Lock Mode for Gabb Phone

RJ619 · 2024-06-20T21:17:22+00:00

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We have a Gabb watch for our daughter and the lock mode schedule has been very helpful. We just got a Gabb Phone 3 Pro for our son and it looks like scheduling lock mode is not an option. This is a bit disappointing as I assumed is was a primary feature of Gabb products to be able to control when kids use them. Our son has already been sending messages and making calls in the middle of the night and I'd like to make it so he can only use messaging and calling during set hours. Please add this feature for the phones! Thanks!

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Comments

Reagan - Gabb

Thank you for this feedback, @RJ619!

Love to hear that your Gabb Watch 3 and Gabb Phone 3 Pro are a good fit for you and your family. This feedback is great as our team is always looking to improve our products for our customers.

Thank you!

-Reagan

Sunshine

Is there any update about adding the ability to schedule lock mode to phones? As a previous gabb watch family, we were shocked to find that this foundational protection was not on the phones.

Reagan - Gabb

Hi @Sunshine!

The team does not have an update on this potential feature at this time. Thank you for your interest and desire to help us continue creating safe tech for kids. Our team takes customer feedback very seriously and do our best to bring it to life to the best of our ability. If this feature is added to our Gabb Phones, I'll ensure an update is posted in this thread.

-Reagan

Ktutt

I would really love to see this lock feature added. We would love to be able to set times when our daughter is unable to text or use her phone. An added benefit would be to allow certain contacts in case of emergency etc during those lock hours. Please add this feature asap! We need help locking the use of the Gabb phone and help forming good cell phone use habits. Thank you!

Andrea

I agree and would also like to have Lock Mode as a feature for the Gabb Phone.

momof3

Any updates on adding a lock mode to the gabb phone? This has been disappointing as that feature on the watch was fantastic. Please consider adding asap before school starts.

tricia

App and screen time limit. Is there a way to lock apps or set screen limits during certain hours? I would like my child to be able to take the phone to school but not be able to text and what not during school hours.

WorkinMama

I share this strong desire for the programmable lock feature. I am actually pretty frustrated to learn that the phone has fewer options than the cheaper watch. I saw it had "lock" feature and purchased and now am learning I cannot schedule times for locking our son's phone. I strongly encourage your team to enable this critical feature on the phones asap—it is among the most important reasons we chose Gabb! Thank you!

marcroftfam

We got phones this week and I'm also furious that this is NOT an option. We picked Gabb phones since I would assume parental control would allow me that and android and apple have that built in but to make the android parent controls work you have to log into their google account so it's a no-go. I feel kind of duped. How is parental screen time control not a thing this many years down the road? I am glad it limits apps but how is there no downtime or time limit control? I am even more frustrated knowing that they have that option on the watch and NOT on the phones. :(

CAH

I came to see if this feature was around and I'm really upset that it's not. Coming from the gabb watch and using other devices, it seems Gabb is one of the only ones that can't do this and it's making me want to switch honestly. I truly hope this gets added soon.

Kpglenn

I would like to also make an urgent request for scheduled downtown and app limits on these phones. I just purchased two for my kids and signed a two year contract. I am glad they limit apps, social media, and internet browsing, but there still needs to be a time where they shut down. Please address ASAP, especially for the premium price we pay to have limited use kid friendly phone.

Tina

I assumed the Gabb phone had time limits, also. Are you Gabb folks planning to add a lock app to the Gabb phone, and if not, why not? Yes, we are paying a premium price to control phone content and screen time so please explain why parents don't have the option to limit screen time on Gabb phones. Thank you.

aporter222

I too would love this. I know I have the option to suspend service completely whenever I want to, but I don’t necessarily want to suspend service completely every time. It would be so helpful to be able to lock all features except calling/texting me and other approved contacts.

Tleal

please add this as now I have to take the phone every night and then when he leaves early in the morning, I have to wake up to give it to him

Ebmomma

This !

Baggins

Yes - I assumed this was a feature as well and spent a long time trying to figure this out, only to realize it isn't actually a feature on the Gabb Phone 4. PLEASE ADD THIS!

