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

Pinwheel is taking a deliberately old-school approach to kids' communication with the Pinwheel Home, a retro-inspired landline-style phone designed for children aged 5–10. The pitch is simple: give kids a way to call friends and family without handing over a smartphone — and without opening the door to Snapchat, Roblox, or YouTube.

The device works over Wi-Fi and is limited to voice calls. Parents get built-in controls, including pre-approved contacts and rules for when the phone can be used. There’s also no screen, removing another obvious distraction.

“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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The company is positioning the phone as a way to delay a child’s first smartphone while still letting them stay in touch with friends, grandparents, and other trusted contacts. That may appeal to parents looking for a middle ground between total disconnection and full internet access.

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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 that plan, the phone can still be used — but only for calls to other Pinwheel Homes, not mobiles or landlines. International pricing has not yet been announced.

Pinwheel has been around since 2019 and previously sold Android phones with child-safe software. As debates over children’s screen time and social media use continue, the company is now betting that a modern landline might be the easier sell.