# Can my child call and message friends without a phone?

Yes. On a Peko Pal, your child can send and hear voice messages with friends, with no phone of their own. The only people they can talk to are friends that you and the friend's parents have both approved.

## How friends work

- **Parents approve every friend,** in the Peko Pal app. Both sides approve before anything can be sent in either direction, and either side can withdraw that approval at any time.
- **There's no discovery and no requests from strangers.** Your child can't add someone from the device.
- **Brothers and sisters in the same family** are friends by default.

You invite a friend with a link or a QR code that the friend's parent opens. See [Use Peko Pal without a device](https://www.pekopal.com/guide/using-the-app-without-a-pal) for the steps.

## What your child does

Approved friends appear in the Friends section of the main menu. Your child opens a friend, hears what that person sent, and records a reply by holding the action button. A steady green light shows whenever the microphone is capturing.

When a message is waiting, the logo flashes amber, so your child can see it from across the room without a sound. See [Friends and voice messages](https://www.pekopal.com/guide/friends-and-messages).

## What you see

Every chat with a friend appears in the Chats tab of the Peko Pal app, so you stay in the loop.

## Calls

Some devices can also place live calls to a friend. Whether calls are available depends on your device and plan.

## Walkie-talkie is separate

Walkie-talkie lets nearby Peko Pals talk to each other directly, with no internet. It doesn't use the friends list, and channels aren't private: any Peko Pal in range on the same channel can hear.

## Friends follow your child

Friends belong to your child, not to the hardware. If you replace or upgrade a Peko Pal, your child keeps their friends.