# Zello > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Zello > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Zello.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zello > Source revision: 1350903889 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|Software development company}} {{Use mdy dates|date=May 2015}} {{Infobox company | name = Zello Inc | logo = Zello logo.svg | type = [Private](/source/Privately_held_company) | location_city = [Austin, Texas](/source/Austin%2C_Texas) | location_country = U.S. | foundation = | homepage = {{URL|https://zello.com/}} | key_people = Alexey Gavrilov, CEO | industry = [Mobile application development](/source/Mobile_application_development) | products = Zello | num_employees = 51-200{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/zello-inc/|title=Zello Software Development|website=[LinkedIn](/source/LinkedIn)|date=July 8, 2022 |access-date=July 9, 2022}} }} '''Zello''' is a tech software company in [Austin, Texas](/source/Austin%2C_Texas), U.S., known for the Zello app, which emulates [push-to-talk](/source/push-to-talk) (PTT) walkie-talkies over cell phone networks. ==History== Alexey Gavrilov developed the product originally called Loudtalks which was announced at the TechCrunch 40 Mobile and Communications Conference on September 17, 2007.Riley, D. (September 17, 2007).[https://techcrunch.com/2007/09/17/techcrunch-40-session-2-mobile-communications/ TechCrunch 40 Session 2: Mobile & Communications]. Retrieved March 6, 2014. Zello acquired the Loudtalks technology, rebranded, and moved the development team to Austin. It added apps on June 20, 2012.Perez, S. (June 20, 2012). [https://techcrunch.com/2012/06/20/voice-chat-app-voxer-gets-new-competition-from-zello-a-non-spammy-push-to-talk-alternative/ "Voice Chat App Voxer Gets New Competition From Zello."] Techcrunch. Retrieved March 6, 2014. Bill Moore is the CEO and Gavrilov is CPO. Moore founded and was CEO of [TuneIn](/source/TuneIn) where Gavrilov and his team created popular TuneIn applications. Zello made the news in June 2013 when [Turkish protesters](/source/2013_protests_in_Turkey) used it to circumvent government censors.Arthur, C. (June 4, 2013).[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/jun/04/turkish-protestors-encryption-software-evade-censors "Turkish protesters using encryption software to evade censors."] ''The Guardian''. Retrieved March 6, 2014. As a result, Zello was the top most downloaded application in Turkey during the first week of June 2013.(June 2, 2013).[http://www.appannie.com/apps/ios/app/508231856/app-ranking/#type=best-ranks Zello Walkie Talkie Daily Ranks.] App Annie. Retrieved March 6, 2014. In February 2014, it was blocked by [CANTV](/source/CANTV) in [Venezuela](/source/Venezuela). Zello released workarounds and patches to overcome the blocks to support approximately 600,000 Venezuelans who have downloaded the application to communicate with each other amidst protests.Zhang, S. (February 25, 2014).[https://gizmodo.com/the-mobile-app-driving-venezuelas-anti-government-prot-1530045950 "The Mobile App Driving Venezuela's Anti-Government Protests."] Gizmodo. Retrieved March 6, 2014. It "has been one of the most downloaded applications in Ukraine and Venezuela."Burke, S. (February 24, 2014.) [https://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/24/world/venezuela-ukraine-protests-apps/ "Protesters in Venezuela, Ukraine turn to peer-to-peer messaging app."] CNN. Retrieved March 6, 2014. In July 2017, in [Latvia](/source/Latvia), Zello was the main application which was used by thousands of volunteers and rescuers for communication purposes while looking for Ivan Berladin who went missing. In August 2017 during relief efforts following [Hurricane Harvey](/source/Hurricane_Harvey) in Texas, Zello became a popular method for communications between volunteer rescuers (particularly members of the [Cajun Navy](/source/Cajun_Navy)) and people stranded by the widespread flooding.[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/29/us/volunteer-rescue-crews-hurricane-harvey-houston.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=span-abc-region®ion=span-abc-region&WT.nav=span-abc-region On Roads Turned Waterways, Volunteers Improvise to Save the Trapped and Desperate], Manny Fernandez, New York Times, August 29, 2017Hartman, H. (September 7, 2017) [http://www.chron.com/local/gray-matters/article/I-downloaded-an-app-And-suddenly-I-was-talking-12172506.php "I downloaded an app. And suddenly, was part of the Cajun Navy."] Houston Chronicle. Retrieved September 9, 2017. The app received over 6 million signups in one week as Florida residents responded to hurricane warnings for [Hurricane Irma](/source/Hurricane_Irma).