Pinwheel Kids PhonesReviews of pinwheel.com

Numerous glitches and several chats with IT and customer service. So why the 5 stars? In the 1800s, a pioneer on the Oregon trail described what it was like to head West into uncharted territory. He wrote, “A man must be able to endure heat like a salamander, mud and water like a muskrat, dust like a toad, and labor like a workhorse. He must learn to eat with his unwashed fingers, drink out of the same vessel as his mules, sleep on the ground when it rains, share his blanket with vermin, and have patience with mosquitos…It is hardship without glory.” I think of this quote when I think of how hard it must be for all of those at Pinwheel who are pioneering a new movement in safe technology for our children. It is “hardship without glory,” and yet in every interaction I’ve had with them, I have been treated with nothing but kindness, graciousness, and an authentic desire to help and get to the bottom of whatever issue I was having with my son’s phone. And they did. Every single one of the glitches has been fixed and my child’s phone is working perfectly. But that’s not why the 5 stars. If you just look at their responses to negative reviews, you can see the care, kindness, and desire to do good that is the heartbeat of this company. Nobody else is doing what Pinwheel is doing. There may be competitors out there who market a phone for kids, but from what I can tell, these other phones do not offer the same level of care or safeguards that Pinwheel does. The three that I value the most: - A safelist/contact list that allows me to select who can call and text my child. I can also enable photo texting or disable it if needed. - A Live Status/GPS feature: YAY for being able to locate my son through his phone. - A caregiver portal that, among other things, allows me to set routines and reminders for my child and customize the apps that he has access to on the phone. While Pinwheel is designed to be a “tool and not a toy”, it still has plenty of well-researched apps (REAL apps) that make the phone educational and fun. I might tell people it was the Safe List or Live Status that sold me on Pinwheel, but really, it was because you can get Spotify. But still, Spotify is not why the 5 stars. Sure, there were glitches, and periods of time when I wasn’t able to access much on the phone. But, like every good pioneer, the people at Pinwheel endured the heat like salamanders, had patience with mosquitoes, and labored like workhorses to ensure that we would all reach our destination, and give our children a better world to live in. And for that, 5 stars isn’t nearly enough.

I'm so thankful for pinwheel. There customer service is spot on. Are there issues? Yes. Do they address them and work to make it right? YES!!! Do I feel good about giving my daughter a pinwheel phone? YES!! Would I recommend them to friends and family? YES!!!!!!!!!!! This is a great device for kids. I'm able to keep my daughter protected from all the crap she doesn't need to be exposed to! She just gets an awesome phone that gives her a measure of responsibility and freedom.

I love it! It is the only way I would feel safe with him having a phone. Other teens might be able to have a bit more autonomy, but my kid needs the limits. I love that I can limit contact during school time. I like that I can prevent calls or texts with people he shouldn't have access to. It is wonderful. I am a Pinwheel evangelist. The customer service is top notch.

My daughter needed a phone after her father and I got divorced, to be able to keep in contact more easily. I chose Pinwheel after a ton of research because — well, a lot of reasons! — but the big ones: 1) The phone cannot call or text with anyone I have not approved. All the other phones come with spam calls and the ability to talk to strangers, neither of which felt ok for my daughter. and 2) It has useful apps, but I don't have to agonize about whether it's one that ok for her to have or not — they have all been vetted and curated to not be addictive, no social media, no website access, etc. and 3) All the configuration of the phone happens through a web-based control panel I access on MY computer. So I can make changes to it, check on her location, read her text history, and more — without having to have the phone in my presence! Convenient for me, and gives me peace of mind: she can't 'hack' controls that aren't there. But the biggest thing she loves, was a detail to me, and now it's my favorite feature: routines! You can set the phone to do different things at different times of day, so when she's at school, all it CAN do is call me or her dad. No apps, no friend calls, nothing. I knew that. But tied to modes is "routines" — it's like a checklist you set up of things they are supposed to do during that time. Like, we have a "Getting Ready for School" mode, where she can listen to music, but none of her other apps are on. And with that, she has a "routine" — a checklist of - Check the weather - Get dressed - Brush teeth - Brush hair - Wash face - Feed the dog - Eat breakfast etc. Everything she does, she taps on and gets a little gold star. When she finishes the whole list, it has a confetti effect. The routines and modes are 100% customizable — and my daughter LOVES them. It's such a thoughtful feature.

I am excited to be a part of this up and coming company. Their mission and goals are so very needed in the teenage community right now. More than ever we should be seeking out companies that want to serve and protect our younger generation from the dangers and harms that are obviously befalling our children, from predators to pornography, from bullying to disconnect, these things are ripping our children apart, and destroying the family unit. My daughter is the victim of sexual harassment on social media. We gave her an iPhone at a very young age, not really knowing the potential harm it could and did eventually cause. Once I was aware of the situation I took action and removed her phone. I looked for many days and weeks for an alternative for her, so she could connect with her friends without the constant barrage of snaps, likes, comments and predators asking for inappropriate pictures, I decided to give Pinwheel a go. I won't lie, we've had struggles with getting used to this new way of doing things, but only because she was so ingrained in the old way. Once she opened up and actually started using the phone she started to enjoy it, she became the person she was way before she ever had a "smart" phone. Fun, engaging, silly, just a typical teen. I so appreciate this company and their mission!

Great first phone for my 10 year old! I love the parental controls. She’s happy to have a first phone! Great customer service.

Great features and value. We got a Pinwheel for our older son and Gabb Wireless phone for our younger son and upgrading to Pinwheel for both at a later stage. Excellent customer service and technical features.

I have been holding out for years hoping someone would develop a phone that was safe for kids. The Gabb just didn’t have all the safe apps my kids needed for school so I wouldn’t even entertain it. The pinwheel has been such a godsend, mainly because there’s flexibility to customize the phone to be exactly what my kids need with the support of professionals who care about the health of our children. I’m so grateful someone took the initiative to protect our children. Thanks Pinwheel team!