...History
Zello made the news in June 2013 when Turkish protesters used it to circumvent government censors.[9] As a result, Zello was the top most downloaded application in Turkey during the first week of June 2013.[10]
In February 2014, it was blocked by CANTV in Venezuela. Zello issued workarounds and patches to overcome the blocks to support approximately 600,000 Venezuelans who have downloaded the application to communicate with each other amidst protests.[11] It "has been one of the most downloaded applications in Ukraine and Venezuela."[12]
In July 2017, in Latvia, Zello was the main application which was used by thousands of volunteers and rescuers for communication purposes while looking for Ivans Berladins who went missing.
In August 2017 during relief efforts following Hurricane Harvey in Texas, Zello became a popular method for communications between volunteer rescuers - particularly members of the Cajun Navy - and people stranded by the widespread flooding.[13][14] The app received over 6 million signups in one week as Florida residents prepared for Hurricane Irma.[15]
Once again in September 2018, while Hurricane Florence was causing unprecedented flooding in the Carolinas, rescuers used Zello to request information on street conditions and the locations of people needing help.[16]
In January 2021, The Guardian reported that Zello was utilized by participants in the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol.[17] ...