Gabb Watch vs. Apple Watch

I think we’re all looking for ways to keep our kids safe as they grow up and explore, both offline and online. So when Apple recently began promoting their watches as family-friendly (through their Family Setup feature), I’m sure I’m not the only parent whose interest was piqued.

It didn’t take a lot of investigation to find that critical security and privacy concerns exist when trying to turn Apple Watches into kid-safe devices. I know it’s hard to keep up on all the to-do’s a parent has already so here’s a quick guide on what parents need to understand.

Research on Apple Watch Safety for Kids

A recent investigation by The Wall Street Journal exposed how even tech-savvy parents struggle to maintain control over Apple’s devices. 

“I’ve been in tech for a long time, and I understand products pretty well, and I was incredibly confused,” said Tim Kendall, former president of Pinterest, about Apple’s Screen Time controls. 

Parents report managing their children’s digital safety has become “another full-time job” as kids consistently find ways to bypass protective measures.

Even more alarming, a Washington Post’s investigation revealed a shocking truth about children’s privacy in Apple’s ecosystem: “More than two-thirds of the 1,000 most popular iPhone apps likely to be used by children collect and send their personal information out to the advertising industry.” 

This systemic disregard for children’s privacy extends to their hardware as well — The Post uncovered that Apple Watch’s location sharing feature could expose a child’s entire location history to anyone who temporarily gains access to a parent’s device, even after that person’s access is revoked.

As the demand for children’s smartwatches grows, parents face a critical decision: Should they risk using devices like Apple Watch, which were retrofitted with child safety features, or choose purpose-built alternatives like Gabb Watch that were engineered from the ground up with children’s security in mind? 

Is Apple Watch Safe for Kids?

In this article we’ll walk through some of the most popular features parents look for in a kid’s watch to help you understand how Apple Watch measures up in comparison to Gabb Watch in terms of safety, functionality, and overall suitability for children.

GPS Tracking

GPS tracking is the most requested feature on kids’ devices by parents, even above calls and text. By knowing their child’s location at all times, parents can feel more secure and confident in their child’s safety, whether they’re at school, at a friend’s house, or anywhere in between.

Gabb Watch: Gabb Watch is designed with children’s safety as the #1 priority. It offers real-time GPS tracking that is straightforward and easy to use. Parents can quickly check their child’s location via the MyGabb app on their own device, providing timely updates and precise locations. This intuitive system ensures that parents are always in the loop about their child’s whereabouts without any unnecessary complexities.

Apple Watch: Apple Watch, while initially crafted for adult users, also includes sophisticated GPS capabilities. The Family Setup feature allows parents to configure the watch specifically for their children, enabling location tracking. The setup process is more complicated than for Gabb Watch, given its broad range of features designed for a general audience. Despite this, once configured, Apple Watch delivers accurate and reliable location tracking, ensuring parents can keep track of their children efficiently.

Customizable Safe Zones

Knowing that our children are within safe boundaries can bring immense peace of mind. Customizable safe zones are a crucial feature in smartwatches for kids, allowing parents to define specific areas where their children can safely roam. By setting these boundaries, parents don’t need to constantly check their child’s location — they can be immediately alerted if their child steps outside the designated safe zones, ensuring timely and proactive responses to any potential concerns.

Gabb Watch: Gabb Watch excels in simplicity and effectiveness when it comes to customizable safe zones. Parents can easily define multiple safe zones through the MyGabb app on their own phone. Once set, they receive notifications if their child leaves these predefined areas. The process is designed to be user-friendly, ensuring that parents can quickly and efficiently manage safe zones without any hassle. Gabb Watch’s focus on ease of use means that parents can trust the device to provide reliable and timely alerts, keeping their children safe and secure.

Apple Watch: Apple Watch, equipped with its Family Setup feature, also allows for the creation of customizable safe zones. The process requires some setup but, once enabled, offers precise and dependable notifications, ensuring parents are informed if their child exits the defined safe areas.

No Unsafe Apps

Digital content is abundant and sometimes inappropriate, so ensuring that our children have access to safe and suitable apps is crucial. Smartwatches designed for kids should provide a controlled app environment, free from potentially harmful or distracting content. This helps parents protect their children from exposure to inappropriate material and ensures that the device remains a tool for safety and learning rather than a source of unnecessary distractions.

Gabb Watch: Gabb Watch stands out with its commitment to a safe digital environment tailored for children. It comes pre-installed with apps that are safe and appropriate for young users. By limiting access to only these vetted and Gabb-engineered apps, Gabb Watch eliminates the risk of children downloading unsafe content, or getting access to an embedded web browser through a third-party app. This approach not only protects children but also simplifies the user experience for parents, who can rest assured knowing that the content available on the watch is designed with their child’s safety in mind.

Apple Watch: Apple Watch includes parental control features that allow parents to manage app access. Through the Family Setup, parents can restrict downloads, block specific apps, and ensure that only approved content is available to their children. Apple Watch provides more flexibility on apps, which introduces the risk of kids gaining access to embedded web browsers and unrestricted access to the internet and social media, even if an internet browser app is not installed on the device.

