DISCOVER THE BARK PHONE

Bark Phone vs Best Buy Cell Phones For Kids: Which Is Best?

Why the Bark Phone is Better
than Best Buy Kids Cell Phones

Out-of-the-box parental controls

The Bark Phone comes with easy-to-use parental controls out of the box. Parents can customize phone activity with no extra apps required. Most Best Buy cell phones for kids require a third party app or multiple phone settings to set parental controls.

Get alerts for concerning content

Bark’s advanced monitoring technology alerts parents to digital dangers in their child’s texts, emails, and social media accounts. This is not offered with most parental control apps or out-of-the-box kids phone options at Best Buy.

Approve apps & contacts

Choose what apps are off-limits to your kids and approve new phone contacts. Bark lets you manage everything your child can access on their phone. For most phone carriers, a third party app is required and may not include these features.

Save with an all-inclusive phone plan

Bark offers no contract phone plans and the phone is free after 3-months of service. Most Best Buy phones require a phone plan to be purchased along with the device.

Rest assured your kid can’t delete texts

With the Bark Phone, there’s no way that kids can erase messages they send or receive. Best Buy phones do not currently offer text message monitoring. A third party app, like Bark, would be required for phone monitoring.

Remotely lock the phone & set time limits

Bark enables parents to set app-specific time limits and easily configure the phone for calls and texts only, with no internet access, with the click of a button. Best Buy’s smart phones require additional phone settings or a third-party apps to set time limits depending on the phone model.

bark phone

Pricing & Details

Choose a plan that fits your family's needs. All plans include:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Exclusive features like undeletable texts, location tracking, remote phone lock, and more
  • Advanced content monitoring built in
  • USB-C charging cord
  • A Bark Premium subscription for the entire family
  • Free transfer of your kid's current phone number to the Bark Phone
  • Month-to-month with no contract
  • Free shipping
Starting at
$ 29 USD /mo

We’ve got you covered.

Features Youll Love

Bark Phone FAQs

What type of phone is the Bark Phone?

The Bark Phone for kids is a Samsung A series. We purposely designed it so that it wouldn’t be recognizable as a “kiddie” phone. No one will know it’s a kid phone unless you tell them. Bark’s powerful parental controls are all internal — there’s no Bark branding, logos, or other tell-tales that would broadcast it as a kid’s phone. 

It comes with all the standard features of a Samsung phone.

Regardless of whether a parent has an iPhone or an Android, they will be able to manage the Bark Phone with no issues, so don’t worry about compatibility problems.

How is a Bark Phone different from a phone with the Bark app?

The Bark Phone for kids is the result of years of experience in the online safety industry and real-life conversations with the people whose opinion counts the most: families raising kids with phones in the digital age. 

We’ve created a safe phone for kids that integrates Bark’s software seamlessly, resulting in a comprehensive and robust parental control experience.

It also comes with exclusive features that weren’t possible with just a downloadable app. The Bark Phone gives parents unprecedented oversight of their child’s online experience, including GPS-powered location tracking, call blocking, contact management, and automatic monitoring for texts and many apps and social media platforms. 

Its native controls are tamper-proof, providing parents with peace of mind that the rules they set stay in place. Bark can't be deleted, even if you factory reset it.

The best part of the Bark Phone? It grows with your child as they mature. For younger kids, you can keep the phone locked down with as little functionality as a flip phone. As they get older, you can add in additional freedoms, functionality, and apps — or scale back anytime boundaries are needed.

What does the Bark Phone come with?

Every Bark Phone comes with:

  • Unlimited talk and text
  • Bark Premium subscription for the entire family
  • USB-C charging cord
  • A data plan that fits your family’s needs (non-starter plans only)
  • Quick start guide for easy setup
What if I want to buy the Bark Phone but already have a Bark subscription?

If you already have a Bark Premium subscription, that’s okay! We will adjust your plan and prorate the remaining amount left and apply it to your Bark Phone subscription.

How much does the Bark Phone cost?

The Bark Phone is free! No hefty deposit or long contract is required, and after 90 days, the phone is yours to keep. We’re confident your family will love the Bark Phone, but if you need to cancel your subscription, just return your non-damaged phone to us and you’re all set.

Our monthly subscription plans range from $29/month to $89/month.

Plans include the device, our built-in parental controls, unlimited talk & text, data (if you need it), and a Bark Premium subscription for the entire family.

Choose the plan that fits your family's needs. 

Starter plan:

  • $29/month for unlimited talk, text, and no internet, app store, or games

Advanced plans:

  • $49/month for unlimited talk, text, and Wi-Fi only (no data)
  • $59/month for unlimited talk, text, and 4GB data
  • $69/month for unlimited talk, text, and 8GB data
  • $89/month for unlimited talk, text, and data1

1 After exceeding 35GB/month of data use, data speeds will be reduced for the remainder of the monthly billing cycle. After exceeding 50GB/month of data usage, data speeds may be reduced further and/or data connection may be turned off for the remainder of the monthly billing cycle.

Is the Bark Phone available outside the U.S.?

Right now, the Bark Phone for kids is only available for families located in the U.S.

What apps are available for the Bark Phone?

You know your child best, which is why the Bark Phone gives you full control over the apps they can access. You can block every app that a Samsung A series could download, or you can allow them all — or somewhere in between, which is where most families will fall.

How is the Bark Phone different from other kids’ phones?

The Bark Phone is powered by the award-winning technology that made the Bark app a trusted name for families across the world. It’s the result of years of experience understanding what families need and want when it comes to having a safe phone for kids.

Secondly, we made it completely customizable, because every family — and kid — is different. For younger kids, you can make the Bark Phone work essentially like a non-smartphone. As they get older and become ready for more responsibility, you can add in functionality and access to web browsing, apps, social media, and more.

Does the Bark Phone get software updates?

Yes! The Bark Phone is updated regularly and automatically to keep up with changes in technology and when we add new features — which happens frequently! We’re constantly in touch with actual Bark Phone parents and implement feedback that families would like to see.

What is the Bark Phone return and refund policy?

You can cancel at any time, but if you decide to cancel within the first 90 days, you’ll need to send the Bark Phone back.

If you cancel after three months, the phone is yours to keep, but Bark’s proprietary parental controls and monitoring will be removed from the device.

If you have further questions you can contact us for help.

How do I contact Bark with questions?

Our amazing customer support team is here to help! Simply email them with your initial questions and they’ll get back to you promptly — many customers benefit from a one-on-one Zoom or phone call. Additionally, you can check out all of our support articles here.

The Specs

bark phone
What's Included
Device
Data cable
Quick start guide
Product Name
A14
Brand
Samsung
Phone Style
Smartphone
Operating System
Android 13
Internal Memory
64 GB
Screen Size
6.6 inches
Water Resistant
No
Phone Memory (RAM)
4 GB
Front-Facing Camera
13 MP
Rear-Facing Camera
50 MP
Processor Model
Octa core (2.2Ghz + 2.0Ghz)
Internet Connectable
Yes, but not with Starter Plan
Voice Assistant Built-in
Google Assistant
Wireless Technology
5G
Color
Black
Bluetooth Enabled
Yes
Charging Interface
USB Type-C
Carrier
Data and coverage provided by Bark

Get the only phone with Bark built in

Designed from the ground up with safety in mind, the Bark Phone will change the way you think about a kid’s phone.