Gabb Wireless is on a mission to keep kids and families connected and protected. The company believes there is a growing problem with kids having too much tech too soon, unlimited access to the internet with harmful content, and unhealthy interactions.

Gabb Wireless is equipping families with products that keep kids safe while still connecting them to friends and family, allowing them to experience the world in a positive way.

Gabb Devices have an innovative spam filter for texting, no internet browser, no social media apps, and no third-party app store. Gabb plans include coverage on a nationwide 4G LTE network with unlimited talk and text on a flexible monthly plan to fit the needs of each child. Gabb Devices help kids focus on connecting in ways that help build relationships and allow them to spend more time developing skills and hobbies.

Simply put, Gabb’s mission is three-fold:

Protect children
Connect families
Encourage life outside the screen

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The Good

National Coverage Minus Alaska
Safety Features to Protect Kids
Affordable Phone and Plan
Customer Reviews

National Coverage Minus Alaska

Kids, like everyone, need a phone with reliable service. Gabb phones are built on the back of the nation’s most reliable network and offer great cell phone service coverage. Coverage is offered throughout the United States.

Hawaii is included in Gabb Wireless’ cell service coverage; however, the company does not currently offer any coverage in Alaska.

Safety Features to Protect Kids

The cell phone market for kids is growing, and there are many options for parents and guardians to choose from. Gabb Wireless’ phones offer several safety features to keep kids safe, including the following:
– No internet, no social media
– Active GPS tracking
– Unlimited talk + text
– Gabb Music kid-safe streaming
– Gabb Guard spam blocker
– Parent-managed safe third-party apps on the Gabb Phone

Plus, there is an ever-growing list of safe (parent-approved) third-party apps on the Gabb Phone Plus.

Affordable Products and Plans

Gabb Wireless sells two types of phones as well as a watch (a phone kids wear).

Gabb Watch 2
This is a great option for younger kids or those who prefer a stand-alone watch device. The Gabb Watch 2 triples as a cell phone, GPS device, and interactive watch. It comes in two colors: Silver and Space Gray. It has an affordable upfront cost as well as a competitive monthly fee. You can see the company's website for a cost breakdown.

The Gabb Watch 2 also comes with the following features:

Reliable GPS and tracking functionality with customizable safe zones that notify you when your child leaves and enters specified locations
Unlimited talk and voice/preset text on the nation’s most reliable network
15 customizable text message presets, voice messaging, and emojis
Up to 25 parent-managed contacts (no outside calls or texts)
SOS/emergency button for primary contact
Parent-controlled lock mode to limit distractions during school hours
Flashlight app easily accessible from the drop-down menu
Resistant against sweat, water, dirt, and sand
Gabb Go (a fun task manager and step counter)

Gabb Phone
A device that looks like a regular smartphone, the Gabb Phone allows unlimited talk and text with the option for MMS (the ability to send/receive picture messages and group text). This device has no access to the internet or any third-party app stores. It can be tracked via GPS and is a great option for a first phone. The Gabb Phone has a competitive upfront price and monthly cost. You can see the company's website for the cost breakdown.

Gabb Phone Plus
In addition to all the features of the Gabb Phone, the Gabb Phone Plus is a premium Samsung quality device and comes pre-installed with safe apps as well as optional parent-managed safe third-party apps.

Customer Reviews

Reviews left on BestCompany.com consist of parents thanking Gabb Wireless for creating a mobile device that allows them to easily communicate with their children but doesn't include all the headaches or safety concerns that come with modern smartphones.

In fact, most Gabb customers were extremely satisfied with the included apps and features installed on the phone, stating that it was just enough to entertain their child but not cause them to ignore the world around them. Other customers were happy with the phone and its long battery life (due to the fact that kids can't drain the battery on internet browsing or social media).

A number of reviews also mentioned the company's customer service. In particular, many customers felt that Gabb Wireless responded to their questions in a timely manner and often went above and beyond to help.

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The Bad

Cheaper Options Available
GPS Capability Limitations

Cheaper Options Available

If you are looking for an even more basic and affordable phone that lets you keep in touch with your child and track their location using GPS, there are lower-priced options with great reviews. While the company's pricing is competitive for what you get, parents can find options for half that cost with lower tech features. Think walkie-talkies on steroids with a large range.

GPS Capability Limitations

Other companies' phones allow GPS to navigate using a maps app, which may be an added feature on the Gabb Phone Plus in the near future.

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The Bottom Line

Gabb Wireless gives parents and children the option of affordable and safe tech. It is designed to teach kids healthy screen habits and give them independence while allowing parents peace of mind.

