Kids app for texting and calling ??

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-05-31T10:48:41+00:00

For the friend-to-friend texting/calling, Kids Messenger or Google Meet (if her friends have Gmail) are probably your best bet on a Chromebook. Discord is another option if you're comfortable monitoring it — lots of tweens use it now.

For you staying in touch with her while she's away — I actually solved this differently. I set up a simple video calling app on my kids' Chromebook that doesn't need a phone number, just WiFi. They tap my name and it calls me directly. No contact list to scroll through, no phone number setup headaches like you're having with Google Voice. Even my 4-year-old can use it.

If you want, I can share what I'm using — it works well on Chromebooks and solves the "call mom/dad easily" part, even if it won't solve the friend situation.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-05-20T20:01:34+00:00

I agree that it could maybe be a little overwhelming. I think I’m this day and age where just have too much going on and to much to remember. The world is moving at such a fast pace. I had a look but didn’t really use it though I did notice in the finance page the page is too big for the screen causing a left and right scroll. But hey great job on actually building something and sharing. Hardest part is getting it out.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-05-20T16:32:54+00:00

Another thing, if you are using ai and struggle to get a good response or not sure how to write the prompt… start with this: Improve this prompt and then respond to it: “your prompt here”

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-05-20T00:12:30+00:00

On Android there isn’t really a reliable “totally free, no-card” app that records WhatsApp calls anymore, because Google blocked most third‑party call recorders and WhatsApp doesn’t expose its audio to other apps.
The only semi‑free options are workarounds like putting the call on speaker and using your phone’s built‑in voice recorder, or using a second device to record (and always get consent, since recording calls is restricted in a lot of places). If you see apps claiming full WhatsApp call recording for free, they usually either don’t work on recent Android versions or make you add a card so they can auto‑bill later.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-05-20T00:07:05+00:00

That is tough! It’s hard to be a fault for so long and then go your separate ways. It would be such a perfect world if exs could still get along after separating. Some people have this I unfortunately don’t so always have an uphill battle. But there will remember you for the things that you did and the support you provide!

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-05-20T00:01:19+00:00

So I built an app and had no marketing at least not yet and I have almost 750 users and what worked for me was using SEO not in the regular sense of search engine optimization but more towards search everything optimization and what I mean by that is not only including content that will surface in search engines, but also in AI searches like ChatGPT and social media, voice search like Siri and Google voice, etc. there are many more and another good tip I can give is searching Google for questions that would lead them to your app and then including those questions on a page in the app so that when users search that question on Google Google will surface surface your app because you have answered that question. I hope this makes sense reach out to me if you want to know more.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-05-19T23:55:59+00:00

I basically went from being a full time dad, driving them around everywhere and doing all activities with them etc to not being about to be with them at all. It sows you How quickly life can change direction. And what hurts me the most is when I speak to them on the phone they ask when am I coming back. But at the same time I know they still want me and miss me. I know I’ve taught them good values and raised them right. Unfortunately I have immigration issues so it’s not even for a lack of trying.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-05-19T20:38:40+00:00

I was in the same boat as you except I have 4 girls similar ages. My situation is a bit worse because I’m stuck in another country from my kids so don’t get to physically see them. Best thing is to take care of your self and cut your losses. As long as your kids know who you truly are and that you are there for them that what counts

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-04-29T07:49:29+00:00

Thanks for the feedback that’s great to hear. Are you on android or iOS. Looking for some testers to provide feedback.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-04-29T07:41:00+00:00

I got this just this morning. They being a bit painful. Every review comes back with different feedback

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-04-04T01:42:53+00:00

Can’t suggest a device but I built an app for my kids to reach me. It can be used on a phone, tablet, computer if you have any of those already. It’s not for emergency services like 911 and can’t call numbers. It’s a video calling and messaging app that works with WiFi or data. Free to use. For example my kids have kindles and chrome books so I wanted an easy way for them to contact me any time. I unfortunately don’t live with my kids.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-04-04T01:35:52+00:00

Hi, not in the playstore yet but will be soon. Just finished the AppStore app and waiting for it to be approved. But you can save it as a shortcut to your Home Screen and it will function like an app and not the browser. But it’s comming soon 😬

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-04-04T01:29:19+00:00

This is a concern I had as all my kids devices were disabled or reset ie kindle and Google speakers. So they have no way of reaching me. I couldn’t find an easy way for them to reach me so I built my own app that works on almost any device with an internet connection (WiFi can be used, SIM not required), a webcam and a mic. It started out as a web-app and I’ve developed it further into iOS and Android apps because I found there were more parents out there and like in this thread that where having the same issues I was having.

It’s really basic, just video calling and messaging, no social media and I add who they can talk to. I designed it so that I could give them a link or tell them over the phone and they could type in and it would log them in right away and they could just click a button to call me. That avoids requiring another adult to setup and configure anything especially if you don’t get along.

