Link: French startup ten ten reinvents the walkie-talkie | TechCrunch

French startup ten ten has gone viral with a walkie-talkie app that allows teens to send voice messages to their close friends — even when their phone is locked. Whether you think that’s a recipe for disaster or the coolest thing you’ve heard may depend on your age group, and teens clearly heard of that one long before we did; although walkie-talkies are clearly not a new concept, even in app form. Ten ten is doing the same, but in 2024. “We’re ephemeral by design,” ten ten co-founder and CEO, Jule Comar said in a written interview with TechCrunch. He added that in CB codes, 1010 means “Transmission completed, standing by.” According to Comar, this is just one of “multiple meanings that align with our values and the concept.” It seems to be resonating; the app is free and quickly climbing rankings. Ten ten’s sudden rise is particularly noticeable in France, where it has been downloaded 1 million times. Including on Android, where it became available a few weeks ago, the app saw 6 million downloads since its launch, according to data shared by market intelligence firm Sensor Tower with TechCrunch on Friday. The concept could also receive tweaks along the way. The current UX suggests a nine-friend cap, but that’s not the case. “Ten ten is for close friends but there’s no friend limit; we’re seeing people share their PINs on social media so we’re working on a better friend management system,” Comar said. #

--

Yoooo, this is a quick note on a link that made me go, WTF? Find all past links here.