Kazoo
FAQ
No phone number, works worldwide, the iPhone app, Talk live, Family tools, and how messages are kept.
What is Kazoo?
Kazoo is push-to-talk for Apple Watch and iPhone. Hold a button, talk, let go — they hear it with a chirp, and you can see when it's delivered and when it's heard.
What happened to Apple's Walkie-Talkie?
Apple removed its own Walkie-Talkie app in watchOS 27, with no replacement and no explanation. It still works on watchOS 26.6 and earlier. Kazoo is an independent app in the same category — not Apple's app, and not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple. It rebuilds the experience people liked, and answers the question Apple's version never could: did they actually hear you?
Do I need a phone number? Does it work in other countries?
No phone number, ever: you sign in with your Apple Account and add people with a code. It works anywhere with Wi-Fi or mobile data, between any countries, with no long-distance or roaming minutes. (Your mobile plan's data use still applies, and a live call uses very little.)
Can I use Kazoo without an iPhone?
Yes. On Android, a Mac or a Windows PC, open app.kazoowalkietalkie.com and sign in with Apple, Google or your email. You talk with the same friends and channels as the iPhone and watch apps. For the best experience, add it to your home screen (on Android, Chrome's menu → Add to Home screen; on a computer, Chrome's Install button) and turn on notifications.
What's the difference between the web app and the iPhone and watch apps?
The web app does the talking: voice messages, knocks, quick replies, "You OK?", channels, voice filters, tunes, name tags, Live talk one-to-one and in group rooms, English and Español. Only the apps can ring like a phone call when locked, play messages out loud on a locked iPhone (walkie-talkie mode), run on Apple Watch (including raise your wrist to hear it), use the Action button, Back Tap, Siri, widgets and complications, read messages as text, use iPhone Duo's walkie-talkie mode, make channels, and offer family tools. The web app works best while it's open or with notifications on.
Is the home-screen version different from the website?
No, it's the same app. Adding it to your home screen just gives it an icon, opens it full screen, and makes notifications more reliable (on iPhone, notifications only work once it's on the home screen).
Is there an iPhone app?
Yes. It does everything the watch does, and in walkie-talkie mode it plays messages out loud as they arrive, even with your iPhone locked. Friends without an Apple Watch can use Kazoo too — install the iPhone app and the watch app comes with it, or install on the watch alone.
Which watches work?
Series 6, SE 2nd generation, Ultra, and anything newer, on watchOS 11 or later. The iPhone app needs iOS 17 or later.
Is Kazoo on iPad or iPhone Duo?
Kazoo is ready for iPhone Duo: half-open it becomes a walkie-talkie with a giant Talk button, and fully open it shows friends and the conversation side by side. An iPad version is coming soon.
How do I add a friend?
Both of you open Kazoo. One shares their six-character code, the other types it in. No phone numbers, no searching for people.
How do I invite someone who doesn't have Kazoo yet?
Add a friend → Share my code sends them your code and a link to Kazoo by text, WhatsApp, or anything else.
How do I try Kazoo before it's in the App Store?
Email hello@kazoowalkietalkie.com and we'll send a TestFlight invite. TestFlight is Apple's free app for trying apps early.
Can we talk live, like a real walkie-talkie?
Yes, on Apple Watch and iPhone, in any mix. Tap Talk live on a friend's screen. Their iPhone rings like a phone call, even locked; their watch gets a "wants to talk live" invite with Join. Hold the big button to talk and let go to listen, or tap once to talk and again when you're done. One person talks at a time. Live audio is never recorded.
I have a watch and an iPhone. Which one rings?
Both. Answer on whichever is handy; the other stops ringing (the watch invite just says the call was answered elsewhere if you tap it later).
Why does my watch invite me instead of ringing?
Apple Watch only gives an app the microphone for a call it starts itself, so the watch gets an invite and tapping Join starts the call. The invite usually arrives 10 to 20 seconds after your friend taps Talk live; that's Apple delivering the notification. Once you tap Join, the call connects in a second or two. An iPhone rings straight away, like a phone call.
How do I talk once I've joined a live call?
On iPhone, use the big button on Kazoo's screen, or with the phone locked, the call screen's microphone button: unmuted means you're on the air. The Action button or Back Tap works too, once set to Kazoo's Push to Talk. Or switch on Hands-free and just talk: no button, whoever starts speaking takes the turn. On the watch, tap the microphone button on the call screen; tap it again when you've finished. If you try while the other person is talking, you feel a buzz. The line at the top says whose turn it is.
What's Hands-free?
A switch for live calls, on iPhone (on the Live screen, or Settings → Live calls) and Apple Watch (Settings → Live calls, set before the call). It's on unless you turn it off. There's no button at all: just talk, and whoever starts speaking takes the turn, still one voice at a time. Your phone ignores the other person's voice coming out of its own speaker. The big button (or Mute on the call screen) turns your mic off and on.
Can I hear a live call privately?
Yes. Live calls use the speaker, like a walkie-talkie. Tap Earpiece on the Live screen and hold the phone to your ear like a normal call, or use AirPods. Tap Speaker to switch back.
What if a message arrives while I'm talking live?
It doesn't interrupt. It arrives quietly, the call screen shows a line like "🎙 New message from Mom", and it waits for you afterwards.
Does a live call cost anything, like a long-distance call?
No. It uses your internet connection (Wi-Fi or mobile data), not phone minutes, even between countries.
Can I talk with one hand on iPhone?
Yes. Tap the big button to start and tap again to send, or hold it and let go. For a real button, set the Action button (iPhone 15 Pro and newer) or Back Tap (any iPhone) to Kazoo's Push to Talk; Kazoo's Settings shows how.
Can I use Kazoo for my kids?
