Fitbit Ace icon
Evaluating the Fitbit Ace App for Managing Children's Smartwatches

by Google LLC

3.5
ANDROIDHealth & Fitness
This app serves as the parental dashboard for the Fitbit Ace LTE watch, blending communication tools with activity tracking for young users. It provides a controlled environment for kids to stay connected while encouraging physical movement through games. Perfect for families seeking a monitored alternative to smartphones.

Detailed Review

The Fitbit Ace app acts as the companion software for Google's Fitbit Ace LTE smartwatch, a device targeting children aged roughly 6 to 15. In a market crowded with kid-focused wearables, this app positions itself by emphasizing parental oversight, offering a centralized platform to manage device settings, monitor activity, and facilitate safe communication. It avoids the complexity of full smartphone apps, instead focusing on essentials that balance connectivity with child-appropriate limitations. Core functionality revolves around robust parental controls. Features include school mode, which disables games and distractions during preset hours while maintaining location tracking and emergency call capabilities. Parents can manage contact lists, approving who can communicate with the child via text or voice messages, and access real-time GPS tracking to monitor whereabouts. The app also aggregates data from the watch's activity games, which reward steps and movement with in-game points, promoting physical exercise. These tools are designed for scenarios like children walking to school alone or playing outdoors, where safety and limited connectivity are priorities. User experience reports highlight an intuitive interface that allows quick setup of modes and contacts. In real-world use, parents describe scenarios where the app enables casual check-ins via messaging without exposing children to unfettered internet access. The watch's integration encourages kids to complete daily activity quests, turning fitness into a game. However, some practical hurdles exist, such as a reliance on Gmail accounts for adding contacts, which can be inconvenient in households using other email services. Additionally, the parental controls for games are noted as somewhat basic, with limited options to customize or disable specific distractions. User feedback trends reveal high satisfaction with the app's ability to foster activity and safe communication. Reviews indicate that features like school mode and controlled messaging are particularly valued, with one parent noting how it prevents distractions during classes. However, occasional software glitches are mentioned, such as account errors when the phone loses connectivity, though workarounds like force-stopping the app often resolve these. For example, a user reported successfully regaining access after encountering an unsupported account message during offline periods. Other feedback calls for enhancements like satellite map views or integration with third-party safety apps. In balance, the Fitbit Ace app delivers a functional and focused tool for parents, with strengths in safety features and engaging design for children. Its limitations include minor connectivity issues and dependency on Google's ecosystem, which may not suit all families. While not without flaws, it represents a pragmatic choice for those seeking a monitored wearable solution, offering more control than basic trackers but less complexity than full smart devices.

Key Features

  • School Mode: Disables games and non-essential features during set hours, allowing location tracking and emergency calls to remain active for safety.
  • Controlled Communication: Parents manage contact lists for text and voice messaging, ensuring children only interact with approved individuals.
  • Real-Time Location Tracking: Uses GPS to provide live updates on a child's whereabouts, useful for commutes or outdoor activities.
  • Activity and Game Integration: Syncs with watch games that reward physical movement, encouraging steps and exercise through interactive challenges.
  • Parental Dashboard: Centralizes settings for battery monitoring, contact management, and mode adjustments from a smartphone.
  • Safety Features: Includes emergency communication options and restricted friend adding, preventing unauthorized contacts.

Why Users Love It

Enhances child safety with monitored communication
Encourages physical activity through engaging games

Perfect for: Parents of children aged 6-15 seeking a balanced digital tool for connectivity, fitness, and safety oversight.

Screenshots

Fitbit Ace screenshot 1Fitbit Ace screenshot 2Fitbit Ace screenshot 3Fitbit Ace screenshot 4Fitbit Ace screenshot 5Fitbit Ace screenshot 6

Ranking History

Track Fitbit Ace's performance in Health & Fitness over the last 30 days

Top 5
Top 10
Top 15
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Current Rank

#12

Best Rank

#12

All-time high

Average Rank

#12

30-day average

User Reviews

Andrey Fedorov
Nov 21, 2024

Everything worked, and all of a sudden I open the app and see "Your account is not supported. Please sign in with a different account" What is that? You cut me off from being able to connect to my kid like that? Nothing I am trying to do allows me to get back into the app! EDIT: looks like it happens when the phone has no connection. Forcing the app to stop and retrying fixed the issue.

TamaraMatthew Patterson
Aug 27, 2024

A simple solution to communicating with and keeping track of your kid without all the distractions of a phone or full smart watch. I encourage you to get one of these watches and then quickly realize how even such a simple experience can be distracting (but there is school mode!) and imagine how bad a phone would be. This is a great solution for younger kids (like <15).

Tsing Ling Tan
Sep 9, 2024

My 9 year old daughter loves this device and while we were worried she would forget to charge it, we did not have that problem a single day. Parental controls for school mode and adding contacts are helpful, but the communications function is most helpful. The interface is intuitive and within the first hour of use, she had no trouble sending us text and voice messages. The only complaint we have is the requirement for Gmail to add new contacts. All her friends have apple watches and no Gmail.

Hao Wu
Aug 30, 2024

My son absolutely loves his Fitbit Ace LTE. It's been a great way to encourage him to be more active and stay connected with his family. Overall, we're really happy with the Ace LTE. The game controls are intuitive, and he loves the messaging feature. The battery life has been decent, and we haven't encountered any major bugs. I think adding more games and maybe some customizable watch faces would be awesome additions.

Jason Daly
Aug 30, 2024

Apart from the price (it's a bit expensive), the Fitbit Ace LTE might be the perfect kid's watch. It encourages movement and excercise through games. It's always online, so you can always know where your kid is and communicate with them. It has safety built in, so you control who your kid can talk to via voice and text. There's a school mode to keep them from getting distracted while they're at school, but still allowing location tracking and emergency communications.

App Details

Developer

Google LLC

Platform

android

Rating

3.5

Last Updated

12/26/2025