Motorola Talkabout

Motorola Solutions

About this app

Go beyond push-to-talk with the TALKABOUT T8xx series and free Motorola TALKABOUT app
The TALKABOUT T8xx series allow you to share and track locations with your travel companions. No cell service, no problem. Just download this app, connect your smartphone via Bluetooth and you now have the ability to locate a friend’s campsite, share your current location and send messages - all while exploring off-grid. You can also control your radio setting from the TALKABOUT app. Skiing, hiking, hunting or at a music festival, the T8xx series have an IP54 rating and a range of up to 35 miles* to keep you connected no matter where your adventures lead.

How it works
The T8xx series two-way radio work just like every other radio by sending information using radio frequencies to keep you connected while off-grid. The secret to the T8xx series is once your smartphone is connected to your radio over Bluetooth, the TALKABOUT smartphone app enables communication options beyond push-to-talk. The TALKABOUT app uses the T8xx series as modem to talk, send messages, locations and more over the radio frequencies to your fellow T8xx series users. With enhanced communication and more information you enjoy unrivaled connectivity for peace of mind off the cellular grid.

Shop TALKABOUT T8xx series at shop.motorolasolutions.com/T800

App Features
• Location sharing off-grid with ///what3words capabilities
• Messaging off-grid
• Record tracks & statistics
• Push-to-talk from phone (select radio models; T802 and T803 only)
• Features enabled & settings controlled by TALKABOUT App
• Bluetooth connectivity to audio accessory (select radio models; T802 and T803 only)

* The communication and data ranges quoted are calculated under optimum conditions, with an unobstructed line of sight. Actual range will vary depending on terrain and conditions, and is often less than the maximum possible.

Ratings and reviews

The app appears well designed, but when you try to use it, you realize it is half-baked. I bought very expensive Talkabout T802 radios, but most of their features rely completely on the phone app. You can only pair one radio to your phone at a time, app is glitchy, the error messages are not helpful. The features are cool in theory, but not robust at all. Maybe Motorola should hire some more engineers and get feedback from people who actually use radios in the field.

This app is problematic, particularly for those of us wanting to use the offline map feature when outdoors/camping. You cannot download a large area. If your selected area is too large, you have to delete it or it blocks you from adding other maps. You can save a map for offline use, but you evidently have to OPEN the offline map when you are still online, and leave it open in the app. If you attempt to open it when offline, it will display a black, empty space. If you close your app with the offline map selected, you lose it. No wonder there is no detailed user guide--the developers were too ashamed to write it.

Once I finally managed to get the app to install correctly, it works great. The added capabilities for mapping and location sharing and texting this adds to the radios is fantastic. The only complaint I have is the fact that it took over a week of trying to complete the initial connection of the phone to the radio. The setup process requires a texted verification code. It took more than twenty tries over approximately 10 days to actually receive the verification code.

What’s new

Update app to be compatible with Android 15 (API level 35) or higher