and so far, it's one of my favorite walkie-talkie apps. The ability to text, and have group chats would make the app even better. If anyone would like to contact me, my username is 786blaze.

amazing app!

Amazing app! it is one of my favorite apps for Live conversations. an update has been released for iOS 10 with responsiveness to the PTT button and other buggs fixed. I also love the ability to play messages off-line. If anyone would like to contact me, my username is djmacradio