Apple has excluded the Apple Watch Walkie-Talkie feature from the watchOS 27 developer beta, it has emerged.

TechRadar reported on June 11 that Apple did not include Walkie-Talkie in the first watchOS 27 developer beta it recently released. Apple has not issued an official position so far on whether it will return.

Walkie-Talkie lets Apple Watch users raise their wrist and speak briefly by voice with other Apple Watch users. After its introduction in 2018, it has been used as a lighter way to contact someone than a phone call or text message. It has been cited as especially useful among family members or close acquaintances.

Users also reacted. One user wrote on social media, "I’m really disappointed. My son and I always used this feature." Another user said, "I live in a duplex apartment with a close friend, and he’s upstairs while I’m downstairs," adding, "We’ve used this feature for years instead of shouting for each other." These are cases where Walkie-Talkie was not just an add-on but a day-to-day communication tool.

Some are also speculating that Apple may be moving to effectively phase out the feature. Apple has not made any notable updates to Walkie-Talkie since releasing it. With no improvements for a long time, some Apple Watch users have pointed out that it has become a feature whose very existence is not well known. Considering this trend, the possibility of the app being discontinued carries more weight than a simple omission.

Questions about the feature’s completeness are also cited as background. Walkie-Talkie has drawn complaints about weak connection stability. One Reddit user said, "It was a good idea, but in my experience it didn’t work well," adding, "It was fine when both sides were on cellular, but not when one side or both sides were connected to an iPhone via Bluetooth." Given the feature’s reliance on short, immediate voice communication, such instability can significantly reduce usability.

Apple has not officially announced the removal of Walkie-Talkie in relation to the change. As a result, the possibility of it being included again before the fall unveiling has not completely disappeared. But with the feature missing from the first developer beta and no separate explanation, it is hard to rule out the possibility it will also be excluded from the final version.

The case also shows that Apple could remove, during the watchOS overhaul process, features it has kept for a long time but that have low usage or a high maintenance burden. Whether Walkie-Talkie returns in additional betas before the official release of watchOS 27 is expected to be the next point of attention for Apple Watch users.