Gabb Review: Is It the Best Safe Phone for Kids?

Gabb legitimacy and licensing

Yes, with a caveat about its complaint record. Gabb Wireless, Inc. is a Lehi, Utah company that has sold kid-safe phones since 2019 (the first Gabb Z1 was built by ZTE and announced in September 2019). It sells real hardware, runs a help center, a community forum and a parent app with about 8,200 App Store ratings averaging 4.5, and scores 4.3 on Trustpilot from 1,595 reviews, 944 of them in the last year. Gabb pays for a Trustpilot plan and invites reviews, which lifts scores, but it also answers 97% of negative ones.

The BBB tells a harsher story: Gabb Wireless Inc. is not accredited and is rated F, with 258 complaints in the last three years and 195 customer reviews. The BBB does not publish the reason on the profile; F ratings usually follow unanswered complaints or a pattern the business has not addressed. The complaint themes match the one-star reviews elsewhere: early termination fees, refunds, devices that failed and connectivity. Gabb is not a scam, but it is a contract carrier for children’s devices, and the contract terms are where families get hurt.

Gabb pricing explained

Gabb sells three devices, each tied to a Gabb Cellular Plan: the Gabb Phone 4 Pro at $199.99 (the teen phone with a better camera, 5G and access to parent-enabled third-party apps), the Gabb Phone 4 at $249.99 (6.1 inch screen, 13 MP camera, 16 preloaded apps, no browser) and the Gabb Watch 3e at $229.99. Every new device carries a $30 activation fee that is not refunded. An optional Gabb Warranty is $4.99 a month.

Phone plans come in two tiers for new lines. Standard is $29.99 a month on a two-year contract, $31.99 on one year or $34.99 month to month, and covers unlimited talk and text, Gabb Messenger, group and picture messaging, Gabb Music and 25 GB of Gabb Cloud. Advanced is $34.99, $36.99 or $39.99 and adds Gabb Music+, the third-party app library, 50 GB of cloud and mobile data in 3 GB, 5 GB or 10 GB options. The watch plan is $12.99, $14.99 or $17.99 by term. The old Starter plan ($24.99 to $29.99) is closed to new activations.

Add it up: a Phone 4 Pro on a two-year Standard plan costs about $950 over two years before taxes, or about $1,070 month to month. Families with 2 to 5 lines pay full price on the oldest line and the lowest contract rate on the rest.

What Gabb devices can and cannot do

Gabb runs its own operating system. The Phone 4 has no internet browser, no app store and no social media; it ships with 16 apps such as Camera, Photos, Calendar, Calculator, Weather, Gabb Messenger and Gabb Music, and a curated library of optional apps parents can enable. The Phone 4 Pro, recommended for ages 13 to 18, adds a larger higher-resolution screen, bigger battery, better camera and, on the Advanced plan, mobile data and a library of parent-approved third-party apps with Gabb’s risk notes on each. The Watch 3e makes calls and texts to up to 100 approved contacts, shows location updates about every 15 minutes (Gabb says it is not real-time tracking) and sends Safe Zone alerts within 15 minutes; its 500 mAh battery lasts 14 to 18 hours with normal use.

Parents manage everything in the MyGabb app: contacts, apps, Safe Zones and location. Gabb’s terms set fair-use limits of 1,500 minutes, 5,000 texts and 500 MB of data a month, with throttling or cancellation above them. Service runs on what Gabb calls ‘America’s fastest network’ with nationwide coverage; the company does not name the carrier, which matters because you cannot check a coverage map for your own address before buying. Gabb devices cannot be moved to another carrier.

Complaints and how to avoid them

Across the BBB, Trustpilot and Gabb’s own forum, complaints fall into four groups: watch battery life (often less than a school day with GPS on), calls and texts that drop or arrive late, devices that fail and warranty or replacement delays, and money, meaning early termination fees charged after a return was approved late, activation fees not refunded, and refund timing. Parents of mixed iPhone households also note weaker photo and video sharing from Gabb’s messenger.

To protect yourself: order month to month first, which removes the early termination fee entirely; test the device for two weeks before the 30-day return window closes and keep the box sealed until you are sure, since opening it costs $50 to return; charge the watch nightly and set expectations; and when cancelling, do it in the account as the primary holder, port the number first, and keep the confirmation. Refunds post in the next billing cycle after Gabb receives a returned device, and the help center says card refunds can take up to 15 business days.

Contracts, cancellation and returns

Gabb offers month-to-month, one-year and two-year terms. One- and two-year terms do not auto-renew; they convert to month to month at the current rate. Cancelling early costs $100 plus taxes on a one-year term (flat for two months, then down $10 a month from month 3) or $150 plus taxes on a two-year term (down $6.25 a month from months 7 to 15, then $10 a month to month 24). Certified refurbished devices carry $36 and $60 fees instead. Each line has its own fee.

Returns are accepted within 30 days of purchase for orders placed January 1 to October 31, and through January 31 for November and December orders. The device must be undamaged, unaltered and in original packaging with all contents; an opened or unsealed retail box costs a $50 restocking fee, opened accessories are not refundable, and the $30 activation fee and any plan charges, taxes and fees already billed are not refunded. Returning a device does not cancel the plan; you must cancel the line separately. Disputes go to binding arbitration in Utah under Gabb’s terms.

Rules that protect you

FCC number portability rules let you move a Gabb number to another carrier while the line is active, and Gabb’s help center says it cancels the line automatically once the port completes. The FTC’s rules on negative options and the FCC’s truth-in-billing rules require that contract terms, fees and early termination charges be disclosed before you agree; Gabb publishes them on each product page and in its terms. Children’s privacy on Gabb devices falls under COPPA, which limits what the company may collect from users under 13 without parental consent; Gabb’s parent-managed accounts are built around that. Billing disputes the company does not resolve can go to the FCC’s consumer complaint center, your state attorney general or your card issuer.

Who should skip Gabb

Skip it if you want a device your child can keep on your family plan later, since Gabb hardware only works on Gabb. Skip it if you are not sure about coverage at your address, because Gabb will not tell you which network it uses. Skip the two-year contract in any case; the $5 a month saving is smaller than the $150 fee if the device fails you. And if your teen is 15 or older, compare Bark or a used iPhone with Screen Time, which cost less over two years and do not lock you in. Gabb fits a younger child who needs calls, texts and location and nothing else, bought month to month.