Rawlm05

Please add this feature!!!!!! It’s vitally important. I’m considering switching to another service if I can’t control my sons phone better.

Higabbfam

how is there no quiet time feature for the Gabb 3 pro?!?!?! This is ridiculous.

Please add this feature (the watch has it!!) asap.

Tawnya

Just chiming in with a request to add this feature for the phones. The watch focus feature has been great and has saved the day when Grandma forgets kids are in school and calls them. :) If their watches would have rung, they would have been penalized by school administration. Thanks!

Aubrey

My younger kids have always had Gabb watches. I was able to set “focus mode” during school hours, so they were not able to play with their watches during school, and also set a “bedtime” where the watch wouldn’t work after a certain time at night. I can’t seem to find a way to do that with my son’s new Gabb 4 phone. Does it have this capability?

Bben03

I honestly cannot believe that this isn’t a feature. Especially moving from a Gabb Watch to a phone. This is fundamental to parental controls. If there are so many customers wondering the same thing, it must show that the desire is there and that Gabb DID NOT communicate properly that this wasn’t a function on their phone devices. You can lock down apps and times on regular Samsungs and iPhones. Why not this one?

Eme

We have had the Gabby watch for about a year. Very happy with its functions for the very simple keeping in touch. My older son is 14 and we finally agreed to get him a Gabb phone.

I just received the Gabby phone 4 today. I am kind of shocked to learn that there are 0 screen time limits on this device. I assumed that the phone would have the same screen time limits as the watch.

This is making me want to send the phone back. Is is really not what we wanted to deal with for our son - to have to physically take away the device each night. It's just not acceptable for a service that aims to give control to the parents. I agree with each one of the above comments and am extremely disappointed. I'm glad I didn't sign a contract and will likely send this phone back if there isn't a solution. Big bummer.

Mrsosu21

we have been a gabb family for years now with multiple watches and phones for our two boys. I’ve also recruited others to purchase these phones. We are entering a teen phase where my kid is trying to call people VERY late at night and I’ve been searching everywhere to find a way to set up a Quiet Time or lock mode for his phone and just now realized- I’m not crazy- IT DOESNT EXIST?! An iphone has this feature and that is what we were trying to avoid. With all of this feedback - how has this request not become a priority? We have been contemplating purchasing another gabb phone for our kid and now I’m wondering if it’s the best option.

Gabb Product

Hello all!

We see your feedback and comments about this highly desired feature for your Gabb Phones and want to turn the feedback into a reality! We need your help to make this happen. We would love to hear your ideas on what specific features you are looking for in a Lock Mode. For example, are you looking for:

Lock Mode on specific apps?
Lock Mode to all apps at once?
Lock Mode to certain feature on the phone at scheduled times of the day?

We know there are many more potential features and would love to hear from you! Please comment below your ideas and requests so we can work to make this idea into reality.

Thank you for being the heart of Gabb!

-Gabb Product Team

JohnB

this feature -as mentioned- is critical to add - none safe devices have the option to downtime a device and missing that is a critical flaw - that said

for my needs a downtime that locks all features of the phone (calls, text, apps, etc) during specified times (more than one down time) so that we can set no phone during core school hours (but allow it on the bus) and then another time at night

with maybe the only exception being a dial out to 911

Kathy

I came on here for the same reason. My 14 year old is sneaking his phone in his room at night and staying up way too late with it.
We want a curfew/lockdown mode (whatever you want to call it).
The necessary feature would be: the phone locks at a time set by the parents at night and he can’t access it until the morning, again, at a time specified by his parents. In other words, parents should be able to set lockdown times such as 9pm to 8am (for example). During this time, the child would not be able to use his/her phone. This is an absolute must and it really is terrible that customers had to beg for it. It should have already been in place. Please make this a reality quickly. My older son just moved into a Motorola phone and, honestly, it has better parental controls right now than gabb does. If this doesn’t change soon I will switch my other son too. Just being honest.

Jrae86

app limits on apps- amount of time used per day for each individual app & total use of phone for entire day

time of day/focus mode- be able to disable use of app for school hours and bedtime - with the ability to have emergency use .. ie.. specific phone numbers approved by parents for emergency calls

please make this doable for current phones - want to purchase a gabb pro 4 and but will not until you make these updates.

