The $79.95 Fitbit Ace 3 is a simple activity tracker designed for children between the ages of six and 12. It focuses on basics such as step counts and rest, while offering a battery life bump from the last generation, but it still doesn't offer location or GPS tracking. Parents who want to keep tabs on their children from afar should consider a dedicated tracking device such as the $149 Verizon Gizmo Watch 3. For those more interested in ensuring that their younger kids—who may not be ready for a fully connected device—are getting enough exercise during the day and sleep during the night, the Fitbit Ace 3 does that reliably and affordably.
A Kid-Friendly Design
The Fitbit Ace 3 is a simple black tracker with a removable silicone strap, but it looks cool and your kids will probably agree. The plastic tracker measures 1.47 by 0.7 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and features a button on either side. The 1.4-inch OLED monochrome display supports touch gestures, though the buttons permit faster access to apps and certain settings.
The tracker pops in and out of the swappable strap when needed. The strap comes in several cartoon-like color schemes including Black/Sport Red, Cosmic Blue/Astro Green, and a special Yellow/Blue Minions edition that also includes a Minions watch face. As soon as my teen daughter saw the Minions strap she said, “Oooh, can I wear that?” Teens are a hard audience, so her liking the Minions strap means a lot. She wasn’t the only one either—everyone who saw the Minions Fitbit complimented it.
The Ace 3 comes in just one size that fits wrists measuring 4.8 to 6.8 inches in circumference. The strap is made of soft silicone for comfort and has secure plastic clasps. I was able to sleep while wearing the Ace 3 without any issues. My younger children also had few complaints about wearing the band. Overall, the design of the Ace 3 was a hit with my kids.
The Ace 3 ships with a puck-style charger that magnetically attaches to the bottom of the tracker. My daughter thought that the charging cable was too short (about 10 inches) and mentioned that the Fitbit sometimes got stuck to the charger and was difficult to remove. This was mostly a minor annoyance but still led to kid-level frustrations.
Battery life is very good. Fitbit says the tracker should last for up to eight days per charge. In comparison, the Ace 2 promises up to five days of power on a charge. In my real-world testing, the Ace 3 stayed powered for up to six days between charges with moderate activity. It takes about two hours to fully recharge, according to Fitbit.
The Ace 3 is water-resistant to 50 meters, so it's safe for swimming—just make sure to dry it off afterward. It offers a Water Lock mode that deactivates the buttons so they don't accidentally get pressed when your child is splashing about.
Fitbit Ace 3 Setup and App
Setting up the Fitbit Ace 3 is not as straightforward as it should be. The setup process doesn't feel intuitive, or as though it was uniquely designed for parents.
First, you must install the latest version of the Fitbit app (available for Android and iOS). After that, the setup process involves creating or logging into a Fitbit account, then creating a Fitbit Family Account, then creating an individual child account and acknowledging a number of privacy prompts. After those steps, you can finally pair and set up the Ace 3 through the child’s account.
You can create the child account on your phone or on your child’s phone, but the tracker can only be paired to one phone at a time. Once you have the child account, the setup process is similar to that of other Fitbit devices (paired with a code via Bluetooth), but getting there feels tedious.
The Fitbit Ace 3 itself has a simple interface. Kids are strictly limited to using timers and alarms, viewing their step count, and adjusting a few settings. They can earn and view badges, as well as sort through watch faces and create a personal avatar. Kids can receive text notifications if parents allow it and if the Ace 3 is connected to the child’s phone. Children cannot respond to texts from Ace 3, though.
Virtually everything else is managed via the Fitbit app, where little ones can personalize their profile and parents can help manage it.
Fitbit Ace 3 Tracking Accuracy and Parental Controls
The Fitbit Ace 3 is a basic activity tracker, but it monitors most types of kid-level movement (hopping, stepping, jumping). It also tracks sleep and provides reminders to move or to go to bed, but that’s about it. Don’t expect extra perks like heart rate monitoring (it has a monitor, but it’s inactive for unknown reasons), calling, music, or GPS for location tracking.
In terms of accuracy, the Ace 3 counted my daughter’s steps to within five steps of two other smartwatches, the Xiaomi Mi Band 6 and the Gizmo Watch 3. She believed the sleep tracking was accurate as well. My son, however, felt as though he slept an hour longer than the Ace 3 gave him credit for. I’m inclined to think the sleep tracker may have noticed a few wake-ups in the middle of the night that he didn’t. Fitbit says the Ace 3 has enough memory to store minute-by-minute activity statistics for seven days, and daily totals for up to 30 days. Parents and kids alike can view the stats via the mobile app.
Since the Ace 3 doesn’t let kids access social media or watch YouTube like some other devices, parents don’t have to worry about them stumbling onto inappropriate content. But that doesn’t mean the experience is completely worry-free.
The Ace 3 can connect with the greater Fitbit community, where it's possible for kids to converse with strangers. Fortunately, Fitbit addresses this within the parental controls, which let you see and manage your child’s activity. Kids can add friends to their accounts for comparing activities, but only with their parent's permission.
Good for Tracking Activity, Not Location
Balancing control and capabilities on devices meant for kids is a tricky proposition. Parents mostly weigh safety features first and fitness or activity features second. Without GPS location or emergency calling, the Fitbit Ace 3 doesn't offer the safety features of a full-fledged kid tracker, and it covers only basic activities like steps and sleep. If you only need it for those purposes, however, it's a perfectly viable option. Parents who want or need location tracking will need to step up to a more advanced and expensive device like the Gizmo Watch 3.