Cheapest option for kids iPhone? only needs calls for after school pick ups.
Data not really required as will be using apple parental controls to remove everything except calls.
Something like boost mobile 12 month pre paid the best? at around $150 a year deal?
Anyone tried smartwatches like a 2nd hand applewatch se cellular or space talk watches?
Literally just needs to be able to make calls to my iPhone and receive calls after school.
Hence using the parental controls also teaching the kid proper device use. Since using parental controls (2hrs a day) on iPad I’ve seen a huge improvement in my 7 year old. Barely uses the iPad now apart from calling friends, playing with toys more and using imagination/ outdoors.
Good to see a quick response…..
Cheapest option for kids iPhone? only needs calls for after school pick ups.
If you need the phone to only make and receive calls, then why not get them a regular "dumb" phone instead of an iphone? It'll be much cheaper to replace if it's lost or damaged. They also don't need to be charged as frequently.
Plus no one will want to steal it
I’ve got an old iPhone 7 that’s lying around as a backup phone so cost of phone wasn’t factored in. The point about making it more desirable to steal is valid.
If you shop at Woolworths 180 expiry - https://mobile.woolworths.com.au/plans/long-expiry-plans
Works out to about $10p/m
Link the account to your rewards card and get 10% off your shop once a month.
Could work out free on a $100 shop per month.
I got my kid the Coles yearly sim for around $100 and it’s inside his Pixbee 4G watch ($180 at JB)
how's the battery going ?
currently $249 , need to wait for JB sale
Easily lasts 1 full day with usage. We charge it up every night just in case.
I used Spacetalk for a few years. You will need to pay a monthly subscription. Now I have moved to https://kidsoclock.com.au/ and I am really happy with it. The best part is you don’t need a monthly subscription. It is easy to reach out to them on web chat and their warranty service is awesome.
hey @Ronney are you still using kidsoclock for your kid? is it still good?
Been thinking to get one for my eldest kid… thanks!
@BigLeviathan Yes, my daughter is still using it. It developed a crack in about 10 months and they replaced it under warranty (though they stated that it is not covered by their warranty). The replacement too developed a crack in about the same time. The crack is around the magnetic charging port. I then purchased a new one which is fine so far. I am happy with the functionality it provides and not having to pay a monthly fee, I am ok to replace the watch every 2 years.
They now have a new model and I hope it is of better quality than the old model.
Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Thanks @Ronney!
Were you able to set multiple “school time” sessions per day? Let’s say you wanted to restrict the usage of “smart watch” multiple times throughout the day (let’s say from 8-3 and from 5 to 7)?
Also, how’s the GPS functionality to know whereabouts the kid is?
Also the SOS call function? As I heard it just sent you a notification, instead of really calling you?
Thank you!
@BigLeviathan: Yes @BigLeviathan, you can set multiple school times. You can also set the recurrence pattern (like M-F, Sat, Sun etc).
While Spacetalk watch keeps tracking the GPS position in the background, KidsOClock does it on demand. You will need to request the position and then wait for a minute or so to get the location. I haven't used the geo fencing though it is available. I can use it and let you know.
The SOS does make calls. It dials all the numbers in the emergency contact list in the specified order. You will also get a notification if the call was not answered but if you have setup multiple emergency contacts, it will also start dialing the next number.
i get the 1 year plan that is on sale from either kogan, catch, etc…
Belong used to be the best for this as they wouldn't charge you for exceeding your data allowance, it would just slow down. But now $15/month is the cheapest so not so good. Whatever you choose make sure it is one that doesn't charge for data topups automatically, you don't want to find yourself with a $1000 bill, or the yearly value wiped in one week
Moose Mobile (Optus MVNO) have a $8.80/6GB/month plan (for 12 months, then $14.80/month).
NB: Excess data charges automatically apply, and there doesn't appear to be a way to automatically disable data once the monthly allocation is reached, however according to this article, you should be able to either log into the account from the web or set up their app on your smartphone/tablet, and toggle data on/off at your leisure, essentially giving you parental control, if that's something you'd find useful.
it's month-to-month with no cancellation fee , but it's still a post-paid so you could get a bill shock from your kids , be it data or calling premium numbers.
using apple parental controls to remove everything except calls
Get the cheapest Nokia or a ZTE button phone
do the kogan mobile small plan
https://www.kogan.com/au/buy/kogan-mobile-prepaid-voucher-co…
10gb of data a month
unlim calls/sms etc
$120 per year when not discounted
$99 when it is discounted
I pay $5 a month for my son’s Dodo plan.
$5 ALDI prepay for 1 year. use for my kids for the same purpose.
I had Boost for the kids and then got Woolworths Mobile so we can all share the data and can do data gifting. So if you don’t need the data you can transfer to another family member.
I'm looking at the moment as well. The best I've found are Catch connect at $89 per year.
https://m.catch.com.au/product/catch-connect-365-day-mobile-…
That's the best value I've found with calls and text included and if you turn off auto recharged no nasty bill shock. They do have 60GB data included but, like you, for me the included data is irrelevant.
Once they figure out how to install youtube and spotify then there goes the data. The kids will figure it out within a few weeks.
You can pickup yearly SIMS on special at woolies or coles every few weeks, so check out their online catalogs until they have the SIM you want on special. Cheapest I have seen for a yearly is around the $90 to $100, but sometimes it may get down to $80.