Using Zello with Apple's PTT Framework

This article is written for: ✅ Zello Work ❌ Zello Friends & Family.

Apple's Push to Talk Framework (PTT Framework) is an iOS framework that standardizes how push-to-talk apps work on iPhone, including background audio, lock screen access, and the heads-up display. Apple is requiring all push-to-talk apps on iOS to use it. With it, you get access to a PTT Shortcut that lets you:

Send and receive messages directly from your lock screen without unlocking your device
Send messages while using other apps via a heads-up display (HUD)
See who's talking without switching back to Zello

Important: The PTT Framework introduces some changes to how messages are delivered. To make sure your team doesn't miss messages:

Keep push notifications enabled. Without them, text messages and photos won't be delivered in the background.
Don't tap the red "Leave" button on the lock screen. It stops all message delivery. Swipe up to dismiss instead.
Enable Message Recovery so missed channel messages are recoverable if someone taps "Leave."

To use the PTT Framework, make sure your device is running iOS 16+ and you’re using Zello 5.20.1+ (older versions may behave unexpectedly. See this article for how to check your Zello version).

NOTE: Starting with Zello 7.7 on iOS 26, Zello will automatically enable the PTT Framework and it cannot be disabled since it's a requirement for PTT apps on iOS. The enablement instructions at the bottom of this article only apply to earlier versions.

Keep push notifications enabled

Without push notifications enabled, text messages and photos sent in channels won't be delivered while Zello is in the background. These messages won't appear in your message history at all. For 1-1 conversations, text messages and photos will still appear as missed messages when you return to Zello, but you won't be notified in real time. Voice messages are not affected in either case.

To make sure push notifications are enabled for Zello:

Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
Tap Notifications.
Scroll down and tap Zello.
Make sure Allow Notifications is toggled on.

Note that Do Not Disturb and other Focus modes can block push notifications, which may cause you to miss messages.

Using the PTT Framework from the lock screen

When you receive a Zello message while your iPhone is locked, a screen will pop up that looks like a phone call. However, the functionality of this screen is different from a traditional phone call screen.

In short, you have four options while on this screen:

You can send a message by tapping and holding the blue button labeled “Talk”.
You can dismiss the screen by swiping upwards.
You can return to where you were in Zello by tapping Zello>.
You can put yourself on standby by tapping the red X button labeled “Leave”, muting all incoming messages and preventing you from sending outgoing messages until you reopen Zello.

	The blue button labeled “Talk” allows you to send a message. To do so, tap and hold the button while speaking. When you’ve finished your message, simply release the button.
	Swipe up to dismiss this screen. This is the recommended way to leave it.
	The red X button labeled “Leave” will put you on standby. This means that you will no longer be able to send nor receive messages until you reopen the app. If you tap this button, you will need to confirm that you are sure you want to leave the channel and no longer be able to send nor receive messages until you reopen Zello. In order to avoid missing out on important messages, we recommend against using this button. To dismiss the lock screen, you can swipe upwards instead.
	Tapping Zello> will open Zello to where you were the last time you were in the app. Note: Navigating to Zello in this way will not automatically open the conversation that you saw on the lock screen.

Note: We strongly recommend against using the red X button to dismiss the lock screen. Swipe up instead to dismiss it; otherwise, you risk the chance of missing important messages.

Using the PTT Framework while using other apps

When the PTT Framework is enabled and Zello is running in the background, you will see a small waveform button at the top of your screen. Where the button appears depends on whether your iPhone has a Dynamic Island or not.

iPhone without a dynamic island

iPhone with a dynamic island

The blue waveform indicator simply means the system is ready to receive incoming Zello messages and play them live. It does not mean Zello is recording audio.

Tapping the waveform button will open a small HUD (heads-up display).

The HUD allows you to send a message without needing to open Zello. To do so, tap and hold the blue talk button labeled “Talk” while you are speaking. Release when you’re done talking.

To dismiss the hud, you can either tap anywhere else on the screen.

Tapping on the HUD anywhere but the blue talk button labeled “Talk” will open a new screen. To dismiss this screen, tap Done.

Tapping Leave will put you on standby. This means that you will no longer be able to send nor receive messages until you reopen Zello.

If you tap this button, you will need to confirm that you are sure you want to leave the channel and no longer be able to send nor receive messages until you reopen Zello.

Confirm screen for leaving channel lock screen.png

In order to avoid missing out on important messages, we recommend against using this button.

Tapping the View in Zello button will open Zello.

Note: Navigating to Zello in this way will not automatically open the conversation that you saw on the HUD. Instead, you will be returned to where you were last at in the Zello app.

Note: If you navigate to Zello using the “View in Zello” button, you might see the PTT Framework lock screen if you lock your phone. You can dismiss that screen by swiping upwards. To prevent the PTT lockscreen appearing again, you can tap the waveform button and then tap anywhere else on the screen to dismiss the HUD.

Enabling the PTT Framework

If you're on Zello 7.7 or later with iOS 26, the PTT Framework is already enabled and cannot be turned off. If you're on an earlier version, you can enable it in two ways: through the management console (for network admins) or through the app (for individual users).
Please click the tab that applies to your use case for enablement instructions.

The instructions below provide guidance for enabling this feature for all network users. If you'd like to enable it for a specific subset of users, we recommend utilizing Zello's user template feature.

1. Sign in to your management console at [yournetworkname].zellowork.com.

2. Select Administration and then select Settings.

Management console Administration and Settings

3. Select iOS and locate the Enable PTT Framework setting or use the search bar to search for "PTT Framework".

4. Use the toggle on the Enable PTT Framework setting in order to enable the feature.

Note: Green means that the feature is enabled.

5. Click Save and Apply.

Note: Changing this setting from the management console will override the in-app settings available for the end-user. If you enable the PTT framework from the console, end users will not be able to disable it from their device (and vice versa).

Have feedback?

Zello has been working with Apple and actively providing feedback to improve the Push to Talk Framework experience. If you have feedback, please share it with us at [email protected].

We also encourage you to submit feedback directly to Apple, as customer feedback has led to improvements in past framework updates:

Developers: Apple Developer Feedback Portal
IT-focused customers: AppleSeed for IT