Cell phones can have a lot of benefits for children and families, but they can also come with issues. Many parents want their child to have independence and would like to be able to communicate with them while they are away from home but they may not like the idea of giving their child full internet, app store, and social media access. Gabb Wireless helps alleviate these worries with its devices. It also offers kids a limited selection of apps to allow them to learn healthy screen habits while having fun and growing.

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User Reviews

Star Rating

2.7

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392 Reviews

Review Breakdown

5 grade

58%

4 grade

3 grade

2 grade

1 grade

27%

Sentiment Criteria

Value

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Quality

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John Nicoletti

I am a disgruntled Gabb parent because the Gabb product is so utterly terrible. The software and programming used will frustrate you to no end. You will want to pull your hair out. Their customer service is so bad. Buyer beware. I cancelled my service within two months. I waited too long.

7 months ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi John! We are so sorry to hear about your experience with the device and service. We truly would love to look deeper into your experience and get further feedback from you. We were unable to find an account under the name listed. If you would reach out to us by messaging our social media, we would be happy to talk with you.

Aug. 23rd, 2024

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Christopher Leigh West Richland, WA

We've been with Gabby for 2 years, the product has worked fine. The phone is large for how little it can do. In general the product would be fine for most. Their service/support is non-existent. If you try to call you get the message they are too busy, can't take any more calls so go read their website to answer any questions. And the phone hangs up. Unfortunately, you don't get an option to stay on hold waiting for anyone to help you. There is a "live chat " option that I've waited hours for and no luck and if they do message you back and you don't respond immediately they end your chat. We have sent emails requesting calls or communication with no luck. And they keep charging our account. I don't recommend starting with this company. There are plenty of other options open to parents now days

1 year ago

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Trischa Wass Hanover, NH

The idea behind this phone service is terrific. This company works well if you can set up your kids phone and then NEVER have an issue but that's not realistic. This company has grown too quickly to keep up and now they don't have any way for a parent call and speak to a customer service representative. They are great at getting new customers but treat their current customers like crap! They lock you in to their service and then say their too busy with high volumes of new customers to take phone calls at this time. What??!!! What Kind of phone service is this?! I have a billing issue that I have now emailed and reached out by phone and tech support with no help at all. Think twice if this kind of service is worth it. Now, I would just get a regular phone for my daughter's and use the parental controls!

1 year ago

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Mike Kemp Sanford, FL

Android parents beware! It is important to understand that there is a separate app (Gabb Messenger) used for the crucial parental controls (view/approve contacts and view text message content). This app is currently NOT AVAILABLE for Android users. The My Gabb app has very limited features. You can see your child's location and setup a Safe Zone (received notification if your child's phone moves outside a pre-defined area). The online website dashboard allows you to see your child's call and message log, but it does NOT display the actual message content. I contacted Gabb about the glaring issue, and they advised that an Android version of the Gabb Messenger is in the works, but no delivery date is available. They also refused any sort of bill credit or consideration and stated that the app has "nothing to do with monthly billing". This sounds absurd to me, but evidently their logic is that they offer the app for free? (But isn't the app worthless unless you have a Gabb device and plan?) Nevertheless, they further pointed out that the website notes that the Gabb Messenger app is only available for iOS (iPhones). This is true, but I would argue that 1) they eagerly promote these features as foundational to their product and 2) it is not clear that the Gabb Messenger app is necessary in order to have these important features. If were were iPhone users, we may be OK. But since we are not, we greatly regret having purchased Gabb. We would have opted for Bark. And the Gabb customer service chat was pathetic. The agent flatly refused to escalate my concern.

1 year ago

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Courtney Fronce Midlothian, VA

I bought my son a Gabb watch to be able to get in contact with him and to be able to locate him (and thus build trust). The location setting was not working. I spent a panicked hour trying to find my child, following his continually moving location on my phone. I finally went to where he was supposed to be only to find him there with his watch in his bag, not moving, not 1/4 - 1/2 mile down the road or in the woods or in some strangers house (all of which showed up as his location during the hour of trying to find him). This is wholly unacceptable. This watch is supposed to help us feel safe and not put me in a panic thinking my child has been abducted or is being rotten. And the only way to MAYBE fix the problem is to unpair and repair...wiping all the history, contacts, lock modes, etc. that we set up (which we have already had to do twice before in the 15 months we've had the watch for other reasons). I am really really unhappy, and I unhappy with the way finding a potential resolution (because who knows if this will actually work...do I trust the location ever again?) was presented. Terrible "customer service." Major problem if the location settings can't be trusted.

