Is the Wisephone II a good first phone for a kid?

Yes — it’s one of the better options. It looks like a normal modern smartphone so kids will carry it, but WiseOS has no open browser and no open app store, and any third-party apps come only from a parent-curated, vetted Tool Drawer that leaves out the algorithmic feeds (Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok). Kids still get calls, texts, maps, music, a camera, and — if you choose — vetted apps like Spotify or messaging.

How much does the Wisephone II cost?

The phone is around $399, plus a required WiseOS subscription of $14.99/mo (which can be bundled with a Techless carrier plan). The subscription keeps the software updated and unlocks the curated Tool Drawer, so factor it into the ongoing cost, not just the upfront price.

Can you add apps to the Wisephone II?

Only from the curated Tool Drawer. There’s no open Google Play store and no arbitrary sideloading, but a WiseOS subscription ($14.99/mo) unlocks a parent-curated store of vetted apps like Signal, WhatsApp, Spotify, and Uber. Without the subscription, the phone is limited to calls, texts, camera, contacts, and basics. What it never offers is the open web or algorithmic social feeds, which is what keeps it distraction-free.

Wisephone II – WISE Score & Parent Review

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Screenwise Verdict

The Wisephone II solves the problem that sinks a lot of "first phones": kids don’t want to carry something that looks like a toy. It’s a full-color, 6.5-inch touchscreen in an aluminum body that reads as a normal modern phone — but it runs WiseOS, a locked-down Android with no open web browser, no open app store, and no ads.

Out of the box it does calls, texts, camera, and the basics; a WiseOS subscription ($14.99/mo, or bundled with a Techless carrier plan) unlocks the "Tool Drawer," a parent-curated store of vetted apps — maps, music, messaging like WhatsApp and Signal, Spotify, Uber — while still leaving out the algorithmic feeds (Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok). For a family that wants a kid to have a real, capable phone without the open internet or social feeds, it’s one of the most practical choices on the market: the limits are structural and the app list is curated, not a filter a clever teen toggles off.

It’s also a strong pick for an adult who wants the familiar smartphone shape without the rabbit holes. Budget for the full cost — around $399 for the phone plus the $14.99/mo WiseOS subscription (or a bundled Techless plan) — and know that the curated Tool Drawer, while broad, won’t include whatever niche app your kid’s friends are on. But as an intentional phone you can genuinely hand a 10- or 12-year-old, it’s near the top of the list.

Age Fit

Works across a wide range. For an 8–12-year-old it’s a strong, locked-down first phone that still looks normal. For teens it removes the open browser and the algorithmic social feeds while still allowing curated apps like maps, music, and vetted messaging through the Tool Drawer, which heads off the "everyone has an iPhone" fight without leaving them with a flip phone. And plenty of adults use it as a deliberate, distraction-free daily phone.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

93

Purpose-built to remove the harmful parts of a smartphone while keeping a normal-looking device a kid won’t be embarrassed to carry. No open web browser, no algorithmic social feeds, no ads, and a notification-free interface, with any third-party apps coming only from a parent-curated, vetted Tool Drawer rather than an open store — the design fights compulsion at every turn. That it does this without looking like a "baby phone" is part of why it works.

Imaginative

70

A clean touchscreen with maps, music, notes, and a camera leaves room for creativity (taking and framing photos, writing notes) without an endless feed to disappear into. It’s not an open-ended creative tool, but by removing the scroll it protects the time and boredom that imagination needs.

Safe

90

One of the safer phones in this roundup for a kid, by design rather than by filter: there’s no open web browser and no open app store, so a kid can’t wander into the internet or install whatever they want. Apps come only from the parent-curated Tool Drawer (a WiseOS subscription), which is vetted and leaves out the algorithmic feeds — Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok — though it does offer messaging apps like WhatsApp and Signal, so it’s curated access, not total absence. Built for families, with the limits structural rather than a filter a kid can toggle off.

Enriching

76

Maps, music, notes, calculator, clock, and a camera make it a capable everyday phone, and learning to use a phone without the distraction machine is itself a useful skill. It doesn’t teach a subject, but it supports independence and responsible phone habits.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Looks and feels like a normal modern phone, so kids will carry it — no "baby phone" stigma.
WiseOS is genuinely locked down: no open browser, no open app store, no algorithmic social feeds, and no ads — any apps come only from a parent-curated, vetted Tool Drawer.
Keeps the useful tools — calls, texts, maps, music, notes, camera — so it’s a real daily phone, not a punishment.
A notification-free interface removes the constant pull that trains compulsive checking.
Built for families, so the safety is structural rather than a filter you have to maintain.

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What to Watch For

Apps come only from the curated Tool Drawer — broad (Signal, WhatsApp, Spotify, Uber, and more), but if your kid’s friend group coordinates on something unvetted like Snapchat or Instagram, it won’t be available.
Budget for the phone (~$399) plus the required $14.99/mo WiseOS subscription (or a bundled Techless carrier plan) — the ongoing cost is easy to miss.
A full touchscreen is more "phone-like" than a flip, so for the youngest kids a simpler device may be plenty.
Texting and calls only for social life; group chats with media-heavy friends can feel limited.

Conversation Starters

"Which apps do you actually need to reach your friends, and which just want your time?"
"What feels different about a phone that never buzzes at you?"
"If you could design your own phone, what would you leave off on purpose?"

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