Why I recommend this Android phone for kids over a cheap Samsung or Motorola model

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• Pinwheel phones start at $100 and offer parental control features.
• There’s a curated app store and call and text history.
• While phones are inexpensive, the Pinwheel features are available through a quarterly or annual subscription, on top of a mobile data plan.

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Second grade feels too young to get a smartphone, yet my second-grader welcomes the idea with open arms. While she loves her Fitbit Ace LTE for communication and play, a phone gives her a sense of freedom that a heavily controlled wearable can’t. 

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I tested a kids’ smartphone from Pinwheel with her to give the idea a shot. Pinwheel phones are inexpensive Android phones with a subscription that gives parents control and ways to limit distractions. They exclude social media apps and web browsers to prevent exposure to inappropriate content and give adults management options for contacts and communication.

Getting the Pinwheel phone set up was challenging, as it arrived without a SIM card. There were some mishaps in setting up a review unit of this device that wouldn’t have happened if I were a regular customer. However, it’s worth noting that Pinwheel isn’t a mobile service carrier, so you’d have to set up service with one or bring your own plan.

Pinwheel provides unlocked phones that work with most major carriers, but users can add a SIM card from Mint, US Mobile, or Ultra when checking out their cart. You’ll also choose your Pinwheel subscription billing when you check out, which would be $50 quarterly or $175 yearly. 

After you receive your phone and SIM card, you set up your account and activate your data plan. This plan would be set up directly with the mobile carrier, so you must pay separately for the carrier service and the Pinwheel subscription. 

The Pinwheel subscription provides a locked-down smartphone and gives parents access to the Pinwheel Caregiver Portal. The portal lets you add or remove contacts, approve and install curated apps, monitor activity, and set phone usage schedules.

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I set up my 8-year-old’s Pinwheel phone (a Samsung A54) with the Caregiver Portal and added several educational gaming apps, including math puzzles and spelling resources. The apps took some time to install on the phone after I added them to my app, sometimes up to a day, which is less than ideal.

Ultimately, I bypassed the portal and gave the phone access to the Google Play Store to download apps, which I then revoked. I wish the phone were faster to add apps, but I did like how informative the Caregiver Portal was. I can quickly see the call and text history, locate the device, approve content, and enable group texting. 

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Overall, a smartphone is a bit old for my 8-year-old yet. My kid’s favorite app on the Pinwheel phone was Duolingo, which isn’t available for her Fire HD 10 Pro kids’ tablet with Amazon Kids+. Aside from using Duolingo to learn languages, she constantly forgot to charge the phone and would leave it on a dresser for days, no matter how much I reminded her. 

She wears the Fitbit Ace LTE daily because it’s always on her wrist, so she doesn’t have to remember to carry it everywhere. As adults, we’re used to remembering our phones when we move from one spot to the next, as they have seemingly become extensions of ourselves. 

But kids aren’t used to the idea and don’t always have big enough pockets or carry bags around to hold it. I’d rather keep the wearable while they’re young and reserve the phone experience for the coming years.

ZDNET’s buying advice

After testing the Pinwheel platform, I had mixed feelings. Though the user experience takes some getting used to, its parental controls are pretty flexible, including the ability to grant access to the Google Play Store. 

But the whole combo is expensive, considering that you have to pay for a data plan from Mint or US Mobile, which can be about $15 a month, and a Pinwheel subscription, which is also about $15 monthly.  Add the phone cost to that, from $100-$600, and you have to consider if giving your kid an older locked-down smartphone is a better choice for you. 

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I’d recommend the Pinwheel to parents of kids over 10 years old, as this age onward is a bit more responsible with devices. Those parents who want to communicate with their kids wherever they are but maintain control over apps and social media would greatly benefit from Pinwheel, as long as they’re okay without access to YouTube for entertainment or a browser for homework.