Yes. Turn on Family tools in Settings on your iPhone, tap Add a kid, and enter the code on your kid's watch. Their new friends wait for your OK, and you can set School and Sleep hours. Everyone else uses Kazoo as normal.
Does Kazoo work with Screen Time?
Screen Time's Communication Limits and Downtime cover Apple's own Phone, Messages and FaceTime, not other apps. For Kazoo, use Family tools: a parent sets School and Sleep hours, which work like Downtime just for Kazoo. Messages wait until afterwards, and a kid can still reach their parents. New friends always need a parent's OK.
Does Kazoo check my age?
On iPhone (iOS 26+), Kazoo asks Apple for your age range, and you choose whether to share it. We never see your birthdate. If you're under 13, a parent needs to link your Kazoo (Family → Add a kid on their iPhone) before you can add friends or talk. Teens can link a parent if they want to.
Can I save a voice message?
Press and hold it (on iPhone or watch) and choose Keep. Kept messages never expire and live in your Kept list. Everything else is deleted 24 hours after it's heard.
What sounds does Kazoo make?
Each friend can have one of eight short tunes, so you know who's calling without looking. Friends can also record a name tag ("Hi, it's Mom!") that plays before their messages, there's a knock sound, a ring for live calls, and three beeps when you're connected. Voice filters (Kazoo, Chipmunk, Deep, Robot) change how you sound.
Can I make my voice sound funny?
Yes. On anyone's talk screen, tap Voice and pick Kazoo 🎺, Chipmunk 🐿️, Deep 🐻 or Robot 🤖. The effect is added on your watch or iPhone before sending, so the other person just hears it. Kazoo remembers your choice for each person.
Can I read a message instead of listening?
On iPhone (iOS 26+), tap the Read icon next to a voice message and it turns into text, right on your phone. Hold it to pick Spanish or English, and tap Translate for the other language. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Can I tell who's messaging me without looking?
Yes. Each friend has their own short tune. Open a friend's screen and tap Sound to pick a different one.
What's a Knock?
A quick tap on someone's wrist that means "you there?". They can knock back straight from the notification.
Can I answer without talking?
Yes. Tap Reply for one-tap answers like "On my way" or "Can't talk now," or tap one right on the notification without opening the app.
What's "You OK?"
One tap asks a friend or your family channel if they're OK. They answer with one tap, right from the notification: "I'm OK 👍" or "Call me 📞," and you see the answers come in. No location, no tracking. It isn't an emergency service; call emergency services in an emergency.
Why do I see my friend's time?
If you're in different time zones, Kazoo shows their local time (like "🌙 2:14 AM") so you don't wake them. You can turn yours off in Settings.
Do I have to tap to hear a message on my watch?
No. When a message arrives, raise your wrist to look and it plays right there, in the notification, without opening Kazoo. Tap Play to hear it again. In a meeting or at the movies? Turn it off in Kazoo's watch Settings → Play when I raise my wrist; then just tap Play when you're ready. A quick glance (wrist straight back down) never plays anything.
My watch sent a message I didn't mean to.
Double Tap (pinching finger and thumb twice) starts a message, and gripping something, like a steering wheel, can look the same to the watch. Kazoo ignores a pinch in the first few seconds after you raise your wrist, and a message started that way turns the screen red with Send and Cancel so you notice. To stop it entirely, turn off Kazoo's watch Settings → Double Tap to talk.
Can a whole group talk live, like on a ski trip or at a concert?
Yes. Open a channel and tap Go live. Everyone else in the channel gets "Trip is live · Join" (no ringing), and people come and go as they like. One person talks at a time; hold to talk, or switch on Hands-free. The room stays open while anyone's in it, even with phones locked in pockets, and reconnects on its own if you lose signal for a bit. Up to 10 people.
Can I talk to my whole family at once?
Yes. Make a channel, like Family 🏠, from your friends. Everyone gets an invitation and hears the channel once they tap Join. Up to 10 people.
Can people in a channel who aren't my friends hear me?
Only people who joined the same channel, which someone you're friends with created. Anyone can leave at any time, and if you report someone, they can't reach you through any channel.
How long are messages kept?
Deleted 24 hours after being heard. A message nobody hears is deleted after 7 days. The only exception is a message attached to a report, which is held until it's reviewed.
What if someone is bothering me?
Open their screen and tap Report. They're removed at once and aren't told who reported them. You can also just Remove them.
Does it work if my friend is asleep or in a Focus?
Yes. Your message waits and plays when they come back, and you can see that it's waiting rather than lost. Kazoo also tells you why someone is unreachable — "Focus is on," "In a workout" — instead of leaving you with silence, and turns itself off during your own Focus instead of letting messages vanish.
Is it safe for my kid?
Yes. Kazoo is rated 4+. There is no discovery, no public channels, no strangers, and no text chat. Nobody can contact a user who has not first accepted their invite code, and removing a friend instantly revokes their access to everything previously sent. Parents who want more control can turn on Family tools.
Does it need to be on my watch face?
No. Apple's version required its icon to be on your watch face to work at all. Kazoo doesn't need that.
Is Kazoo in Spanish?
Yes. Settings → Language · Idioma → EN / ES. It switches your iPhone, watch and Kazoo Web together, and your notifications arrive in your language. Your friends each see their own language, so a quick reply you send in English shows up as "Voy en camino" for a friend who chose Spanish.
How do I delete my account?
In Kazoo, Settings → Delete account (iPhone or watch). Everything is deleted right away. Or email hello@oceanwithinstudio.com and we'll do it.
Where's Kazoo online?
kazoowalkietalkie.com
How do I report a bug?
Email hello@oceanwithinstudio.com with your device model, watchOS or iOS version, what happened, and what you expected.