SkieHow does Skie compare with the Balance kids phone?
Balance offers a kid-focused phone and software with parent controls. Skie is software only and runs on an Android 12 or newer phone or tablet the family already owns. Balance brings its own device and service, while Skie keeps your hardware and carrier.
Balance, also known for Balance OS, is another product that builds the phone and the controls together. A parent gets a device that has been shaped for children, with settings from the maker, and does not need to start from a general-purpose phone.
That integration is its main strength, and also its main limit. You work within what the maker has built, on the hardware the maker supports, in the countries where it sells. If you already have a good phone or tablet, or you live where the product is not sold, the question becomes whether you can add the controls to your own device.
That is the job Skie is made for. It is Android device management software that runs as the device owner, so the rules are enforced by Android itself. It works on any Android 12 or newer phone or tablet in any country where the device has Google Play services, once it has been freshly set up or reset.
Skie does not include a phone, a SIM or a mobile plan, and it does not yet offer per-app time limits, screen time reports, per-website lists or contacts-only calling. We are also not claiming to match every feature of the Balance product, so compare the lists directly.
Tip: write down your device, your carrier and your country first. Those three facts often decide the choice. Check the maker's own site for current prices, plans and which countries it serves, because these change.