Mrenae

Gabb, please add a feature to limit hours on the phone! I would like to phone locked off for night hours. Thank you!

Deeb1727

Jmdx2

Having down time on the phone is a fundamental feature for a children's phone. I am not in a contract and feel like this is a huge oversite and will be looking for alternatives unless this is rectified very quickly. Even Apple and Family link have downtime as an option.

Mom123

I assumed we would be able to set app time limits and a lock mode on the phones like you can on the watches - have two phones ordered for Christmas, upgrading from watches. Shocked that’s not a feature - it’s one of the best things the watches can do.

Most important for me would to be able to set lock mode on the phone like the watch - with parent/guardian being the contacts allowed in this mode. Also time limits on individual apps - I am frankly hesitant to add any apps without being able to set time limits. Having the phone have a bedtime is going to be really important to me, but based on experience with the watches it is really important for the kids to be able to text or call me, in case of emergency or just “hey mom, no school today can you take my watch off lock mode?”

James

It seems the requests to set time limits and lock mode/quiet time feature for the 3Pro and 4Pro have been asked to be updated for over a year. Not having an estimated time of activation/update is unacceptable at this point. Please program this feature not asap which has already been asked, but STAT/immediately. Thank you

User2786

Another parent to add to the numerous voices to PLEASE add quiet times to the Gabb Phone. I need it to be able to shut down at night where my child can’t call or text. She had a watch before this and I am disappointed as I feel the phone was a downgrade.

Rebecca

Adding to the list of concerned parents. PLEASE add no call/no text times to the Gabb Phone. Do the responsible organizational thing and add this functionality to your product.

Recent studies and analysis of brain development in children have found that children spending the most time on digital technology have higher levels of depression, anxiety, social anxiety, aggression, defiance, and bullying — even up to two years after the dependence. The brain is physically changed as a result of excessive screen time. (Excessive Screen Time & Mental Health Issues | Nexus Health Systems)

Other resources:

Associations between screen time and lower psychological well-being among children and adolescents: Evidence from a population-based study - PMC

Study Probes Connection Between Excessive Screen Media Activity and Mental Health Problems in Youth < Yale School of Medicine

The associations between screen time and mental health in adolescents: a systematic review | BMC Psychology | Full Text

Effects of Excessive Screen Time on Child Development: An Updated Review and Strategies for Management - PMC

Allie

I completely agree with this thread! My son falls asleep listening to audio books every night and I should be able to set a timer for when his phone should turn off. Come on, it's on the watch, why would it not be on the more expensive phone?! And school Lock times, and all apps Lock times, and some app Lock times, ....

Adam3390

Ill be yet another person asking for a lock feature. I assumed since it was a watch feature it was also a phone feature. I mean, on regular phones there's a family link app you can get to do this, but Gabb doesn't allow that? I want to be able to set phone curfews, with the exception of emergency calls. It should have programmable on/off times. I bought the non-pro phone as my daughter's first phone to limit her, but yet she will still be able to text her friends during school hours? Or after bed time? It only makes sense to have this feature.

91BlueDad

AS many have already commented, there are materials posted on Gabb Web pages that state that they have these controls - “focus mode” but in the small print should state for our watch only. I feel burned after canceling our Bark Phone & switching to Gabb. I clicked the vote button for this feature at the top of this thread. I see 17 votes. But I see this post started in June & I would expect an update about when we can expect these controls.

boucherfam

As others have commented. I came on here to please BEG that you add this feature that should be fundamental for a Childs phone.

Parental controls that allow for screen time limits and app limits. This is crucial and should have been there from the start. If there is not a plan to add this feature ASAP I fear you may be losing a lot of customers.

joegsmith50

another parent requesting this feature. Specifically I would love to see app specific lock times and an entire phone lock time. I’d like to let my daughter listen to audio books or music for example during no-text times.

NMoon

I wish I would have found this thread before I bought my son a phone to replace his broken watch last week. I assumed the phone would have the same features as the watch, and more. How is the phone worse? This is so frustrating!

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