429 Too Many Requests

Do you mean the Walkie Talkie app for your Watch? It was removed in Watch OS 27, but there are many alternatives available in the App Store for use with your iPhone and Watch.

Use Walkie-Talkie on your Apple Watch - Apple Support

None I have found are good replacements to the native app me and my wife use it to manage the kids across the house and now we have nothing good. There’s also big advantages to a natively supported Apple app vs third party apps they don’t allow for the same reliable experience and everyone wants a subscription.

A lot of the carriers have a push to talk add-on. You could talk to your cell provider and ask if it can be added to your phone plan. Not as good as a os supported service, but next best thing is through your carrier.

DoctorGadget wrote:

None I have found are good replacements to the native app me and my wife use it to manage the kids across the house and now we have nothing good. There’s also big advantages to a natively supported Apple app vs third party apps they don’t allow for the same reliable experience and everyone wants a subscription.

Understood, but Apple removed it. So your option is to use another app. This is a user to user only forum. No one here on this user only forum had anything to do with Apple's decision to remove Walkie Talkie. You are welcome to let Apple know what you think using this link --> Feedback - Watch - Apple

michiel42 wrote:

That is very disappointing news! The Walkie Talkie app was one of my favorite apps on the Apple Watch and I used it almost daily. Hopefully Apple brings it back in one of the next updates...

Don't hope, ask https://apple.com/feedback

As a loyal, long-time Apple customer who has invested heavily in your ecosystem for years, I am writing to express my utter disappointment and a profound loss of respect for the brand following the silent removal of the Walkie-Talkie feature.

My family only discovered this essential feature was missing last night when we actively needed to use it. To find a core utility completely deleted after a forced update—with zero communication, warning, or explanation from Apple—is entirely unacceptable.

The brilliance of the Walkie-Talkie feature was its unmatched utility: it allowed my family to connect instantly in real-time across vast distances, requiring nothing more than a Wi-Fi connection. It did not need flashy updates; it was a reliable, loved, and practical tool that we depended on.

Removing functional, real-world utility from dedicated users while simultaneously pushing uninspired hardware updates shows a massive disconnect from what your customers actually value. By quietly killing the tools that bind families to your ecosystem, Apple is actively alienating its most loyal user base.

I urge Apple to listen to the thousands of families affected by this decision and reinstate a native push-to-talk capability in a future watchOS patch. Until then, my trust and respect for this brand have been severely compromised.

Corey2419 wrote:

As a loyal, long-time Apple customer who has invested heavily in your ecosystem for years, I am writing to express my utter disappointment and a profound loss of respect for the brand following the silent removal of the Walkie-Talkie feature.

My family only discovered this essential feature was missing last night when we actively needed to use it. To find a core utility completely deleted after a forced update—with zero communication, warning, or explanation from Apple—is entirely unacceptable.

The brilliance of the Walkie-Talkie feature was its unmatched utility: it allowed my family to connect instantly in real-time across vast distances, requiring nothing more than a Wi-Fi connection. It did not need flashy updates; it was a reliable, loved, and practical tool that we depended on.

Removing functional, real-world utility from dedicated users while simultaneously pushing uninspired hardware updates shows a massive disconnect from what your customers actually value. By quietly killing the tools that bind families to your ecosystem, Apple is actively alienating its most loyal user base.

I urge Apple to listen to the thousands of families affected by this decision and reinstate a native push-to-talk capability in a future watchOS patch. Until then, my trust and respect for this brand have been severely compromised.

As a loyal long time customer, you evidently think you are writing Apple here? You're not. This is a user to user only forum, which Apple doesn't participate. I can assure you, no users on this forum had anything to do with Apple's decision to retire the Walkie Talkie App. I never used it. Never found any real purpose other than it was mildly cute?

The reality is most people never used nor even knew they had a Walkie Talkie. I know so many who own Apple Watch, they never used it. In all the years as a two household with two Apple Watches, we never used it. It was likely retired (though I can't actually speak for Apple) as they are able to see how many people use specific features, and when one is not used enough to justify investing in it's evolvement, it just doesn't make sense to keep it going. Again, just my observation.

