Your OnePlus Phone Can Become A Walkie-Talkie With This Cool Feature

If you're of a certain age, you might remember chirping your friends on your Boost Mobile phone. Those now iconic "Where you at" commercials made a Boost Mobile phone feel cool, and while the network that ran that feature is long dead, the idea isn't. If you have a OnePlus or Oppo smartphone running OxygenOS 15, you can essentially turn it into a walkie-talkie.

Using Bluetooth, BeaconLink lets you call and message people nearby, up to 200 meters away, without WiFi or cell service. While not as powerful as the old Boost Mobile platform that used network towers to provide its walkie-talkie feature, BeaconLink can still be incredibly useful, including in places where walkie-talkies might be illegal. 

Designed primarily for emergencies, you can take advantage of BeaconLink if you get separated from your group while hiking, camping or adventuring. Use it in crowded areas such as concerts and major events, where cell service is often limited or has network issues due to high traffic. Just be aware that the feature has limitations, and it might not work for everyone.

BeaconLink only works on Oppo and OnePlus phones that support OxygenOS 15. This also means it can only be used to call other OnePlus and Oppo phones running OxygenOS 15 with the feature turned on. So, if you get lost at Coachella, you can't simply call your friend who has that fancy new iPhone duo.

This really limits the feature's usefulness, and many OnePlus users don't even know they have access to it. But if you're looking to outfit your family with matching smartphones and their safety and security are at the top of your list, BeaconLink might be a good reason to buy a OnePlus phone.

To activate BeaconLink, simply tap the Mobile network option in Settings, and then select BeaconLink. From here, you can toggle BeaconLink on or off. You can also set who can call or send messages, keeping it only for those in your group, or opening it up to other users around you also using BeaconLink. This might not be as good as a traditional walkie-talkie, but it might just come in really handy in a pinch.