SkieCan we give hostel students a phone that can only make calls?
Almost. You can leave only the dialer on the allowed list, so the phone shows calls and nothing else, with the clock if you wish. Contacts-only calling, where only certain numbers can be reached, is not available yet. Outgoing calls and SMS can also be switched off if you want the opposite.
Some hostels, especially for younger students, want the simplest phone possible: a way to ring home and nothing to scroll. In Skie this is an app list with only the dialer on it. Every other app is hidden, Play Store is hidden or not installed, and the web filter is locked in case anything opens a browser.
That gives you a calling device on any Android 12 or newer phone, and it works the same on a tablet that can make calls. A one-app list also locks a device to a single app, or you can use full-screen kiosk mode.
What you cannot do yet is restrict who the student can call. Contacts-only calling, with a set of approved numbers, is not available yet, and the team is working on it. Today your options for calls are all or nothing: allow the dialer or switch off outgoing calls. SMS can be switched off separately, and the camera can be disabled.
A practical combination for juniors is a day window that allows the learning apps, an evening window with the dialer and clock only, and a night window with the same. Calls stay open throughout, because a child far from home should always be able to ring.
Be open with parents. Say that the phone can call any number, that there is no list of approved contacts yet, and that you will watch the situation. Do not describe it as a locked-down phone that can only call family.
A practical tip: test the calling-only setup with an actual SIM before you roll it out. Confirm that the dialer, incoming calls and emergency calls behave as the hostel expects, on each phone model you plan to use.