SOS/Emergency Contact

In moments of uncertainty or emergency, quick access to trusted contacts can be a lifeline for children. The SOS and emergency contact features in smartwatches provide an essential safety net, enabling kids to instantly reach out for help when they need it most. This feature is a big deal for most parents so it’s important that it not only exists, but is easy for kids to use. 

Gabb Watch: Gabb Watch includes a dedicated SOS button that allows children to quickly alert their parents or emergency contacts in case of trouble. This feature is straightforward and intuitive, ensuring that even young users can activate it without difficulty. Once the SOS button is pressed, the watch sends an immediate notification to the preset contacts, along with the child’s current location. This rapid response capability provides parents with the confidence that they will be promptly informed and able to assist their children in critical situations.

Apple Watch: Apple Watch also features emergency contact capabilities through its built-in SOS function. When set up via Family Setup, children can press and hold the side button to trigger an emergency call and notify their emergency contacts. The system uses the watch’s location tracking to provide precise location data to the contacts. 

Parent-Managed Contacts

In an age where connectivity is vital, yet potentially overwhelming, controlling who has access to our children is a crucial aspect of their safety and well-being. Parent-managed contacts in smartwatches provide a secure and controlled communication environment, ensuring that only trusted individuals can interact with our kids. This feature helps parents maintain privacy and security while fostering a safe space for communication.

Gabb Watch: With Gabb Watch, parents have full control over who can contact their child through a straightforward contact management system. They can add and approve contacts through the MyGabb app on their own phone, ensuring that only pre-approved individuals can communicate with their child. This feature provides peace of mind, knowing that every interaction on the watch is monitored and approved by parents. The ease of use and focus on security make Gabb Watch an excellent choice for parents who prioritize controlled and safe communication for their children.

Apple Watch: Apple Watch, through its Family Setup functionality, also allows parents to manage their child’s contacts. Parents can use the built-in parental controls to restrict and approve communications, ensuring that only trusted contacts can be reached. While the setup process may be more detailed compared to Gabb Watch, it offers extensive customization options.

Focus & Silent Mode Scheduling

In a world filled with constant notifications and distractions, maintaining focus and managing screen time are essential for children’s well-being. Smartwatches that offer focus and silent mode scheduling help create structured environments where kids can concentrate on important tasks, such as studying or sleeping, without interruptions. This feature is particularly valuable in fostering healthy digital habits and ensuring children can enjoy uninterrupted time when they need it most.

Gabb Watch: Gabb Watch includes a thoughtfully designed focus mode that allows parents to schedule times when the watch will be silenced or limited in functionality so they can focus on their activities without distracting alerts or messages. This feature is straightforward to set up through the MyGabb app, and can’t be changed from the child’s watch. 

Focus mode restricts access to all apps on the watch and only allows calling and texting to the primary and guardian contacts. Silent Mode mutes the watch but leaves all other functionalities available. During those frustrating times where a child may have their device’s volume muted and can’t hear an incoming call, parents can turn up the volume for the watch from the app, ensuring the call or text is heard. 

Apple Watch: Using the Family Setup feature, parents can customize various modes to suit their child’s needs, including Do Not Disturb and Schooltime modes. These modes can be scheduled to activate automatically during specific times of the day, ensuring that the watch remains silent and less distracting during crucial periods. However, the child can exit these modes at any moment to play with their device or send text messages. In Schooltime mode, parents are notified if the child exits the mode, but they have no control to enforce that the child stays in the mode.

Tech Tailored to Your Kid

Gabb Watch and Apple Watch both work as stand alone devices and don’t need cell phones to work. However, it’s important to note that Apple Watches only work as a stand alone device when the “cellular” version is purchased. These watches require monthly fees that vary in price, but Gabb Watch device is the more budget friendly option.

The overarching aspect that applies to all the features covered above is that Gabb Watch was specifically designed with kids in mind — Apple Watch offers settings to modify a device designed for adults. This means Gabb Watch offers no possibility for your child to access the internet, no third-party apps with the potential to access embedded web browsers, daily time limits on games (Gabb Go and Mimic), and Focus Mode that keeps kids off the device and living in the moment.

It’s certainly a good thing that Apple has provided a way to make their watches safer for kids. The setup is more complex, and each feature must be carefully considered to make it kid-safe. Even so, it’s designed for adults and will never be completely safe for kids because of some of the features it allows. The ability to add third-party apps puts kids at risk of accessing embedded web browsers. Kids can also easily ignore the Schooltime mode and play on their devices or send messages during times they should be focusing on other things.

An important thing to consider, is that Apple receives a 30% commission for all App Store transactions. So the more time customers spend on their devices, the more money the company makes. Think of all the ads we encounter, the apps we purchase, or subscriptions we sign up for. Apple is making money off of that. Gabb on the other hand was founded upon the goal of keeping kids safe. We ensure this by providing parents and kids with tech that makes it easy to stay safely connected. That means devices that are engineered to be age appropriate, prevent access to unsafe content, and encourage kids to live beyond the screen.

Every family is different and you know your needs better than anyone. Carefully evaluate the features mentioned above and select the smartwatch that best aligns with your child’s needs and your peace of mind, fostering an environment where they can thrive safely and confidently.

Which features do you think are most important when choosing a smartwatch for your child? Have you used either Gabb Watch or Apple Watch for your child? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below.