“I'm Funkle Sean (Fun Unkle Sean). I built the Fone so my family could stay in each other's days — my niece and nephew, my parents, all of us.”
The golden age, handed down.
Staying close used to mean a voice, not a feed. Funkle Fone is a cute little box that lets your whole family trade voice messages — grandparents, parents, kids, anyone in the circle — no feed, no apps, nothing to scroll. It does one thing, and asks nothing of you.
How the deposit works: try the Fone for about 5 months, then send it back and I refund your $45 — or keep it, and the deposit covers it. Either way is fine. It's pre-release hardware that may change or stop working; you're helping me build it.
Curious, but not ready to test? Leave your email and I’ll write when there’s news worth hearing.
How it works
Made for every age
Six or ninety-six — one big button, a face, and a voice. Nothing to learn for a grandparent, no feed to fall into for a parent, and it’s theirs for a kid. Same box for all of you.
We ship each person’s device to them
Order one for anyone in your circle — a grandparent, a niece or nephew, yourself — and it ships to their door. All you need is their address. If a device is for a child, the box is addressed to their parent or legal guardian, because a grown-up has to set it up.
Get one for yourself
Recommended! Or join free from your iPhone or Apple Watch (the app is in beta via Apple’s TestFlight) — or any web browser.
They arrive linked — a grown-up sets them up
All ordered units can already talk to one another, but they are not plug-and-play. Every device is activated by an adult, about 10 minutes: join Wi-Fi, scan the code on the screen, and confirm you’re an adult through our identity partner (a card or photo-ID check — privacy law is strict here, and a checkbox won’t do). If the device will be used by a child, you also consent as their parent or legal guardian and you get a Console. Until that’s done the device stays inactive.
Grow the circle anytime
Add grandma, papa, or another aunt or uncle by app, watch, or website — extra devices not needed (but easy to link!).
Good to know
The companion app: iPhone & Apple Watch (for now)
The device works on its own — no phone needed. Anyone joining by phone instead uses the iPhone or Apple Watch app — on Android, the web app runs in your browser and adds to your home screen like any other app. A native Android app is on the roadmap. (The apps are for adults; on hardware, everyone.)
Needs 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi
What almost every home router already has.
Plug-in power, no battery
USB-C. Ships with an adapter and cable, or use any USB port.
How to return?
You don’t have to — keep it if you like it. If you’d rather send it back, pop it in a bubble mailer and mail it to California (return shipping is on you), and I refund your full $45 deposit.
Privacy & safety
Private by design
Voice notes auto-delete about a month after they’re sent — heard or not. Encrypted in transit and at rest. No ads, no tracking, and we never sell data.
You hold the controls
See every contact and remove anyone, keep favorite messages, and delete everything anytime — from your Console, the one place a grown-up manages every device in the family. Connecting takes a single-use code that expires — strangers can’t message a device.
Nobody listens
No one at Funkle Fone can hear messages unless the account holder — or, for a child’s device, their parent — asks us for time-boxed support access, and every access is logged.
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