Gabb Watch Review: Perfect First Device for Young Kids

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*I received a trial product to test out for a period of time for this review. This is my honest opinion about the product.

Easy to Set Up the Gabb Watch

As soon as I heard Gabb was coming out with a watch, I wanted to test it out (my kids did, too, especially my nine-year-old, who I told could use the watch while we had it). So, when the Gabb Watch arrived, we were all excited.

Setting up the Gabb Watch was easy. A QR code appeared that needed to be scanned from the MyGabb app so that I’d be able to manage the text presets, contacts, safe zones, lock mode schedule (you can make it only a watch during school hours, although the emergency button will still work), and tasks in the Gabb Go game. I already had the MyGabb app on my phone from the Gabb Z2 phone we have, so I opened it up and scanned the QR code. A pairing code appeared on the watch that I entered on my phone, and that was it. It was ready to use.

The watch is a little large on my daughter’s small wrist, so often, she just leaves it in her backpack. The battery lasts for a day or two depending on how much my daughter is on Gabb Go or using other gadgets (it also has an alarm, stopwatch, and timer). You can change the ringtone, message tone, background, and watch orientation. There’s also a shortcut key for your child to check in and have a notification pop up on your phone from the MyGabb app to let you know where they are.

Voice and Text Messages

We were curious to see how texting worked on the watch, so my nine-year-old and I played around with it to see what the options were. There are a number of emojis to choose from and a list of preset messages the child can send. In the parent app (MyGabb), you can go in and change the 15 preset messages that are preloaded or add more. You can have up to 20 preset messages.

If your child wants to tell you something other than what the preset messages allow, they can leave a voice message. This comes through as a text that contains a recording. When my daughter sent one, I simply hit play and heard my daughter’s message.

UPDATE (9/23): Gabb just released the Gabb Watch 3, which now has wireless charging, strengthened durability, increased network coverage, a calculator, speech-to-text, and a keyboard for typing custom messages.

To send or receive voice or text messages on the Gabb Watch, the number they are sending to or receiving from needs to be added to the watch’s contact list in the MyGabb app. There can be up to 10 contacts. UPDATE (9/23): The Gabb Watch 3 now allows up to 100 contacts.

You can assign whether the person is a “contact” or “guardian.” To be a guardian, an email address needs to be added to create an account for the MyGabb app. If you want to change the number that shows up for the primary (your) number (it will show whatever number you put in when you purchased the Gabb Watch), you’ll need to do that online in your Gabb account, not in the MyGabb app. This will also be the number that is called if your child holds the emergency button (one of the side buttons) down for seven seconds. Everyone else that is a contact can call or text as they normally would, whether they have a smartphone or not. They do NOT need the app.

No Spam Calls

If someone is not listed as a contact, the message or call will not go through to the Gabb Watch, so no spam calls at all! I tested this out to see what would happen if a group text was sent with the Gabb Watch number and a noncontact number. The group text did not go through. When I sent a group text to the Gabb Watch and another approved contact number, the text went through. So, if group texts are sent, your child will only receive them if all numbers in the text are a part of their contact list.

Gabb Go Sets the Gabb Watch Apart from Competition

The next thing we looked at was the Gabb Go game, which I think sets the Gabb Watch apart from its competition. It’s not really a game, but a way to help kids stay active and get their chores or homework done. They get to choose a dog or cat as a virtual pet and then take care of it. They can feed, bathe, and give it attention. There are tricks and other pets they can buy with coins they earn by accomplishing tasks the parent adds in the MyGabb app. There’s also a step counter. Once they reach the daily goal for steps (set by the parent), they get a coin.

I wasn’t convinced the virtual pets and tricks would be enough incentive to get kids to do their chores or other tasks, but I was wrong. My daughter checked the tasks I put in for her every day. She eagerly collected the coins and planned what she was going to get next with them. What really won me over, though, was the fact that the Gabb Go game got my daughter to clean her room.

I have been trying to get my nine-year-old to clean her room for months. It’s ultimately up to my girls how they keep their room, but I’ve made it clear if I can’t walk in it, I won’t. It’s been a while since I could walk into her room.

Enter the Gabb Watch. My daughter really wanted the alicorn pet. She asked if I would award her enough coins to cover the gap between what she currently had and what she still needed to get the alicorn if she cleaned her room. I took the opportunity, and we negotiated our terms. Before I could have believed, her room was clean.

Gabb Go Helps Kids with Tasks

I love checking items off my to-do list, and I imagine, the Gabb Go game gives my daughter the same feeling when she checks off a task I’ve put in for her. So much so that a few times, she’s checked things off before actually doing them. When this happens, I simply don’t approve the task in the MyGabb app, and it shows back up on her list of tasks.

The only improvement I would make for Gabb Go would be to allow tasks to be reused and to allow more than three tasks at a time. I guess having the tasks limited to three keeps kids from being overwhelmed. It’d be really nice to be able to reuse tasks, though. I include tasks my daughter needs to do every day as a way to help her stay on track, and each day, I need to reenter them. Other than that, I am happily surprised by how well Gabb Go does what it was designed to do. My oldest daughter did figure out that shaking the watch increases the step count, so be aware that it is possible for your child to “cheat” on their steps.

GPS Active Tracking

Another feature Gabb advertises for the watch is GPS active tracking. Not only can you locate the watch on a map but you can also set safe zones and a radius around them. You will get alerts when the phone enters or leaves the safe zone. If your child pushes the emergency button, the watch will send you step-by-step directions to their location through the MyGabb app.

When we first got the phone, I set a safe zone around our house. I got an alert a few times that the phone left the safe zone when it was in the house. This would have freaked me out if I wasn’t home and knew my daughter was in her room. It only happened a few times.

I reached out to Gabb to let them know. They said they were aware of the issue and took the GPS accuracy very seriously. They worked to correct the issue and recently released an update that fixed the problem. I haven’t had any more occurrences of this happening.

Perfect Device for Kids Too Young for a Phone

We were not planning on getting a phone of any type any time soon for our nine-year-old, but while we had the Gabb Watch, she used it and took it with her on sleepovers. It was great knowing she could call and text us if she wanted to, without having to ask her friend’s parents to call. She did both. I even found out just how late she stays up with her friends when she texted me goodnight during a sleepover.

When our trial review period was over and it was time to send the Gabb Watch back, we liked the peace of mind it gave us knowing our daughter could reach us if she needed to or just wanted to check in so much, we decided to keep the watch. Our youngest doesn’t need a phone. Not even a Gabb Phone. But the Gabb Watch allows her to stay connected without having to worry about carrying a phone around. The bonus is the Gabb Watch also helps her stay on track with her chores.

Even if she doesn’t use the watch very often to stay connected, our peace of mind is worth it, especially since it’s so affordable. The watch has unlimited talk and text, voice messaging, and a choice of contracts. (Save with promo code EXHAUSTEDMAMA!) Receive FREE Gabb devices—Gabb Phone 3 Pro or Gabb Watch 3—with my promo code until 11/30/23 11:59 pm.

Since we decided to keep the Gabb Watch for our daughter, I feel the Gabb Watch is a perfect first device for kids too young for a phone but need a way to stay connected.

If you’re child is too old for a Gabb Watch, check out my review of the Gabb Phone (previously Z2), Gabb Phone Plus, and Pinwheel Slim.