{{cite news|last1=Bhuiyan|first1=Johana|date=September 10, 2017|title=This walkie talkie app got six million new users in one week as Florida prepared for Hurricane Irma|work=Recode|url=https://www.recode.net/2017/9/10/16283380/zello-florida-hurricane-irma-updates-search-and-rescue-news|access-date=11 October 2017}} In September 2018, while [Hurricane Florence](/source/Hurricane_Florence) caused unprecedented flooding in the US states of North and South Carolina, rescuers used Zello to request information about the locations of people needing help and on street conditions.{{cite news|last1=Healy|first1=Jack|last2=Fink|first2=Sheri|date=15 September 2018|title=Torrents of Water in Towns Across the Carolina's. And a Guy With a Boat.|work=New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/15/us/florence-volunteer-rescue.html|access-date=11 October 2018}} Some rioters who broke into the U.S. Capitol building during the [2021 United States Capitol attack](/source/2021_United_States_Capitol_attack) used Zello, leading the company to delete over 2,000 "channels associated with militias and other militarized social movements" after [The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian) revealed the usage.{{Cite web |title=Revealed: walkie-talkie app Zello hosted far-right groups who stormed Capitol |url=https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/jan/13/zello-app-us-capitol-attack-far-right |date=January 13, 2021 |access-date=February 23, 2026 |last1=Loewinger |first1=Micah |last2=Stall |first2=Hampton}} On August 27, 2021, the [U.S. House of Representatives](/source/United_States_House_of_Representatives) [select committee](/source/United_States_House_Select_Committee_on_the_January_6_Attack) investigating the attack demanded records from Zello (alongside 14 other social media companies) going back to the spring of 2020.{{Cite web|last1=Breuninger|first1=Kevin|last2=Wilkie|first2=Christina|date=2021-08-27|title=Congressional panel investigating Jan. 6 insurrection demands records from Facebook, Twitter, other tech firms|url=https://www.cnbc.com/2021/08/27/congressional-committee-investigating-jan-6-insurrection-demands-records-from-facebook-twitter-and-other-tech-giants.html|access-date=2021-08-30|website=CNBC|language=en}} Members of the [Freedom Convoy 2022](/source/Freedom_Convoy_2022) almost exclusively used Zello to communicate with other members and supporters.{{cite news|last1=Gilmore|first1=Rachel|date=January 27, 2022|title='Fringe minority' in truck convoy with 'unacceptable views' don't represent Canadians: Trudeau|work=Global News|publisher=Corus Entertainment|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8539610/trucker-convoy-covid-vaccine-mandates-ottawa/|access-date=January 30, 2022}}{{Cite web|last=Maher|first=Stephen|date=January 26, 2022|title=The grassroots action against Erin O'Toole's leadership has begun|url=https://www.macleans.ca/politics/the-grassroots-action-against-erin-otooles-leadership-has-begun/|access-date=January 28, 2022|website=Macleans.ca|language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Grant|first=Demar|date=2022-02-11|title=What is Zello? Inside the app that helped organize "freedom convoy" blockades|language=en-CA|work=The Toronto Star|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/02/11/what-is-zello-inside-the-app-that-helped-organize-freedom-convoy-blockades.html|access-date=2022-02-12|issn=0319-0781}} Participants in the [Kenya Finance Bill protests](/source/Kenya_Finance_Bill_protests) that began in June 2024 have used Zello as their app of choice for communicating anonymously in real time. Over 40,000 users in Kenya downloaded the Zello app from the [Google Play](/source/Google_Play) store between June 17 and June 25, peaking at the fourth most downloaded app in the country on June 25. According to political scientist Herman Manyora of the [University of Nairobi](/source/University_of_Nairobi), the use of Zello made the protest one of the most effective in the country's history. President [William Ruto](/source/William_Ruto) acknowledged the use of Zello by protesters on July 2.