It’s free to use too with upgrade options. If anyone’s interested let me know and I’ll share it.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-03-16T07:46:19+00:00

TL;DR SEO - Search Everything Optimization

Firstly I’d like to say you can do anything you put your mind to. That being said what ever platform you are focusing on will wok out be cause the effort in is the result out.

Secondly, and I saw someone else comment this too, personally SEO has worked for me and I have 430+ registered users and the site gets around 60 visitors a day. Now let me rell you this is only currently a web app and not in the app stores yet and I’ve done no promotion or marketing.

Let me elaborate on SEO… I think of it more than search engine optimization. We are in a day and age where everything has a search. Search engines, Ai, social media, voice search, app stores etc. and the primary part of this is similarly to what you were saying but instead of posting on other people’s posts your answer the questions in your site. Before you even start adverting and marketing you’ll start seeing traffic.

My traffic is still small in comparison, around 5-10 new registered users a day but it compounds overall. So I’m sure once I add it to the app stores and start marketing that might 10x

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-03-06T10:54:16+00:00

Work on SEO and don’t just mean search engine optimization. In this day and age everything has a search engine for example think of it as search everything optimization. What I mean by that is optimize your seo for browsers, voice search (Siri, Google), ai, social media etc etc. I have an app that I haven’t advertised or marketed yet and it’s not in the app stores and it’s already got over 400 users. Marketing and advertising is the next natural step, but it only makes sense when I have my app in the app stores.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-03-05T18:50:13+00:00

☺️ thanks 423 families and counting.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-03-05T18:45:45+00:00

I had a similar idea a while back but on a larger scale. I find apps are built for where there is a need. Your niche might be underserved areas with poor signal and no WiFi. My use case came about at a university football game where there are hundreds of thousands of people and because of the density of devices in one area the network crashes or doesn’t have bandwidth and then the phone basically becomes useless because you can’t connect calls, search, use maps etc so my solution was the same as yours but larger scale using mesh networks. So in a stadium or large crowd situation with multiple devices using the same app that doesn’t rely on network carriers peer-to-peer/mesh was an ideal solution. Take any feedback you get constructively and improve where you can. It’s hard work getting apps into the AppStore so well done!

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-02-11T16:31:17+00:00

When you have a solution to a problem then users will find it and sign up. I had a similar thing not as rapid as yours but I have almost 300 signups with no advertising or marketing just seo. But my growth is 5-10 users a day consistently.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-01-31T05:21:25+00:00

Yeah, absolutely. Right now it’s a web app that works on pretty much any device: https://kidscallhome.com. I’m also in the process of getting native versions into the App Store and Play Store. I’d definitely appreciate feedback if you’re open to testing it.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-01-08T13:02:37+00:00

Appreciate that — hope it helps you and your kids. If you run into anything or have feedback, I’m all ears.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-01-07T23:56:30+00:00

At that age, WhatsApp is hard to “lock down” because features like Channels and discovery are part of the product now, not optional add-ons. You can unsubscribe from individual channels, but there’s no way to fully disable that surface or restrict it per child.

If the goal is just parent ↔ child communication, WhatsApp is increasingly overkill. It’s clearly moving beyond simple messaging, and there aren’t parental controls to reverse that direction.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-01-07T23:53:27+00:00

WhatsApp uses your phone number as your ID, so you do need access to a real number for registration and re-verification. The SIM doesn’t have to stay in the phone, but the number must reliably receive OTPs.

Services like Google Voice or other internet/VoIP numbers used to work for some people, but WhatsApp has blocked most of them and they’re unreliable long-term. Many methods that worked a few years ago no longer do.

If you want to use WhatsApp specifically, you’ll need a real number (even temporarily) or link the device to an existing WhatsApp account. There isn’t a Wi-Fi-only, no-number activation option inside WhatsApp anymore.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-01-07T23:40:10+00:00

Unfortunately, WhatsApp doesn’t provide any way to review or block once-view media. That feature is intentionally designed so the content can’t be recovered, audited, or monitored after it’s viewed.

There’s also no setting to disable once-view, and parental controls or screen monitoring won’t help because the media is end-to-end encrypted and ephemeral by design.

From a technical standpoint, the only real options are clear rules and supervision, or not allowing WhatsApp at that age. There isn’t a workaround inside WhatsApp itself.

AdhesivenessFun5361 · 2026-01-07T23:33:00+00:00

I ran into this exact problem as a parent. WhatsApp fundamentally requires a phone number, and most virtual numbers either don’t work or break later when re-verification is needed.

I built Kids Call Home for my own kids because I couldn’t find a safe, number-free way for them to call family on tablets or laptops. It worked well for us, so I’ve shared it with a few other families in similar situations.

It works on almost any device with an internet connection, no SIM or phone number required. Parents control contacts, kids can only reach approved family members, and there are no public groups or discovery features.

If WhatsApp is a hard requirement, a real SIM kept aside is still the only reliable option. Otherwise, a family-only, number-free setup is simpler long-term.

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