BoT Talk Review

The BoT Talk is a kids GPS tracker that sticks to the basics: location tracking, geofencing, and voice messaging. It's difficult to find a screenless GPS tracker with two-way communication, so we were excited to give the BoT Talk a try. Although it's a good substitute for a kids smartwatch or kids phone for everyday communication and general tracking, we're concerned it won't be reliable in an emergency. 

The BoT Talk doesn't come with much. It's just the device and a user manual.

If you don't already have a USB-C charging cable on hand, you'll need to buy one separately. Silicone covers are also sold separately (about $20) and include a backpack clip. There's also a slot to connect a lanyard or keychain to the BoT Talk.

The BoT Talk costs $59.99 upfront. There's no activation fee.

Two subscription plans are available:

• GPS only: $4.99/mo.
• GPS plus talk: $6.99/mo.

These are relatively affordable prices compared to other GPS trackers. However, there's a major caveat to be aware of. If you decide to cancel your subscription, you can't restart it later. You'll need to buy an entirely new device. That makes it tough for families who may want to hold on to the BoT Talk for a younger sibling.

We put the BoT Talk to the test in real-world scenarios. It's not as reliable as we hoped it would be. We'll share details below so you can decide if it's right for you.

The BoT Talk offers location interval updates every 1.5 minutes or every 3 minutes. A week's worth of location history and geofencing alerts are also included.

During our hands-on tests, the BoT Talk's location tracking proved to be less accurate than other options. The app displayed a location that was anywhere from 50 to 200 feet away from the true location of the device. It seemed to perform better in more populated areas, where its Wi-Fi positioning tech may have allowed for more precise triangulation.

This level of accuracy may be okay for parents who want to know their child hasn't left school or sports practice, but it's not good enough for situations where a child may be lost in a large or crowded area. Precision matters during an emergency. 

We also noticed there's no way to ask for a live location update. If your child is lost, you'll have to wait a full 90 seconds before receiving another location update. Many other devices, including Tracki and most kids smartwatches, allow you to refresh the location on demand for nearly real-time tracking.

Worryingly, sometimes the location didn't update according to schedule. While testing the BoT Talk in a park, the location didn't update for nearly 15 minutes. 

On the plus side, geofencing worked well. We received a push notification a few seconds after the BoT Talk exited the safe zone. And, in over a month of testing, we never received a false alert. 

Voice messaging is the BoT Talk's strongest feature, but it's not necessarily perfect. 

First, it's important to know that the BoT Talk is truly just a messaging device. It doesn't support phone calls. Messages are delivered according to the location update schedule you've selected: every 1.5 or 3 minutes. We know location updates are sometimes delayed, which suggests that voice messages may also be delayed. We've read reviews that confirm this, but we didn't experience messaging delays first-hand.

To send a message, kids press and hold the button hidden in the middle of the BoT Talk speaker. Their 30-second message will be recorded while they hold the button, and it will be sent when the button is released. Parents and approved contacts can send messages through the BoT Talk app. A circle of white lights appears on the device when a message is delivered. Kids press the button once to listen. 

The audio sounds clear for messages both sent and received. 

The BoT Talk is a simple device without too many settings, which helps keep the app simple as well. But even though there aren't many pages to rifle through, the layout isn't necessarily intuitive.

For example, there's a tab marked "Notifications." Our testers thought this was just a historical list of push notifications and didn't think to look there to set up geofencing boundaries. 

We appreciate the ability to add multiple contacts to the app and to control their notifications. You can allow contacts to receive geofencing alerts and/or voice messages, but only the admin account can receive low battery alerts. All guardians can view the device's location.

• Test geofencing: Are parents alerted in a timely manner? Do false alerts come through?
• Test location accuracy: How precise is the location marker when the device is in an open field, outside with obstacles (in a car parked under a tree), and in a residence? 
• Other features: Does anything else stand out about the device or app?

Learn more about how we rank and review on the SafeWise methodology page.

We love the idea of the BoT Talk — a screenless GPS tracker with two-way talk — but can't recommend it for most families based on our first-hand testing experiences. We believe most parents want GPS trackers they can count on to be accurate and reliable in an emergency, and the BoT Talk's delayed notifications cast doubt on its ability to provide that level of assurance.

For general day-to-day tracking and communication, the BoT Talk may be sufficient. But if you're willing to invest in this kind of technology for your child, we recommend looking into kids smartwatches. We've tested many models to find that ones that offer nearly perfect location tracking.