Questions, answered plainly
Frequently asked questions
The basics
Who is Gammy for?
Gammy is for kids getting a calm first phone, seniors who benefit from bigger controls, people considering a dumb phone or flip phone for digital detox, and the parents and caregivers who set a phone up for someone else.
Is Gammy a separate dumb phone?
No. Gammy is software for Android phones. The idea is to make an existing smartphone feel like a simpler keypad-first phone before buying another device.
What phones does Gammy work on?
Gammy runs on Android phones (Android 8 and newer). It is tested most heavily on recent Motorola devices like the Moto G. It is software for a normal Android phone, not a separate device, and is designed to become the simple home screen.
Is it a touchscreen phone or a button phone?
Both, in a sense: the phone is a touchscreen, but Gammy puts a large on-screen keypad - D-pad, number keys, green CALL, red END - on every screen. Navigation works through those big buttons, not swipes or hidden gestures.
What are the three Gammy modes?
Gammy Focus, Gammy Full, and Gammy Managed are separate apps. Focus is normal app behavior for a primary phone, Full is launcher behavior for a primary phone, and Managed is kiosk behavior for a dedicated care-receiver phone.
Focus and digital detox
Can Gammy help with digital detox?
Yes. Gammy replaces the normal app-heavy home screen with a focused phone surface for calls, texts, trusted contacts, and practical tools. It is meant for people who want less app sprawl and fewer attention traps while keeping the useful parts of a smartphone.
How does this help with e-waste?
Gammy helps people reuse Android phones they already own or can buy secondhand, instead of purchasing a separate minimalist or detox device. It does not eliminate e-waste by itself, but it is designed around reuse before replacement.
Caregivers and setup
Can a caregiver set it up for someone else?
Yes. A trusted caregiver can set up contacts, emergency behavior, permissions, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and protected settings. For dedicated caregiver-managed phones, use Gammy Managed. Gammy is not a replacement for supervision, carrier controls, or device-level safety settings.
Can Gammy be a kid's first phone?
Yes. Gammy gives a child calls and texts without an app store, social feeds, or endless scroll. A parent sets it up and locks settings behind an admin PIN. For a dedicated first phone, use Gammy Managed, which can keep calls and texts to trusted contacts only. Gammy is not a replacement for parental supervision, carrier controls, or device-level safety settings.
Can a caregiver help update setup items?
When enabled for a managed phone, a trusted caregiver can use PIN-protected setup tools to update setup items such as the medication list. The feature is for agreed caregiver/admin setup, not monitoring.
Can the user get stuck or break something?
Design rule: no dead ends. Every screen has an obvious forward, back, or cancel. Settings that could cause trouble can live behind an admin PIN. Stronger lock behavior belongs to the dedicated Gammy Managed setup, while Gammy Focus and Gammy Full keep the Leave Gammy path visible.
Privacy and permissions
Why does Gammy ask for so many permissions?
Gammy replaces the home screen, phone app, and messaging app, so Android requires it to hold the same permissions those apps use: phone, SMS, contacts, notifications, alarms, calendar, camera, microphone, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and location for their respective tools. Each permission maps to a visible feature, and the privacy policy explains every one.
Is user data collected or sold?
No. Gammy is local-first: messages, contacts, photos, and medication lists stay on the phone. There are no ads, no analytics trackers, and nothing is sold. See the privacy policy for details.
Does it need the internet?
Daily essentials like calls, texting, contacts, photos, alarms, local audio, Bible reading, and Beau's typed fallback are centered on the phone. Wi-Fi or mobile data is only used by specific features that need it, such as streaming radio, navigation, or voice services supplied by the device.
Beau, SOS, and health
What is Beau?
Beau is Gammy's built-in voice helper. Press a button, speak a request like "call Mary" or "set an alarm for 7," and Beau confirms before acting. It works on the phone itself and also accepts typed input on the keypad.
What does the SOS button do?
It starts a short, clearly visible countdown, then calls the emergency contact the caregiver chose and sends them a text. It can fall back to local emergency services if configured. It is a convenience feature, not a guaranteed emergency-response or medical monitoring service.
Is Gammy a medical app?
No. Gammy can show medication routine items, notes, and reminders entered from existing care instructions, but it does not provide medical advice, dose recommendations, clinical monitoring, medication-adherence monitoring, or guaranteed emergency response. Medical questions should go to a qualified healthcare professional.
Pricing and help
How much does Gammy cost?
Pricing is being finalized for Gammy Focus, Gammy Full, and Gammy Managed. Until those launch terms are codified, the public site does not link to purchase or app-store flows. Email admin@gammystudios.com for availability questions.
How do I get help?
Email admin@gammystudios.com or visit the support page.