The Open Radio Channel
The Apple Watch features a built-in app called “Walkie-Talkie.” This app utilizes a background FaceTime Audio connection to allow your friends to instantly transmit their voice directly through your watch’s speaker, mimicking a physical two-way radio. While novel, leaving your “availability status” set to active means that any approved contact can push audio out of your wrist at any time. If you are sitting in a quiet office, attending a funeral, or simply refuse to allow external voices to spontaneously emanate from your arm, you must shut down this radio channel.
How to Turn Off Walkie-Talkie Availability
You can instantly sever the push-to-talk connection via the Control Center.
- Raise your wrist to wake the Apple Watch display.
- Press the side button (the flat, oval button below the Digital Crown) to open the Control Center. (On older watchOS versions, swipe up from the bottom of the screen).
- Locate the Walkie-Talkie icon (a yellow square with a black radio icon).
- Tap the icon once. The icon will turn grey to indicate it is disabled.
- Alternatively, open the Walkie-Talkie app and toggle the Walkie-Talkie switch at the top of the list to the Off position.
Radio Silence
The change is instantaneous. The Apple Watch will completely terminate the background FaceTime Audio listening daemon. Your status will instantly update to “Unavailable” for all of your contacts. If someone attempts to radio you, they will receive an error message. Your watch will never again suddenly blast a friend’s voice into the room, guaranteeing complete acoustic control over your wearable.