Garmin Bounce™, Kids Smartwatch, Two-Way Text and Voice Messaging (Black Camo)

Limited capability without paid subscription
Purchased for my 8 year old son. No coverage in my area so cancelled the $15 per month subscription, only to find that the Bounce is as useful as the 9 on a microwave. Battery life barely lasts the day and all features are locked even those that really do not rely on LTE connectivity as the watch has WiFi.All features for messages, access to chores function are disabled and will not work without the subscription. I could have given my son a 30 year old Casio.

Good watch for kids with minimal communication capabilities
Our kid is 7 y.o. and we bought that for her, mainly for three reasons:1. To be able to track her location when she is at school or on a field trips2. Stay connected and give her means to communicate with us on her own when one of us parents is not around (i.e. on a business trip out of town)3. To have a communication device for emergencies, when she needs our helpWe were choosing between different options, but stopped on Garmin, mainly because both of us already are using Garmin watches and other devices.Overall, we are happy with this purchase, however there are some caveats and things that I wish would be done differently.First of all, let’s see how goals above are achieved:1. Location tracking: no issues here, Garmin is true leader in GPS systems for a reason. We found location tracking to be accurate and fast-responding enough. There is a feature that allows you to establish a geo-boundaries (e.g. school or neighborhood) and get notified with live tracking each time when kid leaves it.2. Stay connected with family: In general it’s achieved, but with some caveats:- Kid can send voice messages (short voice recordings) or preset texts. You cannot type custom text from watches which maybe ok for 7-8 y.o., but probably won’t be sufficient for older kids- all the communications work via Garmin Jr app. First, that is not convenient because I don’t want another message app. I would prefer it was using at least Garmin Messenger, that I’m already use for InReach (I’m often outdoors with no cell coverage and staying connected with my wife). Second that it requires other family members (e.g. grandparents) to install the app and register to communicate with kid.3. Emergency communications: In general, it’s better than nothing (and much more than we had when were kids). However, communications require app, meaning that you won’t get kid’s texts if you have cell coverage with no good LTE/5G.Other noticeable features:1. Battery lasts for 2 days. Builds a good habit to be responsible and recharge her device. The charging time is a couple of hours and could be better2. There is a “School restrictions” mode that will block most of the features on watch to help kid not be distracted. Which is great, with one huge caveat: it will block messages, including emergency. So, e.g. in case of earthquake and evacuation, kid will not be able to reach out to us until end of school time. That’s the reason why we don’t use it.3. The screen is big enough, bright and easy to use4. There are some games and additional features but not too much, enough for a kid5. We liked that there is no full internet access or uncontrolled communications with random people (all contacts must be set by parents through the app).6. Kid likes the watch and likes to use them. She also started to track her activities (e.g. hiking, bicycling and etc.) and even joining the family steps competition. I think it’s a good help to build healthy life habits7. The communication plan (which is required for messages) costs $99 for a year, which is lower than competitors (but also provides less capabilities – only voice and preset text messages)8. The watch uses its own Garmin Jr. app for everything which leaves a feeling of some disconnect from the rest of Garmin infrastructure. I would love to see kids account in Connect and use Garmin Messenger instead of Garmin Jr.9. We installed a protective screen on the watch to protect from scratches (hence bubbles on the photo)Overall, if you are ok with what mentioned above, I think it’s a good watch. But I can see that in the next couple of years it might require an upgrade or some alternative.

Good Entry Levels Kids Sportswatch – Needs Phone Call capability.
Garmin, it’s a nice entry level kids sportswatch. If you’re going to provide a capability for it to record and play audio messages, and charge me a monthly fee for this capability, then why not also include voice calls? I don’t understand why no one can provide a kids sports tracking watch (that actually tracks distance, not just steps) AND include voice calling. You are already charging a fee that is comparable to other watches that do provide voice calling, and the equipment is already built into the watch. Just turn it on already.

GPS works but ability to communicate really poor.
Had a different kids watch (Cosmo), it broke and GPS reception was not great, so we thought we’d try the Garmin as we love our other Garmin devices. The Bounce looks good however the ability to send/receive messages is really poor. It might be 10 minutes or 2 days from the time you send a message until the watch actually receives it, even while on wifi. Same thing when my kid sends a message and we get it hours after he has returned home. GPS tracking within the app is buggy, always saying an error has occurred, although it updated the map fine. After a month (I even paid up front for a year service) I purchased another Cosmo instead.

This product is ONLY suitable for use in the USA. It has a US SIM in it which doesn’t work on Australian networks. The watch will only work when it is connected to a WiFi or Bluetooth connection, this defeats the purpose of your child being able to contact you when they are out. I’ve been advised to return the watch and purchase one through Garmin Australia.