Good but room for improvement
Provides the necessities for our kids to be able to reach them via text or call (through the app). And has fun games. But some great features that were available on Gizmo (Verizon kids watch) are lacking here. Now that we don’t have it we miss them:
1) before the watch dies, ping its exact location and save to the app. Kids lose watches. If it’s dead - without its last pinged location - good luck finding!
2) give ability to schedule reminders that will automatically pop up for the kid to see (vs just texting)
3) ability to send pictures
4) open up wallet capabilities. Currently only Acorn or one other which charges an unreasonable fee - so we just don’t use it. But would be nice to be able to add a card to it and allow them to use it. Leave it up to the parent to track and manage. If they want to use Acorn, great. If not, let them do others just like any other wallet/tap to pay
5) better battery
6) get bands back in stock. The one my son wants has been “out of stock” for a year.
It’s not a terrible watch but if they want lasting power they need to incorporate the above and improve. If my son wasn’t getting a phone next year I’d switch to another watch. It works. And a decent price. But not can definitely be better.
1) before the watch dies, ping its exact location and save to the app. Kids lose watches. If it’s dead - without its last pinged location - good luck finding!
2) give ability to schedule reminders that will automatically pop up for the kid to see (vs just texting)
3) ability to send pictures
4) open up wallet capabilities. Currently only Acorn or one other which charges an unreasonable fee - so we just don’t use it. But would be nice to be able to add a card to it and allow them to use it. Leave it up to the parent to track and manage. If they want to use Acorn, great. If not, let them do others just like any other wallet/tap to pay
5) better battery
6) get bands back in stock. The one my son wants has been “out of stock” for a year.
It’s not a terrible watch but if they want lasting power they need to incorporate the above and improve. If my son wasn’t getting a phone next year I’d switch to another watch. It works. And a decent price. But not can definitely be better.
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Great! But...
I’m eight years old and I have my own Fitbit watch. But, I can’t download it, on my iPod, because it has too high iOS. In addition, great game, too high iOS.
Invasive
While reading through their terms and conditions I noticed this in a small paragraph: “I understand that my child's account is like my own Google Account and will provide access to general audience services that have not been designed for children and that will enable my child to do things like communicate with others and see content I may consider inappropriate.” Idk about the rest of you, but I am definitely not ok with my child seeing inappropriate content. With all the horrible things people are doing to children now in days, I rather purchase a safer watch with my phone carrier.
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Horrible
I had cancelled for a month then re subscribed the next month and location, calling and messaging features do not work when disconnected to WiFi making this “monthly” fee of over $10 ridiculous. I do not recommend this device to parents wanting to keep track of their kids or the ability to contact them. Try a gizmo watch through Verizon instead.
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Awful Aesthetics and Usability
There is no excuse for how bad the UI is in this app. The Messages screen uses an aggressively bright, neon green that looks cheap and out of place on iOS. It is visually jarring, makes the conversation harder to read, and feels like a rough prototype rather than a finished product.
Even worse, there is no way to adjust the theme or colors, so you are stuck with it. And basic messaging features are missing. I can’t even send images. I’m used to Viber, which is miles better.
I understand this is “for kids,” but that’s not an excuse to ship something this poorly designed and this limited. Fitbit should redesign the chat UI and add basic features like photo sharing, along with simple customization (theme/colors).
Even worse, there is no way to adjust the theme or colors, so you are stuck with it. And basic messaging features are missing. I can’t even send images. I’m used to Viber, which is miles better.
I understand this is “for kids,” but that’s not an excuse to ship something this poorly designed and this limited. Fitbit should redesign the chat UI and add basic features like photo sharing, along with simple customization (theme/colors).
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