Apple offers walkie-talkie functionality for use in iOS 16 apps. The manufacturer announced this. An API for this purpose is called Push to Talk. There is currently no app from Apple that uses it.
Apple didn’t mention the feature at the WWDC Developer Conference keynote on Monday, but… No session assigned for the job. The feature works with the long-running option to keep audio apps running in the background. Until now, that was only for apps that enable VoIP calls.
Apple said the opportunity primarily targets services that target areas such as emergency services and health care, where speedy connectivity is critical. The manufacturer provides only the API and interface, but the applications themselves must provide the backend for calls.
In the push-to-talk application, if users are in a channel with others, the speaking function is available at all times via a blue icon at the top left of the interface. When clicked, iOS displays a button that users must press to speak. On other devices, a notification comes right away and the sound plays.
No app from Apple itself uses the API. The Walkie Talkie app for watchOS is on the Apple Watch, but it doesn’t use the API. This app relies on FaceTime to forward voice messages.
Apple wants to make Push to Talk more available in iOS using API and interface elements. The intent is for apps that already have walkie-talkie functionality in their apps to move to the new API. The API will be available in the stable version of iOS 16 and is likely to be released this fall. Tweaker posted a Video preview for iOS 16†
