Pinwheel Kids PhonesReviews of pinwheel.com

I ordered a phone for my 14-year-old daughter to replace her "calculator" as she calls it. My experience with Pinwheel has been somewhat unique but I will outline the highlights: - The Caregiver Admin portal, where one manages the child's phone, is easy to use and understand. - Customer service is unmatched. Replies are speedy and always helpful. - The phone is a great way to introduce your children to smartphones without having unfettered access to the internet. - The routines allow children to structure their day and are highly customizable. The only issue I have had is trying to get her service through our current provider, Google Fi. Through Pinwheel's strict app testing, the Fi app is not yet available as it allows for too much freedom for the child to potentially access the internet, so they have blocked it for the time being. Thus I have to set her up on another new service, which is fine as I was already using a separate one (Twigby - which, by the way, is NOT compatible). Overall I am happy with the service Pinwheel provides and will be using it for my son when he is old enough for his own phone.

Well, this is sort of like... you’ve got to be smarter than the dog to train him. I think Pinwheel has something good, but it’s not good enough. I’ve found a few flaws... 1. If you have your phone set to not allow certain apps at specific times, if the app is left open when a new time is set, you can apparently still access that app. Sort of defeats the purpose. 2. And when you’re on an app like Spotify for example, you can still access beyond Spotify. For example... click on the image and links and it will actually take you to Facebook. Two BIG loopholes and I’m disappointed. HOWEVER, I appreciate all the efforts of Pinwheel's team and know they're working on these loopholes. I'm looking forward to the improved product.

I felt it was easy to navigate. I am not tech savvy in the least, but I was grateful I didn't need an IT degree to work the site.