Disastrous update snuck into popular smartwatch for kids

An update to the Spacetalk smartwatch, which is sold to children in several countries, has caused great dissatisfaction among consumers.

Several owners of the watch report that after the update it has become unusable.

According to many posts on social media and forums like Reddit, calls and messages no longer work through the watch.

Spacetalk is an Australian brand that specializes in children’s watches that allow parents to stay in touch with their children.

The watches are sold all over the world and have also been very popular in several Nordic countries.

After the update, several users experience that the screen stays black or that the watch is stuck in so-called “school mode”.

User “Mountain-Top2000” describes how they have tried to reset the watch and reinstall the app, but are still met with the message that the watch cannot retrieve the necessary data required to function.

Contact with the children broke down

Many parents express frustration at not being able to contact their children.

Some say they had to leave work to make sure their child was okay.

Others have given up using Spacetalk and are considering giving their children a regular cell phone instead.

The watch is popular partly because it combines calling and messaging functions without access to the internet or social media.

For many, it has been a compromise between security and freedom that has now been taken away.

No response from the manufacturer

On the Spacetalk website, the support function is partially unavailable.

A contact link redirects users to an error page with the error code “404 – This page does not exist”.

However, the company’s CEO, Simon Crowther, has commented on the issue on social media.

He states that the update should improve stability, security and functionality, but acknowledges that several customers experienced errors.

– Our team is working around the clock to resolve the issues. We have already restored several devices and expect all to be back up and running within one to two days, Crowther writes.