1 year ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi Courtney! We are sincerely sorry for this issue that you are having with your device's GPS feature, this does sound extremely frustrating! We do have a few other troubleshooting steps that we could give a try before unpairing and repairing the device, we would like to help get this issue solved right away and make sure your device is working correctly. We apologize for any frustration with our customer support, this does not sound normal. We would like to make this right with you! We have reached out!

May. 26th, 2023

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Rebekah Barrios Manhattan Beach, CA

If your child deletes text message you can’t see it as a parent. So you have no idea what they are texting to each other. Also, you can’t turn off text messaging altogether. Well they say you can but it might pop back on they can’t guarantee that if you choose it to be off that it won’t pop back on and you will have no idea when, knowing this I wanted out of the phone but they are forcing me to complete my year with them even though we are no longer using the phone at all. Bull, now when I want to cancel they will make me pay early cancellation contract fee. Absurd. Do not go to this company they have reps that do not help or no what they are talking about.

2 years ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi Rebekah! We hear you, this does sound extremely frustrating and we do sincerely apologize for any frustration that this has caused! We do appreciate the feedback about the text messaging, and we will make sure to send it over to our team! We are sorry to hear that you have had this experience with our customer support, this does not sound normal. We would like to get a better understanding of what has gone on and try to help make this situation better for you! We have reached out!

Feb. 14th, 2023

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Mark Henderson Smyrna, GA

We have been a customer over two years. The first phone was more a standby, just in case we needed to communicate with our children. Was never used enough to really test it out. Now the kids are older we decided to purchase two Z2 phones. After having them for less than 30 days. We now see that was a mistake. Very poor signal strenght when inside buildings. That is a huge issue when inside their school or at school events and we cannot connect or never receive their txt messages. If it wasn't for the fact we aren't ready for the phones to have internet we would have gone with another option. As far as trying to get a hold of support, and believe me I have burned up my time waiting in the que just to get one of the phones to even work. Although the staff is helpful and responsive. Gabb needs to look at how other companies operate support centers.

2 years ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi Mark! We hear you and can see how this situation is frustrating. We are sorry that your device is having these issues! This does not sound normal for our devices to not get texts or have great signal strength. We are sorry to hear you have had this experience with our customer support, we try to get to each customer as quick as possible. We would like to learn more about what has gone on, and help make this right with you! We have reached out!

Dec. 21st, 2022

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JoReSmi San Tan Valley, AZ

While the intent is good, there are some extremely frustrating things about the gabb phone. The phone is extremely fragile and poorly built. There is also no way to back up any of your text messages. When trying to switch to a new phone, this gets really frustrating, as you need the developer tools to do this. Not having developer tools available is fine, but there should be a way for parents to enable it to transfer data to the new phone. There is also no way for parents to monitor anything that goes on in texts or calls. Overall, get Bark instead. Gabb isn't worth it with all the downsides. Also there is no warranty. Unless you want to pay $5 a month PLUS $40 when you actually need to use the warranty.

2 years ago Edited May 31, 2022

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Brittney Anderson-Martinez Austin, TX

The phone is great... The customer service is horrible. The website is incredibly hard to navigate, took 2 hours to activate service and it was so confusing. The people that I spoke with seemed like they had no idea what to do. I messaged today trying to follow up on app requests and she told me to email apps@gabb.com which I did and it is not even a valid email address. It is IMPOSSIBLE to get anything done past just basic phone and service.

1 year ago

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Rebecca Alpharetta, GA

I love the concept of Gabb, but it is way overpriced for almost NO service! I pay $31 a month just for text for my daughter's phone while paying $25 for unlimited data and text on my own. My biggest gripe with them is customer service. It is TERRIBLE. THe staff is unknowledgeable and cannot answer questions. Their phones are garbage as well. My daughter's stopped working properly within a few months of receiving it. It Stopped notifying her when she gets texts and stopped ringing altogether. Look elsewhere to keep your child safe.

1 year ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi Rebecca, we are very sorry to hear that you have had some issues getting a hold of our support team and some issues with your device. We will make sure to pass this feedback along to our support team. We are very sorry that you have been having so many issues with your device, we would like to help get this resolved and try some troubleshooting steps to make sure this does get fixed! We would like to help you, but we are unable to find an account under this name. To ensure we can follow up with you as soon as possible, please fill out this brief form so we can reach you! http://bit.ly/3hTabbT We will contact you within 24 hours. Thank you for allowing us the chance to make this right!

