Patch is a push-to-talk service for teams, families, and first responders. Channels for group comms. Direct chirps for 1-to-1. Cross-system bridges when you need mutual aid. Smartphones become radios — no hardware to buy, no contracts.
Self-hostedHam-radio friendlyNo contracts, no hardware required
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The features you'd expect from a modern radio platform — without the hardware, the contracts, or the vendor lock-in.
Always-on talk groups. Hold to transmit, release to listen. Permissions are explicit — talk, listen, initiate calls — and admins control them per group.
Direct connect by 6-digit number. Press, talk, your voice plays through their phone instantly — no ring screen. Formal organizations can flip to ring-style for explicit accept.
Patch groups across organizations on the fly. Built for mutual aid and MCI scenarios where multiple departments need to talk to each other right now.
Per-group and per-system policies. Optional for casual use, always-on for compliance. You control whether and when.
Each organization on Patch is fully isolated — its own admins, members, channels, and policies — with the option to bridge to others when an event demands it.
First-class Android and iOS apps. Low-latency audio. PTT tones, background talk, in-app updates.
Smartphones replace handhelds for off-duty and personal vehicles. Open channels for routine traffic, ring-style direct connect for officer-to-officer when accept-before-audio matters.
Add family members by name, open-mode the system, and chirp anyone instantly. Like the old Nextel phones — but free, on devices you already own.
Construction, agriculture, events, security — anywhere a team needs to talk fast across distance without the latency of a phone call.
Patch is free during beta. No card on file, no dark-pattern upsells, no surprise contracts. Create a free account and start talking — we'll learn the rest together.
We host everything. You and your members get accounts on Patch and the apps — that's it. No hardware to set up, no servers to babysit.
Patch will eventually charge a fee — that's what makes the service sustainable. We're keeping the model flexible because a family of five and a 200-person fire department need very different things. Pricing will likely combine a few of these:
Beta users get plenty of notice: we'll publish concrete pricing before billing starts, with a transition window and early-adopter benefits for organizations already on the platform. Custom deals are on the table for anything outside the standard model — just ask.
Patch ships its own radio (the KSUN ZL35) but also runs on most Android-based POC radios. Bring your own if you have one — here's what we've tested.
| Radio | OS | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| KSUN ZL35 | Android 8.1 (API 27) | Verified | Reference hardware. Full Patch feature set including kiosk lock, OTA updates, and hardware PTT. GPS depends on SKU — confirm before ordering for fleet tracking. |
| Any Android-based POC radio | Android 8.0+ | Untested | If it ships Android with USB debugging and a hardware PTT key that emits a keycode, the Patch radio APK should run. We'll add it here once someone confirms. |
If you have a radio that meets the checklist and want it certified, plug it into a Mac running Patch RSS — the app will tell you what works. Email us the resulting status report and we'll add it here (with your permission).
Send a compatibility report →Create a free account first — use the Sign up free button above — then sign in with the same email in the app.
Direct .apk download. Allow installs from your browser when prompted. The app self-updates from then on.
Download APKiOS app is in active development. Email to get on the TestFlight when it's ready.
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