If you’re looking for a new way to keep in touch using instantaneous voice chat, you’re in luck. Squawk (not to be confused with the now-defunct Squawk Messenger) is a new voice-enabled chat app that’s now available on iOS starting today.
According to the app’s creators, Squawk was built as an alternative to “clunky” voice messaging found in apps like WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. It’s a way to say exactly what you want by firing off a quick voice message and can actually come in handy if the other person isn’t online. The app’s functionality is somewhat similar to Voxer’s push to talk app in that it delivers voice messages do devices in similar ways, albeit with a more direct focus on the consumer market and voice messaging functionality. In addition, messages on Squawk are ephemeral “like a real conversation” rather than saved in a history and the app does not require an extra account, both of which should be a plus for those interested in preserving privacy and security.
Squawk went through a brief trial period with “a couple hundred friends and family members” before launching on the iTunes store with a minimalist user interface akin to apps like Clear and Facebook Paper.
“why are we still making phone calls and voicemails like we did in 1980?”
“It’s amazing that smartphones have become so technologically advanced, yet when it comes to using them for voice, most of us still use voicemail and calling. We don’t think it’s a technology problem—it’s a user interface problem,” Nate Parrott, one of Squawk’s co-founders, tells TruTower. “And Squawk aims to solve it, with a voice messenger that fits into real people’s lives. Voxer comes close—but even they don’t have the relentless focus on simplicity we do. And that’s what matters — nothing should get in the way of your conversation. ”
“It’s voice messaging for the 21st century,” Parrot explains. “Smartphones are the pinnacle of high technology — why are we still making phone calls and voicemails like we did in 1980?”
Squawk is, of course, a free download and should work across most any Apple device.
Not on iOS? Don’t worry, Android fans, as Squawk also expects to launch a version for your favorite OS “later this summer.” Unfortunately, there are no plans for other operating systems such as Windows Phone yet, but it’s possible we could see it happen as demand continues to rise.
Get the Squawk voice app right here and be sure to let us know in the comments below how the new app works for you.