Use Your Smartphone as a Walkie Talkie
This series of articles are brought to you by WeChat – the new way to connect.
Have you ever been to a large event with a group of friends and within that group of friends, manage to split up amongst yourselves? Your only option now is to use whatever you have in your hand, probably your smartphone, to call each and everyone of them to see where they all are, but that in itself is a pain in the butt and a time-waster. How about having virtual walkie talkies right on your smartphone and your friends’?
The Walkie Talkie feature on WeChat allows multiple people to participate in a live group chat, just like real walkie talkies. So only one person can be talking at once, while the others listen. Best of all, the range is unlimited, unlike traditional walkie talkies, provided that you all have a data plan and coverage. Because you are not using your cameras for this feature, the toll on your total data plan will be very minimal.
So what makes WeChat’s Walkie Talkie feature better than traditional walkie talkies?
- Virtually unlimited range provided you have a data plan and coverage.
- No need to buy additional equipment provided you have a smartphone, which a lot of people in this world already have.
- It’s lighter, and smaller than a traditional walkie talkie.
- Cheaper than calling each and every one of your lost mates, because data is significantly cheaper than data in proportion.
- Plus the WeChat app is free for all supported platforms!
Using the Walkie Talkie feature in WeChat is pretty simple. Just invite participants and wait for them to accept your invite. As only one person can push the big circle button at once, it will turn red if you are trying to push it while someone is already talking.
In the above situation I was talking about non-commercial use. Of course, the Walkie Talkie feature on WeChat can also be used in commercial situations. Instead of purchasing walkie talkie devices for your small commercial event, you could try and use WeChat’s walkie talkie feature!
Of course this feature is probably not suitable for emergency services etc….
Anyhoo, go give WeChat’s Walkie Talkie feature a try now on your favourite smartphone!
