A generation of children is about to discover the thrill of calling a friend again. Pinwheel’s latest product will enable kids to have an actual conversation without sending 14 voice notes first. The company has launched Pinwheel Home, a retro-inspired household phone created for children aged 5 to 10 who may need a way to contact friends and family before receiving their first smartphone. It makes voice calls and nothing else, keeping social media, games, texting, and endless feeds out of the equation.
The landline is back, minus the phone jack
Pinwheel Home may look like a device pulled from a 1990s bedroom. Though it connects over Wi-Fi instead of a traditional telephone line, it makes it fit better in a modern home. This also makes it flexible, as you can place it almost anywhere with a power outlet and wireless connection, without calling a cable company or drilling into a wall.
The smaller Pinwheel Home Spark starts at $68 and comes in white, black, blue, or purple. Meanwhile, the chunkier Home Classic costs $79, arrives in pink, black, or white, and includes a larger retro handset alongside stickers for customization. Both models are available directly from Pinwheel, with an Amazon release planned for this fall.
Parents manage the phones through Pinwheel’s existing Caregiver Portal. They can approve every contact, set calling hours and time limits, review call history, and much more. Speed dial and voicemail are also included.
Calling another Pinwheel Home is free
One of the coolest new gimmicks, aside from the design, is the Pinwheel calling ecosystem. Children can call other Pinwheel Home devices for free through the company’s Circle service, which uses a shorter Pinwheel Code rather than a conventional phone number. Emergency calling is included on both free and paid plans.
Calling ordinary mobile phones and landlines requires a subscription. The $6.99 monthly Friends & Family plan provides a full 10-digit number and allows calls to five approved external contacts. A $9.99 Unlimited plan removes that five-number limit.
Pinwheel plans to add three-way calls and closer integration with its children’s watches and smartphones through future updates. That could eventually allow a child to keep the same approved contacts and number when switching between a home phone and a portable device.