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

[Richard Coloyan]

I remember the same thing about Zello during Irma. I wasn’t a ham back then but it still didn’t make any sense to me.  It’s like that meme of the power strip plugged into itself.

Rich
K4AKS

> On Sep 2, 2021, at 13:35, Bryan Fields <Bryan at bryanfields.net> wrote:
> 
> 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
> 
> 727-409-1194 - Voice
> http://bryanfields.net
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