Jan. 18th, 2024

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R H Erwin, TN

Gabb is by far the biggest waste of money. The phones are of the lowest, cheapest, and poorest quality of any phones on the market. The phones just cant pick up the service a lot of times even when it shows full signal. All of a sudden you will just get a bunch of texts and voicemails because nothing came through. Their warranty is appalling, and their customer service is... well, what customer service?? I give them 2 stars because they do protect kids - by them having phones and service that isn't operable!! What garbage. Absolute garbage!!

1 year ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi R H, we want to extend our sincerest apologies for the frustration you encountered with our support team and service on your device! We can imagine how upsetting this must have been, and this is certainly not the level of service we aim to provide. We would like to learn more about this situation and the issues that you have had with your device. We would like to help you, but we are unable to find an account under this name. To ensure we can follow up with you as soon as possible, please fill out this brief form so we can reach you! http://bit.ly/3hTabbT We will contact you within 24 hours. Thank you for allowing us the chance to make this right!

Nov. 9th, 2023

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MFam2023 Boston, MA

Gabb has proven to be pretty glitchy for us. We had a lot of trouble setting up the location tracking at first. Then we had issues with the messenger update. The last issue we were unable to contact our son on the phone because it kept giving us an error that he was not connected to WiFi even though he was. It was frustrating. and concerning since we needed to be able to reach each other. We have had to contact Gabb Support on many occasions.

1 year ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi there! We hear you and can understand the frustration with this concerning situation. It is not normal for our devices to experience this and would like to personally take a look into this for you to help make this right. Unfortunately, we are unable to find an account under this name. To ensure we can follow up with you as soon as possible, please fill out this brief form so we can reach you! http://bit.ly/3hTabbT We will contact you within 24 hours. Thank you for allowing us the chance to make this right!

Aug. 16th, 2023

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Holly Obermeyer Los Angeles, CA

The customer service was excellent. 2 of the 3 tech reps I spoke with were patient, helpful and were resolute in solving my GABB watch issues. Unfortunately, the product was a bust. Steps weren’t working reliably with one watch and location / tracking was not working with the other. Both techs (Dallas and Sapphire) were both rock stars in trying to help but- in the end it was the inferior product that lead me to discontinue service and return the watches.

2 years ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi Holly! We are sorry that you had these issues with the steps and GPS tracking on your devices, this does sound extremely frustrating! It looks like our team went through some troubleshooting steps with you that should have resolved the issue, we would like to learn more about this situation and see how we can make this right! Thank you for the kind feedback with our agents that you worked with, our team is always eager to help! We have reached out!

Jan. 25th, 2023

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Matt Brown Caledonia, MI

The idea behind the phone and plan is great…for the price, better off connecting with your major Carriers…the service on the phone was well below expectation. Calls, messages, voicemails, would take hours and at time never come through. As we switched back to our carrier, we hit a termination fee after signing up for a no-contract advertisement…guess no contract means after the contract runs out. Don’t bother with Gabb, you can do more with the big companies restricting your kids phone anyhow…not to mention the price/mo is the same.

2 years ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi Matt! We are sorry to hear about having issues with service on your device. We would love to be able to look into your situation more, as well as the early termination fee you described. We want to reach out, but have been unable to find your account. To ensure we can follow up with you as soon as possible, please send an email to support@gabbwireless.com.
Please include in the subject line “[Your name as it appears on the review] - Best Company” and provide your Gabb Wireless account information in the email. Or please reach out to us on our Social Media platforms via Facebook and Instagram. We will contact you within 24 hours. Thank you for allowing us the chance to make this right!

Dec. 14th, 2022

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Amanda Watson Eagle Mountain, UT

Frustrating experience. I ordered 3 watch screen protectors and only received one in the mail. I reached out to customer support and was told I had to pay my bill before they can send me the other two (already purchased) screen protectors. My issue isn’t that I had to pay my bill, it’s the back and forth communication to get this taken care of a week later. If you mess up an order, it would be a better experience for the customer to not have them jump through hoops to get it taken care of.

3 years ago

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Adelynn Fisher Lehi, UT

I think the company has very good intentions and meets them very well. The phone doesn't have internet access and no app store so it is safe for kids! Although, I've had a Gabb phone for a little over a year now and there are some problems. While messaging on a group chat, the messages will stop coming through and pile up in the individual's messaging. These messages eventually come through after a while but at random times. This has happened to me on many, many occasions.

3 years ago

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Reba Talavera Conroe, TX

Location service refreshes my child’s location maybe once every 2 weeks.

1 year ago

Reply from Gabb Wireless

Hi Reba, we are sincerely sorry to hear about this issue that you are having with your device's GPS feature! This does not sound normal for our devices, they should update with a new location every 10 minutes. We would like to help get this issue that you are experiencing resolved! We have reached out!

Aug. 11th, 2023