Either way, if you're not happy about Walkie Talkie's removal, share your thoughts with Apple where someone at Apple will read them (but not respond) --> https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch/. Apple does listen to customer feedback. But there would have to be countless thousands of people contacting Apple about Walkie Talkie. And since it was retired, this forum, the worlds largest for all things Apple, there simply have been very few people even asking what happened to Walkie Talkie.

I threw a wobbly when they dropped the Aperture photo editing softwre I paid £50 for, and the Apple books photo album service which left us with a set of six albums and nowhere to go for the next one (except Google).

We are helpless when Apple have a policy decision, similarly on this forum when barmy policy decisions remain despite member requests.

With Apple, resistance is futile. . Even the feedback site we posted here, there is an unsolicited ideas prohibition clause.

Don't complain or expect change. Move on.

Unfortunately, Apple got rid of the walkie talkie app in iOS 27. You could try 3rd party apps but all of them are probably inferior to the Apple version and require a subscription. Best way to try and bring it back is to send feedback to Apple. https://www.apple.com/feedback/watch

FYI How do I restore the walkie talkie featur… - Apple Community

Apple has discontinued the product. Legally, since it's no longer the product that you purchased, you are entitled to a full refund of the product, even beyond the 14-day period. This is a major feature, and a safety and security feature that families use for guaranteed connections. This was also the selling point for purchasing the Apple Watch, therefore, all that my husband has now is a second iPhone while no longer being able to contact me via Walkie-Talkie. Apple also gave no warning that updating to os27 would remove the Walkie-Talkie feature (negligence) and has not provided an alternative for the Walkie-Talkie feature.

FYI, you are entitled to compensation as the product you purchased, especially in the past few months, is not the same, and has been lessened.

Apple has discontinued the product. Legally, since it's no longer the product that you purchased, you are entitled to a full refund of the product, even beyond the 14-day period. This is a major feature, and a safety and security feature that families use for guaranteed connections. This was also the selling point for purchasing the Apple Watch, therefore, all that my husband has now is a second iPhone while no longer being able to contact me via Walkie-Talkie. Apple also gave no warning that updating to os27 would remove the Walkie-Talkie feature (negligence) and has not provided an alternative for the Walkie-Talkie feature. https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256364934?answerId=262201317022&sortBy=rank#262201317022

TMCBKLYN wrote:

FYI, you are entitled to compensation as the product you purchased, especially in the past few months, is not the same, and has been lessened.

By that logic, you should be paying for the OS updates, due to the enhancement of features. The truth is you are just a licensed user of the OS and Apple controls the software for any changes, and there has never been the ability to roll back to a previous OS version (except for Mac OS). Both features and apps come and go, and you have the ability to send Feedback to Apple for any changed you don't like or new features you would.

TMCBKLYN wrote:

Apple has discontinued the product. Legally, since it's no longer the product that you purchased, you are entitled to a full refund of the product, even beyond the 14-day period.

Nonesense. You never purchased watchOS, only licensed it. And you agreed to the terms.

https://www.apple.com/legal/sla/docs/watchOS27.pdf

Quote:

 Apple, at its discretion, may make available future watchOS Software Changes for your Apple

Watch. The watchOS Software Changes, if any, may not necessarily include all existing software

features or new features that Apple releases for newer or other models of Apple Watch. The terms of this

License will govern any watchOS Software Changes provided by Apple that replace and/or supplement

the Original watchOS Software product, unless such watchOS Software Change is accompanied by aseparate license, in which case you agree that the terms of that license will govern. (Bold mine)

Apple also gave no warning that updating to os27 would remove the Walkie-Talkie feature (negligence) and has not provided an alternative for the Walkie-Talkie feature.

Yes, there are alternatives. You can still make Facetime calls which can be initiated by voice. You can send a text or audio message, also initiated by voice. I get that you don't like them but that doesn't change the fact that they exist.

IdrisSeabright wrote:

My mother's favorite was "had kittens." It makes absolutely no sense, but people do say it.

We would use that more as anxiety " she wasn't home at midnight, I was having kittens"

(looks daft written down 😂)

At least that’s a benefit of having an older watch, I just need to find other poor people to talk with.