Pinwheel Watch Review

Pinwheel, the brand behind some of our favorite kids phones, launched its first kids smartwatch in the summer of 2025. We immediately sent the Pinwheel Watch to a family for hands-on testing, and it was a big hit.

Parents love the watch's flexible parental controls, quick setup, and all-day battery, while kids love interacting with PinwheelGPT, an AI chatbot that only gives kid-friendly replies. 

In this review, we'll take a closer look at what our testers like and dislike about the Pinwheel watch, compare it to other kids smartwatches, and explain how much it costs. 

The Pinwheel Watch offers the same core safety and communication features as other kids smartwatches, plus some fun extras like games and an AI chat program. Parents appreciate the ability to read all conversations and disable certain features as needed.

Here's a closer look at what the Pinwheel Watch can do.

Communication features:

• Phone calls
• Voicemails
• Voice to text
• Text messages plus the ability to send photos and emojis
• Full-text keyboard 

Emergency features: 

• SOS button
• Option to add 911 as a contact

Location-tracking features:

• Live location tracking with 30-second updates
• Geofencing/safe zone alerts
• Location history

Fun and practical features:

• 2MP selfie camera
• 5MP rear-facing camera
• Step counter
• Alarm and timer
• Calendar
• Calculator
• Routines (to-do lists)
• Voice recorder
• Arcade games (Helicopter game, gem collecting game, Tetris-style game)
• PinwheelGPT (kid-friendly AI chat)

Parental control features:

• No incoming or outgoing communication with unknown numbers
• Guardians can read all texts
• Contacts can only send and receive photos or participate in group chat with permission
• Cameras, games, and PinwheelGPT can be disabled
• School mode schedules
• Remote shutdown

Video calling is the main thing missing from the Pinwheel Watch, but it's in the works and should be released before 2026.

Emergency features could also be stronger in the Pinwheel Watch, as there's no continuous SOS calling or audio drop-in/automatic pick-up.

Here's a closer look at what's missing from the Pinwheel Watch, plus recommended alternatives for each feature.

Yes, setting up the Pinwheel Watch is very easy. The cellular plan works right out of the box, so all you have to do is turn the watch on, charge it if necessary, and connect it to Wi-Fi. Our parent testers said it was much easier to set up the Pinwheel Watch than the Bark Watch.

"My son started using the camera and AI assistant before I even connected it to Wi-Fi!" one tester said.

Parents can adjust settings through their online Pinwheel account, which is accessible through any web browser or through the Pinwheel app. Our testers say it's easy to navigate the parent portal to add contacts and see the watch's GPS location. Other settings, like the scheduler, are a little harder to find. 

The watch itself is easy for kids to use. The touch screen is responsive and sensitive, and the navigation dial on the side of the watch offers a unique alternative to swiping.

Most Pinwheel Watch features worked as expected, but our testers initially had trouble with some GPS tracking glitches. They reached out to Pinwheel customer service for help.

"They were very responsive and helpful. I got a response the same day from an actual person!"

After talking with customer service about the GPS issue, our tester noticed an update on the parent portal when she logged in the next day. "It was an alert saying battery optimization could interfere with location tracking functionality, and it had instructions on how to adjust settings to fix the issue."

Parent testers also said the location history map was a little difficult to interact with. 

Otherwise, everything on the Pinwheel Watch worked smoothly. 

Here are some other features our parent testers liked:

• Two guardians accounts can control the watch's settings
• Battery lasts a full day
• Charging cord has strong magnetic pins that prevent disconnection
• Focus mode prevented distractions during school
• Standard audio and camera quality
• Parents/guardians don't have to download an app to control the watch's settings
• Comfortable for all-day wear
• Interactive AI with kid-friendly responses

The Pinwheel Watch is the only kids smartwatch with a kid-friendly ChatGPT equivalent. Called PinwheelGPT, the chat program gives kid-friendly answers to questions or prompts.

Pinwheel gives the following examples:

• Ask a question
• Solve a problem
• How stuff works
• Tell me a story
• Brainstorm
• Test prep

We think PinwheelGPT is a clever and safe alternative to an internet browser because kids can use it to learn about the world without accessing risky sites, receiving explicit answers, or viewing mature photos.

PinwheelGPT does a good job redirecting kids to their parents if they ask sensitive questions. For example, we asked, "Where do babies come from?" and PinwheelGPT replied, "That's a great question! The best way to understand where babies come from is to talk to a parent or another trusted adult. They can explain it in a way that's appropriate for you." 

In response to more explicit questions, PinwheelGPT said, "I'm sorry, but that's not an appropriate question for me to answer. It's best to talk to a parent or another trusted adult about it."  

Here are some other things we noticed during testing:

• Higher reading level: PinwheelGPT's responses sometimes use high school vocabulary and complex sentence structures. Kids with at least a sixth grade reading level will get the most use out of PinwheelGPT. 
• Audio responses available: As long as the Pinwheel Watch isn't on mute, kids will be able to hear PinwheelGPT's responses out loud. This is a great option for younger kids who don't read well, but there doesn't seem to be a way to repeat the audio playback.
• May give too much homework help: PinwheelGPT is more than happy to draft sentences using particular vocab words and to write entire stories. Make sure your child understands how to use PinwheelGPT responsibly and ethically.  
• Parents can read full chats: Parents have full access to their child's PinwheelGPT chat history, but they don't get notifications about concerning questions. You'll need to review the chat log on a regular basis. 

All in all, we're impressed with PinwheelGPT's ability to keep things kid-friendly, lighthearted, and supportive. As with any AI chat program, it's possible for PinwheelGPT to give false or inaccurate information, so keep having conversations with your child about the pros and cons of AI. 

PinwheelGPT can be disabled on your child's Pinwheel Watch via the parent portal.

The Pinwheel Watch costs $159 upfront plus a monthly service fee, which varies based on the billing schedule: 

• Monthly: $14.99 per month
• Quarterly: $42.99 every three months (4% savings)
• Yearly: $164.99 per year (8% savings)

If you buy more than one Pinwheel Watch, you get a 15% multiline discount on the service price.

Shipping costs:

• Standard shipping (about six business days): Free
• Expedited shipping (five business days): $20
• Express shipping (two business days): $40

Optional device insurance:

• 1-year plan: $29.99
• 2-year plan: $44.99 (25% savings)

Accessories:

• Extra watch band (10+ colors): $16.99
• Extra charger: $5.00
• Pinwheel Pods (wireless earbuds): $39.99

After real-life testing, we believe the Pinwheel Watch is a safe and reliable kids smartwatch. It seems to have been thoughtfully designed to meet the needs of both parents and kids.

The Pinwheel Watch is a great choice for:

• Kids who are very curious but are still too young to get online.
• Parents who want to share admin responsibilities with each other.
• Parents who want to be able to read and monitor all messages and disable features that prove too distracting.

The Pinwheel Watch is our top pick for older kids, but younger kids can benefit from its core features too. Plus, it has potential to grow with your child because you can allow access to more features over time.