Samsung Launches A Kid-friendly Mode For The Galaxy Watch 7

Samsung dropped immoderate wearable news up of its Unpacked arena later today: parents tin now usage nan cellular Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 arsenic a smartwatch for their kids.

With a caller Galaxy Watch for Kids mode, children tin usage nan smartwatch to telephone and matter trusted contacts, while parents tin too measurement their kids’ locations via GPS. The action starts rolling retired coming and will activity connected Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T networks.

The bully news is parents won’t petition a abstracted smartphone for this to work. Instead, it’s akin to Apple Family Setup, wherever parents usage their telephone to brace and group up nan smartwatch earlier programming guardrails done nan Google Family Link app. Parents tin powerfulness which apps tin beryllium downloaded to nan device, find misplaced watches, and specify their children’s contacts for texting and calling. In an emergency, kids tin too entree emergency SOS features by pressing nan broadside fastener 5 times. As pinch different children’s smartwatches, there’s a School Time mode that limits features during schoolhouse hours.

In a keyword blog, Google too notes that kids tin download 20 “teacher approved” apps and watchfaces from nan kids conception of nan Google Play store. They spot Barbie, Marvel, and Rubik’s Cube-themed watchfaces and acquisition games from PBS Kids and Crayola. Other third-party apps are disposable for download but require parental approval.

Samsung isn’t reinventing nan instrumentality coming — it’s playing catch-up. Apple first introduced Family Setup for its smartwatches successful 2020, and past year, Google launched nan Fitbit Ace LTE, a revamped kids GPS locator pinch Pixel Watch hardware and a attraction connected acquisition gaming.

Meanwhile, this has been a characteristic that parents personification been asking for successful subreddits and Samsung customer forums. Previously, it was imaginable to group up Galaxy Watches arsenic standalone devices pinch cellular activity for kids, but it required parents to beryllium a spot overmuch tech-savvy successful figuring retired location tracking, telephone setup, and parental controls. This caller mode streamlines everything into a overmuch accessible format, though it is only constricted to nan Watch 7.

We’ve asked Samsung if it plans to coming nan characteristic to LTE type of nan money Galaxy Watch FE but did not instantly personification a response.