Apple removed Walkie-Talkie in watchOS 27. What now?

Apple removed Walkie-Talkie in watchOS 27, released in September 2026. It’s gone from the app list and from Control Center, and there’s no way to reinstall it. Apple hasn’t said why, and it hasn’t named a replacement.

What still works

Walkie-Talkie needs watchOS 5.3 through 26.6 on both watches. If you and the person you talk to are both still on watchOS 26, it keeps working. Once either of you updates, it stops.

What to use instead

It depends on what you liked about it.

• Talking live. A FaceTime audio call. It rings, they pick up, you talk.
• Quick voice notes. Audio messages in Messages. How they compare.
• The button. A walkie talkie app on your iPhone. Hold to talk, let go to send, one channel per person. There are a few. We make one.

Where COPY fits, and where it doesn’t

COPY has twelve channels, one for each friend or group. Turn the dial to pick one. Hold down. Talk. Let go.

It’s close to Walkie-Talkie, with a few differences.

• iPhone only. Apple Watch is on our horizon.
• It waits for them. Your friend hears you when they pick up their phone, not the instant you let go. Nobody has to be free at the same moment.
• Heard once. Then it’s deleted. With COPY Club, the listener can replay it for ten minutes.
• No accounts. Nothing is saved.

Your friends need COPY too. Send them an invite, and you’ll share a channel.