Pinwheel Home turns a landline into a kid-safe first phone

Pinwheel has unveiled a retro-styled home phone for children that strips communication back to the basics. Called Pinwheel Home, the device is aimed at kids aged 5-10 and is designed to avoid the distractions of smartphones, social media, and games by offering just one function: voice calls.

Unlike a classic mobile throwback, this is effectively a modern landline. It runs over Wi-Fi, includes parental controls, and has no screen at all. Parents can pre-approve contacts and restrict when the phone can be used, limiting calls to trusted people and specific times.

Pinwheel says the idea is to give children a way to talk to friends and family without needing to borrow a parent’s handset.

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“Pinwheel Home gives kids the freedom to call their friends, make plans, and stay connected, all without borrowing your phone or picking up a screen. You’ll be amazed at what they figure out together.”

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Pre-orders are now open in the US, with shipping expected later this year. The Pinwheel Home starts at $68 and comes in two designs and four colors. An optional subscription starts at $6.99 a month.

Without a subscription, the phone can only call other Pinwheel Home devices. Calling standard mobiles or landlines requires the paid plan. International pricing has not yet been announced.

Pinwheel has been around since 2019 and previously sold Android phones with child-safe software. As pressure grows around children’s smartphone use and social media access, Pinwheel Home is pitching a much simpler alternative: a first phone that only does calls.