Rolltape is a free iOS app I heard about on the Happier podcast several weeks ago (it was mentioned along with another app called Artkive, which I am loving and will review soon). Rolltape is essentially a way to record and personalize voice messages that you can send to other people (here’s their FAQ).
It’s intended for mobile users, and works best if you are creating Rolltapes for other Rolltape users, but you don’t have to have a smartphone or Rolltape to listen to the messages. I’ve been sending Rolltapes to my mom quite a bit, and she’s able to access them via a link that arrives in her email. (You choose a contact to send to, and it gets texted or emailed, depending on the contact info you have set up.)
You can talk FOREVER in a Rolltape — it never cuts you off. Once you’re done, you can customize the Rolltape with a photo, background colors, and music, if you so choose. I don’t take advantage of these features, personally. I just use it like a really great voicemail service.
The audio is crystal clear, the UI is nice, and the Rolltape team is super friendly and proactive to fix issues. I emailed them about an irritating bug, and Jessica Taylor, the founder and CEO, wrote me back within minutes. She also updated me via email once a fix had been released. Sweet.
There is a big new thing called Rolltape Radio, which lets you share public Rolltapes. I haven’t tried this (and in fact felt a little yikes about seeing it in their marketing, hopefully it’s VERY clear when you choose to publish publicly and there’s no chance of doing that accidentally), I’ve just been using it for personal communications with friends and family, and for that I can say it’s really great. If you have become phone-phobic, like me, this is a nice way to get back in the habit of talking as opposed to writing or texting.
It is oddly cathartic to be able to talk freely, without the back and forth of a conversation. You don’t have to wait for someone else to speak, and for me, that allows me to dive into what I want to share in a deep, meaningful way. The people who have been sending me Rolltapes say they feel the same.
Conversations are amazing, by the way. I’m not saying let’s ditch them in favor of monologues. But phone calls can be hard to set up — we’re busy, we get interrupted all the time, we often have to have conversations when they aren’t ideal for us — and connection qualities can impact our ability to connect in a negative way.
Rolltape shouldn’t replace conversations, but it is a fantastic addition to our communications toolbox. Just like texting and email lets us get closer with people, this ability to send and receive audio is another powerful option.
It’s honestly changed my life, in that it’s allowed me to build stronger connections since I started using it. If you have an iPhone, I say give it a try, and see what you think.
Link to download Rolltape for iOS on iTunes