Smartwatches have emerged as a successor to smartphones. With that said people may be overwhelmed with so many smartwatch choices in the market, with Apple watches being the top trending ones that attract adults and children alike. As Apple products are becoming popular these days, more and more kids are showing their desire to own one. But, should parents buy an Apple watch for their kids? Is the Apple Watch worth it?
You will be surprised to hear the answer “It depends.” This purchase can not be made casually, especially if you have a lower budget. Before you get an Apple watch for your little ones, read on to find out for yourself.
What is the point of having an Apple Watch for kids?
Many parents usually juggle with a question in their mind – Is the Apple Watch worth it? Besides the basic features, Apple watches present a host of benefits and are incredibly useful for parents to keep track of their kids.
Here we list a few benefits that may appeal to you to get one for your kids, if despite its high price:
- Apple watches have fitness and health tracking features, like monitoring the sleep cycle and heart rate of your kids. It also keeps a count of the calories burned, steps taken, and active minutes for your kids to inculcate healthy habits in them.
- Apple Watch is another great piece of equipment to help parents stay connected with their kids, with a calling and texting facility. This is extremely helpful like a phone when the parents have to spend more time outside the home.
- The built-in GPS tracking feature is an important aspect of the Apple watch that allows parents to keep track of their child’s location. It updates kids’ accurate location after parents adjust the Family Setup, which helps ensure the safety of kids.
- Also, in case of an emergency, the fall detection and SOS feature can quickly call for help, and alert parents so that the child can get help if he or she is in any danger.
Can an Apple Watch work without an iPhone?
Using an Apple watch without setting it up with an iPhone is not possible. The Apple watch needs to be paired up with an iPhone initially to get started with using its features.
Apple watches, when connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data, can be used for making calls, sending texts, and sharing location, but only if the other has an iPhone. And a few other functionalities, like checking the weather, and listening to podcasts, work well even when you do not have the iPhone connected to the Apple watch near you.
Family setup is a feature that allows your little ones to use their Apple watch in moderation. This feature is extremely useful when you have kids, and you want to allow them to send texts, call, or share their location via their Apple watch without handing over an iPhone to them.
Furthermore, after setting up the Family Setup, the parents whose iPhone connects to the Apple Watch can control some of the functionalities of their kid’s watch.
What are the disadvantages of an Apple Watch?
There are a variety of advantages to buying an Apple Watch, and you might have an answer to “Is the Apple Watch worth it” for all the right reasons. Its portability and advanced technologies attract countless people. However, pros and cons always go hand in hand, and the Apple Watch is no exception. You must consider the cons of this watch before buying one either for yourself or your child.
- Cost: Apple Watches are expensive and you need to invest a considerable amount of money while buying one.
- Battery durability: The Apple watch may require you to charge it within every day or two after continuous outdoor usage.
- Compatibility: Apple Watches are only compatible with iPhones. Although it can be used without an iPhone with the Family setup feature, only limited features will be available then.
- May cause distraction: Apple Watch has so many functionalities that it can cause distractions, especially for those innocent and curious kids. Consider again if you want them to stay more focused on their studies and other activities.
- May lower productivity: Regular notifications received on Apple Watches can be overwhelming and can be disturbing. It can add to the mental load and also lower productivity.
- It has a small screen and may not be comfortable for people who are habitual of using large smartphone screens.
Does Apple Watch work with Android?
No, pairing an Apple Watch with an Android phone is not possible. An Apple watch will only function with an iPhone, which can be installed with the watch app to activate the Apple watch. However, you can use both devices independently.
Once you have completed the initial setup of a cellular Apple Watch using an iPhone, you can subsequently use the Apple Watch and your Android phone separately. But in this case, you may miss out on some of the features of the Apple Watch, such as making calls and sending messages directly through your watch, and some apps might be completely restricted from being used from your Apple watch.
Which is better, Garmin or Apple Watch?
Smartwatches are blooming now. Most people often end up wrestling in choosing between an Apple and a Garmin watch. To help you make a wise decision, we list down the differences between the two.
Battery life
Talking about battery life, the Apple Series 8 and Apple Watch SE can last up to a day and a half, even when used for outdoor sessions and exercise tracking. The Apple Watch Ultra is normally capable of serving you for a couple of days and even a few more days in low-power mode.
On the contrary, Garmin watches can last up to a maximum of 5 days. Moreover, certain Garmin models are designed to serve marathon runners with a longer battery life, such as the Garmin Enduro 2, which can work without being charged for about 46 days.
Design and material
Apple watches are more iconic and recognizable compared to Garmin watches. More than just serving as a fitness tracking watch, Apple watches are more of a luxury product that uses steel and aluminum casing, abandoning plastic as a whole or with very minimal usage.
But, in the case of Garmin watches, you can always find plastic and resins being used in every. All these because Garmin is a fitness watch. For instance, the Forerunner series is designed specifically for runners.
Features
As a general-purpose smartwatch, Apple watches are also more powerful compared to Garmin watches and allow downloading of more complicated apps.
Price
Price-wise, both Garmin and Apple offer options with varying price levels. Roughly speaking their prices fluctuate between $200-$800.
To sum up, while both watches have their distinct features and functionality to lure watch lovers, the Apple Watch takes away the biscuit because it has the upper hand so far. No doubt that Garmin has advantages for runners. But if you’re not looking for a sports watch, you won’t consider a Garmin.
Alternative way to safeguard kids on both Android & iPhone
FlashGet Kids is a cost-effective and better alternative to spending nearly $200 on an additional Apple Watch for your child. FlashGet Kids is a mobile app for both iPhone and Android phones. Paying a monthly fee of about $8.99, parents can effortlessly monitor their kids’ online and offline activities remotely. This parental control app aims to protect kids from potential dangers when the parents are not there with them.
There are numerous advantages to using this parental control app. Here are a few of them:
- Live monitoring enables parents to monitor all the activities on their kids’ phones, from their chats, images, calls, downloads, etc.
- Once set up, the remote camera allows you to witness everything around kids as if you were there in person.
- Screen mirroring can help capture every moment on a kid’s phone that you may have missed out on daily.
- The notification tracker helps you to get every notification on your kid’s phone.
- The live location tracking shows your child’s movements and also stores their location history.
- It also allows you to restrict kids’ screen time remotely. Work as an app blocker, you can block certain toxic apps or games on you kid’s phone with FlashGet Kids.
Final thoughts: Is it worth buying an Apple Watch for kids?
Whether the Apple Watch is worth it can be decided after weighing multiple factors. As we shared above, an Apple Watch provides a plethora of benefits for children without giving them a featured phone. However, it is imperative to note that the Apple Watch also requires considerable financial investment, and thus, you need to give it a second thought before buying one! For a limited budget, we highly recommend the affordable and reliable FlashGet Kids app for monitoring and tracking needs.
FAQs
Can Apple Watch be used as a GPS tracker?
Yes, Apple watches can be used as a GPS tracker using the built-in GPS functionality of the watch. Additionally, parents can download other third-party apps to take advantage of additional tracking features.
Can you FaceTime on an Apple Watch?
No, FaceTime cannot be used on Apple Watches because the watch does not have a camera. You can make normal calls through the watch but not video calls.
Is there a monthly fee to have an App Watch?
No, there isn’t any monthly fee for using the Apple watch as long as you have your paired iPhone. However, you have to pay for cellular service if you want to use your watch as a phone, independently of an iPhone.
