Most public faculties are beginning again up this week, and lots of mother and father wish to discover a youngsters’ smartwatch that (A) lets them keep up a correspondence, (B) can observe their location in the event that they depart college unexpectedly, and (C) prevents having to purchase their child a smartphone for one more few years.
Many individuals purchase an reasonably priced Apple Watch SE for this objective since they will set it up by way of their very own iPhone, set Schooltime exercise blocks, and create makeshift geofencing with the Find My app. The drawback is that it is a totally practical smartwatch for adults; it’s a must to be extra purposeful about setting it up and supervising its use so it isn’t too unrestricted or sophisticated to your child.
Thankfully, we will level you to another that is explicitly designed for teenagers: the Fitbit Ace LTE. It launched this summer season and instantly grew to become the favourite of Android Central’s resident Dad-tech professional Nick Sutrich. It’s a watch that retains issues easy and pleasant to your younger’un whereas supplying you with peace of thoughts.
Why we suggest this Fitbit watch to your child
The Fitbit Ace LTE is actually a squircle Pixel Watch 2 working a stripped-down Wear OS interface that (in contrast to the Pixel Watch) can nonetheless join with mother and father’ iPhones, in addition to Android telephones. It’s quick, comfy on small youngsters’ wrists, has cute video games that encourage exercise, and retains observe of their location.
As Nick explains in his Fitbit Ace LTE evaluate, most children watches are designed like plastic toys, or one thing you’d see in a 50s sci-fi present. They’re “thick and chonky,” and the unoptimized software program is simply as ugly. They fulfill their objective and let youngsters keep in contact, however they don’t seem to be going to take pleasure in carrying them as soon as the novelty wears off.
But Fitbit has been making slim squircles and coding its in style Fitbit OS for over a decade — properly earlier than Google acquired it — and that experience comes throughout within the Ace LTE. While it comes with a thick bumper case in case your child will get too tough with their toys, it is “so darn glossy wanting” by itself, so youngsters will really feel like they’re carrying an “grownup” smartwatch.
Under the floor, the Ace LTE software program is tailored for teenagers to hit their 60 minutes of exercise a day; ending quests like step targets or simply transferring round as an alternative of sitting will internet them “motion factors” that they will money in to play video games. Nick’s child loves the area technique recreation that has him level his wrist to fireplace assaults at ships, however he is aware of he cannot begin the following stage until he will get energetic first.
You can even use these factors in your Eejie, which Nick calls “a type of Tamagotchi-meets-Animal Crossing-type digital pet.” Gaining factors permits you to customise your Eejie in enjoyable methods so youngsters have a visible incentive to remain match.
Unlike extra adult-focused health watches that observe sophisticated metrics, the Fitbit Ace LTE retains issues easy: steps, flooring, mild exercise, and moderate-to-vigorous exercise. It does not have instruments like sleep monitoring or handbook exercises that every other Fitbit can handle, which appears like an intentional determination to keep away from overcomplicating issues, distracting youngsters with a display screen at evening, or stressing mother and father out about youngsters’ sleep habits.
In an analogous vein, the Fitbit Ace LTE intentionally limits the quantity of display screen time youngsters can get, with 5 minutes or so of earned gaming time after 20+ minutes of exercise. My colleague argued that oldsters needs to be allowed to tweak this ratio to make the display screen incentive a bit extra enjoyable, however no less than you will not have to fret in regards to the Ace turning into a time-suck distraction to your child.
Really, all of that is simply window dressing, meant to make your child be ok with staying energetic at a younger age as an alternative of sitting round watching YouTube. The foremost motive to purchase any youngsters smartwatch is to present them a option to name or textual content you (and different members of the family) with out giving them a telephone.
Unlike with a smartphone, you need not fear about your child getting messaged by strangers. The Fitbit Ace LTE calls devoted contacts arrange by way of the Android/iOS Fitbit Ace app; if you need your child to have the ability to name or message, say, a grandparent or sibling, they will additionally want a smartphone with the Fitbit Ace app and a Google account, which is simply a draw back if your loved ones members aren’t tech-savvy.
You’ll want the Fitbit Ace Pass subscription for LTE calling; it will possibly nonetheless name over wi-fi, however you will need mobile connectivity for issues like broadcasting your child’s real-time location by way of the Fitbit Ace app. It’s a aid for folks to have the ability to examine, although sadly, Fitbit hasn’t carried out a geofencing software that auto-notifies you if the child leaves a chosen space, like the college grounds.
Geofencing is the one characteristic discovered on different youngsters watches just like the T-Mobile SyncUp or Garmin Bounce that we want the Fitbit Ace LTE provided, too. But hopefully, you will be happy with the flexibility to examine your child’s location at any time, corresponding to in case you lose observe of them in a retailer or on the park.
Last 12 months, we advisable the Garmin Bounce because the back-to-school watch to beat, and it is nonetheless an awesome possibility. It’s cheaper (with the identical month-to-month price for LTE calling), higher for battery life, and fitness-focused. But in case you can afford the Fitbit Ace LTE, it is arguably higher for each {hardware} and software program.
Google is continuous to replace the Ace LTE, including an NFC tap-to-pay characteristic — with approval from mother and father, after all — new video games, and a promised characteristic to let youngsters message different youngsters with Ace LTE watches later this 12 months. This provides us hope that it might obtain updates like geofencing down the road; even with out it, it is a nice youngsters watch that ought to final you thru a number of college years.
Keep your child protected, wholesome, and completely happy.
Continuous step and exercise monitoring will guarantee your child is staying wholesome and reward them with interactive video games and digital pet perks. Beyond that, you will get wi-fi or LTE calling, messaging, and site monitoring, all packed into a trendy watch with {hardware} that is constructed to final.
