Will you miss the Walkie-Talkie Apple Watch app when watchOS 27 drops push-to-talk?

Apple is quietly discontinuing one of the Apple Watch's most distinctive features — a built-in walkie-talkie app that let users communicate without cellular service — as the company pivots toward push-to-talk capabilities in its broader ecosystem. The move marks a subtle but significant shift in how Apple wants users to communicate on its wearables, potentially forcing millions of Watch owners to abandon a beloved tool they've relied on for years. While the tech press has largely treated this as routine software housekeeping, the real story is what it reveals about Apple's willingness to strip away consumer-friendly features in favor of centralized, ecosystem-dependent alternatives.

9to5Mac·Jul 10