I have been looking at classic dumb phones for months, but the day has come when my son needs his first phone. Enter Assistive Access—a feature hidden in iOS that turns an iPhone into a perfect kids’ dumb phone.

Unlike Apple’s standard child screen-time restrictions, this mode blocks internet browsing entirely, making it impossible for children to access potentially harmful apps or content. Instead, you can set up only the essential applications, ensuring your child has access to calls, messages, maps and music—nothing more.

The process is surprisingly straightforward: navigate through settings, select Assistive Access, choose preferred appearance and allowed apps. And voilà! You have a customizable, completely safe dumb phone with no monthly fees but the added benefit of FaceTime, navigation, and Find My tracking.

My chosen setup includes Calls, Messages, Maps, Camera, Photos, and Music—nothing else. I’ve repurposed an old iPhone 13 from a drawer into the best six-app dumb phone money hasn’t bought. Not a bad thing at a time when Apple’s prices are skyrocketing.

This can grow with him too. Right now, I’m toying with adding Wallet so he can pay for things with his Acorns Early account. If I want to add Safari or Spotify in the future, a simple tap into the Assistive app settings lets me do so securely and without risk of workarounds.