Apple has quietly removed the Walkie-Talkie app from Apple Watch in the first developer beta of watchOS 27, with the app vanishing from both the app list and Control Center. Walkie-Talkie launched with watchOS 5 in 2018 and allowed Apple Watch users to send push-to-talk voice messages to one another over Wi-Fi or cellular using FaceTime infrastructure. Unlike traditional walkie-talkies, it worked over any distance, making it a novel way to communicate without picking up an iPhone. Despite the promise of the feature at launch, however, Apple gave it very little attention in the years that followed, with no meaningful updates across eight major watchOS releases. Shortly after its debut, Apple was forced to temporarily disable Walkie-Talkie following the discovery of a security vulnerability that could allow a user to listen through another person's microphone without their knowledge. Apple resolved the issue with a watchOS 5.3 update, but the episode did little to build lasting enthusiasm for the feature. The app's removal has not been officially confirmed by Apple, but users running the first watchOS 27 beta observe that the app is nowhere to be found, with no option to reinstall it. watchOS 27 is still in very early beta testing and there remains a slim possibility Apple could reintroduce the app before the software reaches a public release later this year. Given how little attention the feature has received over the years, however, its removal looks more like a quiet retirement than an accidental omission. A public beta of watchOS 27 is set to arrive next month, followed by launch in the fall, likely alongside new Apple Watch models. Related Roundups: Apple Watch 11 , watchOS 26 Tag: Walkie-Talkie Buyer's Guide: Apple Watch (Caution) Related Forum: Apple Watch This article, " Apple Removes Walkie-Talkie From Apple Watch in watchOS 27 Beta " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
Apple at this year's WWDC emphasized that its approach to iOS 27 development was to add fewer newer features and instead make existing features better. Examples of that approach can be seen across the operating system, but it is arguably most obvious in the changes coming to Messages. That's not to say there's nothing original coming to Messages in iOS 27. For instance, one new Apple Intelligence feature brings content-aware suggestions directly into conversations. If someone asks for photos, for example, Messages can recognize what's being discussed and suggest searching your photo library, using details like people, places, and keywords to surface relevant images. The app can also detect when a conversation would benefit from creating a reminder or note and offer a shortcut to do so without leaving the thread. Apple is also bringing drawing tools directly into Messages, allowing users to create and share hand-drawn sketches within conversations. Otherwise, Apple's focus has been on making the following enhancements and improvements to its broader Messages platform: Faster message loading: Large conversations, especially those containing years of history and thousands of attachments, should load and scroll more quickly. Improved syncing across devices: Apple says Messages, read states, reactions, and attachments sync more reliably and quickly between iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Vision Pro. Find offloaded media in Messages: Search can surface photos and videos that have been offloaded from local storage and stored in iCloud. Thumbnails for offloaded media: Offloaded photos and videos now get visible preview thumbnails instead of generic placeholders, making older media easier to identify. Personalized Smart Reply suggestions: Apple Intelligence-generated Smart Reply suggestions can now reflect a user's own writing style, making suggested responses feel more natural and personal. Consolidated notifications for multiple Tapbacks: Multiple reactions to a message are grouped into a single notification rather than generating separate alerts. Continuous sending of photos, videos, and text: Messages continue sending in the background and automatically resume when connectivity returns, reducing interrupted sends. Search conversations by phone number or nickname: Conversation search now works with saved nicknames and phone numbers, not just contact names. Faster access to recent camera captures: Newly captured photos and videos appear more quickly in the Messages media picker. Failed messages automatically retry sending: Messages that fail because of temporary network issues will automatically attempt to resend without the user's intervention. Early adopters of iOS 27 will receive access to the public beta next month, when they can try out the new features and improvements themselves. Apple is expected to make a general release available in the fall. Related Roundup: iOS 27 Tag: Messages This article, " 14 Ways Apple Is Improving Messages in iOS 27 " first appeared on MacRumors.com Discuss this article in our forums
If you've ever wanted a native way to control how your AirPods sound across every device and app, Apple has finally provided it in iOS 27. Here's where to find the setting and what it can do. AirPods have a built-in EQ in Settings Apple's 2026 WWDC keynote was packed with tiny features and improvements. One of the long-awaited crowd pleasers was bringing an equalizer to AirPods settings. Owners of the AirPods Max 2, AirPods Pro 3, or AirPods 4 can now choose the level of playback for lows, mids, and highs manually. It's not the most complex equalizer I've seen, but it is certainly better than nothing. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
Apple is opening up what is possible on Apple Vision Pro by implementing physical object tracking and expanded spatial accessory support. Here's what that means for users when visionOS 27 launches. More spatial accessories can be built for Apple Vision Pro with visionOS 27 When Apple initially launched Apple Vision Pro , it was very proud of the hand and eye tracking it had developed. Controllers weren't even mentioned beyond PlayStation's standard one for playing 2D iPad games. Slowly, it seems Apple realized that having zero haptic or physical feedback in games and interactions would severely impact what was possible. visionOS 26 introduced spatial accessories , and now visionOS 27 is expanding what is possible, both with fully realized controllers and basic objects. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums
