[FSG-public] Reuters: Zello ‘walkie-talkie’ natural disaster app requires internet access

[Bryan Fields]

I read this an had a good chuckle...

https://www.reuters.com/article/factCheckNew/idUSL1N2Q31SN

Social media users are recommending that people who lose service due to
Hurricane Ida should use an app that turns their phones into walkie-talkies.
The app, Zello, is often used in this way in natural disasters, but requires
an internet connection to work.

The posts ( here , here , here , here ) say, “NEW ORLEANS FRIENDS NOT
EVACUATING: Theres an app called Zello that turns your phone into a walkie
talkie if you lose service. Please download and inform your friends and family.”

Hurricane Ida, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to hit the U.S. Gulf
Coast, ploughed into Louisiana on August 29 killing at least two people and
causing power outages across several states, including Louisiana, Mississippi
and Alabama

Blog posts on the Zello website explain how Zello is indeed a push-to-talk
messaging app, like a walkie-talkie, that can be used in a natural disaster.
It allows people to communicate without cell phone numbers using channels.
Channels can be created for different uses, such as search and rescue efforts,
or group efforts to secure supplies and prepare for the natural disaster.

However, the app cannot function without the internet. Zello has clarified on
its social media channels and blog on multiple occasions here , here , here
and here that it requires Wifi or cellular data to work.
VERDICT

Missing context. Zello is a phone app that can be used like a walkie-talkie,
but internet access is required to use it.

This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our
fact-checking work here .
-- 
Bryan Fields

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