Easy 5 Stars
I switched from Gabb and this is the easiest 5 star review I’ve given. The app is great and the customization per kid and per device is exactly what I needed. The app updates the kids’ devices instantly and is easy to use and reliable. I needed to leave Gabb because of the many issues I had the whole time I used them and Pinwheel has been the best moved I could have made! It’s better for me AND the kids!! I actually told them we were going back to Gabb and they were very unhappy with me lol
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No addiction! Useful tech :)
Pinwheel is great for my 4 kids. The older ones (14 and 12) have phones. No social media. I love the “nothing mode” which gives me the ability at any moment to shut off digital access entirely except for calling/texting family.
My younger two (7 and 8) have Pinwheel watches. They love to ask the AI app about animals. They my youngest loves taking pics of bugs. I can see every text, even the rejected ones, on my own phone. That makes it easy to add somebody that was intended and to see the garbage that they’re protected from.
My younger two (7 and 8) have Pinwheel watches. They love to ask the AI app about animals. They my youngest loves taking pics of bugs. I can see every text, even the rejected ones, on my own phone. That makes it easy to add somebody that was intended and to see the garbage that they’re protected from.
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Response from developer
Awesome! We're thrilled that our service has been helpful for your family. We take pride in the recent revamp of our App Library so it's great to hear that the information provided have been useful for you!. Feel free to reach out to us anytime if you have any other feedback or suggestions!
Parent of an 11 year old daughter
As I have learned, one is not giving internet access to your child, your giving the internet access to your child. With this program and phone you have given the safety and control back into the hands of the parents and for this I am grateful! I appreciate all who created and supports Pinwheel!
Amazing— best thing I ever did as a parent
Pinwheel makes parenting teens better. The initial buy in is hard but it pays of over and over and over.
My favorite part is the conversations I have with my kids as their needs change. It gives me the opportunity to explain my concerns and why I think things can be risky. But, it also lets them tell me how they are thinking about their friends, and school, and activities.
I tell them that childhood is short and precious.
Thank you, Pinwheel for helping me give my children a childhood.
My favorite part is the conversations I have with my kids as their needs change. It gives me the opportunity to explain my concerns and why I think things can be risky. But, it also lets them tell me how they are thinking about their friends, and school, and activities.
I tell them that childhood is short and precious.
Thank you, Pinwheel for helping me give my children a childhood.
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Best We’ve Used So Far
After going through several iterations of parental controls, there is no doubt that Pinwheel has both global and granular controls to be simple to use yet flexible enough easily adapt to changing schedules evolving needs.
The ease of use and pertinent options included in the Override functionality truly makes this a standout suite of tools.
Keep up the good work. In
The ease of use and pertinent options included in the Override functionality truly makes this a standout suite of tools.
Keep up the good work. In
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So slow
The app works. It’s way better than attempting to give your kid an iPhone and expecting it to keep them safe. But that said, it often doesn’t update with the changes I make. For example, if I allow more time on an app, I have to change it, then click around in the settings to make sure it “took.” Also, the automatic time zone setting does not work. We are traveling and it did not change. I manually changed it. It’s supposed to go off at 9. It’s almost 10 and it’s still working. It is also super slow. It takes forever to load. The idea is amazing. The execution needs work.
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Response from developer
Hi there, thanks for taking the time to share this, we really appreciate the thoughtful feedback. We’re glad the overall concept has been helpful, but we’re sorry you’ve run into these issues. What you’re describing with the Caregiver Portal and phone settings isn't normal and not the experience we aim to provide. Changes should apply reliably without extra steps as long as the device is properly connected to the internet. We’d really like to look into this and help get things working smoothly for you. When you can, please reach out to us at support@pinwheel.com so we can investigate further!
Best cell phone for kids
I’m incredibly thankful there’s an option to introduce my kids to cell phones in a way that is safe and manageable. Pinwheel has so many great features that let parents be in control of what their kids can access. They continue to provide new features and listen to customer feedback to make sure the experience is what parents and kids are looking for. The AI feature is a great way for kids to ask the questions they have rather than asking Google and have the whole internet available for an answer. The contact controls and image sharing options are also a great way to help keep kids safe and gradually give them more freedom.
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Works so well!
We’ve been using Pinwheel phones for our kids for the last three years and it’s been going so well. We love the fact that they are flexible and we can change the settings, depending on the age of the kids. And it’s super easy to go and adjust things on my phone on the app whenever I need to give one of my children access to something. I have the kids text me and ask for access to things all the time and I can give them instant access through the app. I’m really glad we went with Pinwheel when we were trying to decide what phones to use for our kids.
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Great phone to grow with your kiddo
Love that I am in control of my kiddos phone. She only has access to what I add to her phone and I can turn anything on and off at any time. Love the time limits and schedule. Only thing I’d like to improve is the location services (little slow) and the schedule is confusing to make but the rest is too good not to give 5 stars.
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5 stars
Awesome phone for kids, great app for parents and BEST customer service with easy steps to follow. Make the purchase. You won’t regret it!
Amazing unbelievable the best
When your teenager hates it that’s when you know you’re doing the right thing.
Mind at ease
Having a pinwheel phone has brought so much peace to my mind as we ease into our teenager having a phone. I can’t speak enough about it!
Pure peace of mind
Love Pinwheel because it allows me to let my 9yo daughter have a phone without worrying about her being negatively impacted by social media too young or unrestricted internet access. The ability to limit who can contact her, what apps she can use and what times she can use the phone feels like training wheels and we both love the app. Thank you Pinwheel!
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Perfect first phone for kids
I was nervous about getting my daughter her first phone however Pinwheel has been the perfect middle ground. I love that I can control contacts, monitor activity and still let her feel independent. The setup was easy and it gives me real peace of mind. Highly recommend for parents who want connection without chaos.
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Best Phone Option Laggy App
We LOVE the pinwheel phone. It is the best phone option on the market for kids and teens. Allows you to keep the kids safe and allow them to grow into phone privileges. The only problem is the app is slow and cumbersome. The location tracker is slow to load or doesn’t load at all and the app itself sometimes doesn’t load at all. We’ve come to just expect it as part of the trade off with this phone but if there was ever an emergency it would be scary or frustrating. The app itself really needs work.
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Decent
The app can be a bit buggy at times. Pinwheel support has not been able to successfully address items related to the functionality of the pinwheel device I have paired with this app.
Some connectivity challenges
Overall a good program for kids starting on phones. Some connectivity challenges in communicating with Apple devices tho.
Love It!
I really like the Pinwheel app because it doesn’t allow access to social media, which gives me peace of mind. I also appreciate being able to see who my child is texting and what’s being said. It’s easy to use and helps keep my child safe while still staying connected.
Good parental app
Overall it is a good app, but it sometimes is slow, and often the location tracker is not updated. The customer service has always been very helpful though!
Our experience with Pinwheel
My daughter is 6yrs old. We’ve had her Pinwheel watch since October and she loves it and so do we. It gives her a sense of responsibility and it gives us a peace of mind when she’s not with us. It’s definitely a safe tech for children and we highly recommend.
