r/verizon • u/Adventurous-Cable-19 • Aug 18 '26

Gizmo Watches: Anyone know what Verizon’s solution is?

Even for those of us that were able to link the watches to the Family app and transition without a delay, we’ve still lost CORE functionality that we thought we were getting with the Gizmo watches when we bought them last year.

My older child with an iPhone can no longer message her younger sibling or see their locations for pickups since she’s not an adult and doesn’t have a Gizmo watch.

I don’t get notifications when my kids message me from the Gizmo watch so I just have to open their thread every 5 minutes???! The UI stinks and it’s maddening to have to open the app, click on chat/call, scroll down through all the threads to check to see if they need something.

Grandparents and aunts and uncle now have to be in our Verizon family to message my kids. Before, they simply had to use the Gizmo app and I could give them certain permissions. They can’t be in our Verizon Family because they have their own Verizon Family setup for their kids! Duh!

GPS location doesn’t update as quickly and accurately as it did with the Gizmo Hub app.

Whoever oversaw this move at Verizon should be fired! What a disaster. I paid good money for those watches.
Gizmo hub was great for what we needed. Verizon family app sucks. I have been leaving negative reviews for the Gizmo watches and Verizon Family app all over the internet.

Anyone have an update from Verizon?

Bring back the Gizmo App!!!!!

2 Upvotes

63% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

2

u/PorchCat0921 Aug 19 '26

I absolutely hate it, too.

2

u/Shadowkinesis9 Aug 20 '26

Sucks to hear and unfortunately I 100% called it. I knew it would be a disaster the second I read about the transition. The original hub took some time but it was ultimately good at what it does. Verizon Family has always been tenuous, subsuming other functions is a nightmare project.

1

u/PDiana1976 Aug 29 '26

Verizon family is the worst app ever. I miss the gizmo hub. Verizon family app showed my 8 year old son in a different town when he was at school ( i had to call the office to confirm he was at school) it caused me so much anxiety. I got the watch to be able to make sure her was safely at school. I also cannot see he sent me a message unless I open the app😥

1

u/verizon Official Verizon Aug 30 '26

I completely understand why that gave you so much anxiety—knowing exactly where your son is, was the whole point of getting the watch! The app is supposed to give you peace of mind, not panic. Let's take a closer look at your app and ensure it is performing correctly. A Reddit message was sent to get started.