{{cite news |title=Kenya's biggest protest in recent history played out on a walkie-talkie app |url=https://restofworld.org/2024/zello-walkie-talkie-kenya-protests/ |access-date=23 July 2024 |work=Rest of World |date=16 July 2024}} On 2 December 2024, Zello advised all its users to change their passwords after a suspected cybersecurity breach.{{cite web | url=https://www.cyberdaily.au/security/11438-zello-requests-users-reset-passwords-as-cyber-incident-speculated | title=Zello requests users reset passwords as cyber incident speculated | date=December 2, 2024 }}{{cite web | url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/zello-asks-users-to-reset-passwords-after-security-incident/ | title=Zello asks users to reset passwords after security incident }} On 6 December 2025, Zello was used to help locate the alleged murderer of two young women in [Kaunas](/source/Kaunas), [Lithuania](/source/Lithuania) — Benas Mikutavičius. People created a public channel in the Zello app called “Raskime žudiką” (“Let’s find the killer”) to coordinate a search for him and thanks to fast voice messages over Zello, dozens of residents converged on the area and managed to detain him before the police arrived.Šarūnas Meškys. Kauniečiai Beną Mikutavičių pagavo naudodami programėlę „Zello“: kas ji? Delfi. Retrieved December 6th, 2025. https://www.delfi.lt/mokslas/technologijos/kaunieciai-bena-mikutaviciu-pagavo-naudodami-programele-zello-kas-ji-120183472 ==Products== {{Promotional section|date=June 2024}} Zello is a live voice push-to-talk communication platform that turns any smart device into a digital two-way radio that works over Wi-Fi and cell networks anywhere in the world. Purpose-built{{buzzword inline|date=July 2025}} to connect frontline teams and communities, the push-to-talk walkie-talkie app offers instant voice communication with one or many in unlimited secure, private channels, as well as message replay, emergency alerts, location tracking, dispatch capabilities, and Bluetooth device support.{{citation needed|date= July 2025}} Zello users can create channels and give control to other Zello users to become moderators. ''New York Times''{{'}} technology columnist David Pogue describes Zello's channels, "Like most of the best applications, Zello lets you create groups so that you can carry on something like a party-line phone call among a handful—or hundreds—of friends or collaborators."Pogue, D. (September 5, 2012).[https://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/06/technology/personaltech/zello-heytell-and-voxer-make-your-smartphone-a-walkie-talkie-david-pogue.html?_r=3&pagewanted=all "Smartphone? Presto! 2-Way Radio."] The New York Times. Retrieved March 6, 2014. Once a channel is created channels can appear on the "Trending" list and creators can assign additional moderators to keep their created channels safe. Though available for Android, iOS, Windows Phone, and Blackberry, Zello can also be accessed from a Windows PC computer with the Zello for Windows PC. For other smartphone operating systems (e.g., [Sailfish OS](/source/Sailfish_OS)) there are Zello-compatible apps provided by third parties.[https://openrepos.net/content/unmaintained/nrad NRad], (April 30, 2020) an experimental Zello Client for Sailfish OS Zello Work is the paid service of Zello app that allows corporates and users looking for real-time communication over groups and channels. Zello Work is different from Zello but is however owned by the same company.{{Cite web|url=http://support.zellowork.com/hc/en-us/articles/208094667|title=How does Zello Work differ from the free Zello app?|website=Zello Help Center|language=en-US|access-date=2020-04-19}} == See also == * [Glide (software)](/source/Glide_(software)) * [Mumble (software)](/source/Mumble_(software)) * [Voxer](/source/Voxer) ==References== {{reflist|colwidth=30em}} == External links == * [https://zello.com Official Website] Category:Companies based in Austin, Texas Category:Walkie-talkies Category:Privately held companies based in Texas Category:Technology companies established in 2011 Category:2011 establishments in Texas Category:Software companies based in Texas Category:Software companies of the United States --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Zello](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zello) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zello?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.