Spacetalk Adventurer 2 Review: Exploring the Freedom Platform's Potential

Shortly before the unveiling of the Spacetalk “Freedom Platform” last November, my daughter Arraiya was asked to take on the Adventurer 2 review. If you have been in the market for a smart watch that comes with a secure and controlled environment for communications, Spacetalk would be on the radar. And if you were looking at them for a Christmas gift last year, you would have probably heard about the issues with the Freedom Platform launch. TL;DR The Spacetalk Adventurer 2 is a robust, cellular-enabled smartwatch designed for children’s safety, bypassing the risks of social media. While the initial launch of the Freedom Platform software was met with some user frustration, my testing found the current ecosystem to be reasonably stable and feature-rich. The Good: Excellent geofencing (Spaces), secure “Trusted Contacts” whitelisting, and a durable design that fits small wrists well. The Bad: The app has a steep learning curve; battery life requires nightly charging; still a bit of teething problems. The Bottom Line: At A$349 plus a monthly plan, it is a premium safety tracker. It is the ideal first device for parents who want GPS and SOS features without the dangers of a smartphone. Reviewing the Spacetalk Freedom Platform I had wondered how I was going to tackle reviewing the Spacetalk Adventurer 2. So I might as well address the elephant in the room right now. I did not start the review until school holidays kicked in weeks, after the Freedom Platform rollout happened. From what I have read, it was a problematic roll out and was not well handled by the customer support team. Before you all grab pitchforks and firebrands, I am only going by what I have garnered on the web and not personal experience. Yes there were issues with the new platform at launch, and some still persists. I can’t comment on the customer support side, upset customers tends to yell. Like all review units received by DRN, my Spacetalk Adventurer 2 is a retail unit. It is not some special reviewer release and I did not request or require technical support during the course of conducting this review. That is not to say that it was all smooth sailing. Little Miss Arraiya did a preview video of the Adventurer 2 last November. She has been using an activity tracker for most of 2025. We had strict rules about the usage of it especially during school time. We started with a hand me down, before she shown herself to be responsible enough to score an upgrade to a Xiaomi Smart Band 10. The Spacetalk Adventurer 2 was a next step which I honestly thought I was not quite ready for. Arraiya on the other hand, was keen as mustard. Aside from the launch issues with Freedom Platform, I had pushed back on starting this review because I wanted to sit down with her and set our expectations. She was enamoured with the idea that she can call me any time she wanted, an idea that I really had to disabuse her of. Design & Build: Adventurer 2 Compared to the Xiaomi, the Spacetalk Adventurer 2 is bigger and chunkier in every direction. Arraiya is a petite lass so the Adventurer 2 looks pretty big on her wrist. Not that she mind, with the extra power that she gets at her finger tip. The Adventurer 2 is a fraction shorter, but the square screen is much wider and a bit thicker as well in comparison. This is required to fit the cellular modem that underpin the core features of the device. And of course more screen real estate for the functions. Our review unit is the Dusk colourway, which is like a midnight blue. There is also a Frost colourway which is white. Aside from that, you can get band straps in a multitude of colours as an option.al accessory. A key thing to note is that the band strap is a decent length, the length with the holes measures eleven centimetres and is chockers with holes so it can take into account wrists of many sizes. We can easily fit it onto Arraiya’s wrist, and not at the tightest setting either! Step-by-Step Setup: SIM Activation & Spacetalk App The key to getting the Spacetalk Adventurer 2 going is a two part process: activating the sim with a plan getting the Spacetalk App on the phone and setting it up To activate the SIM and plan, you will need: the SIM number from the card inside the box. identity – what you need to enrol a new SIM service in Australia Select a mobile number, Spacetalk offers a couple of options to choose from Confirm the plan you want – 30 days, 180 days or 365 days Payment details On the app side: Add a member to your Space Turn off battery optimisation for the Spacetalk app on your OS Pair a watch Parental Controls: Customising the Watch Experience Set up SOS Activate school mode Set alarms Set a reminder if the watch is not being recharged at a certain time Reward good behaviour Preset messages Watch background The setup wizard will guide you through the process until completion. The New “Space” Ecosystem: Features & Tracking From the parent’s perspective, there is a bit of a learning curve. I have come in from the cold, not having use Spacetalk prior to the latest changes. So this review is focus on the new Freedom Platform and no comparison to the old. Space is the heart of the new platform. You create a Space and add members into this Space. All members of a Space must have the Spacetalk app installed and configured on their own phones. As a member of a Space, you will be able to: call each other send SMS access secure group chat GPS tracking Video calling (on a supported watch) In addition, you can create Places that the device will automatically check in (and out) when the geofencing detects the device within 40m to 1km (configurable) of the location. You can also create routes, say from home to school, or to grandparents. The settings will then map the most direct route between the two locations. There is an option to set a deviation allowance, between 40m to 1km, before triggering an alert. You can have multiple Spaces with varying number of members and features, depending on your subscription tier. The table below provides all the key details. Separate from a Space member, you can add Trusted Contacts which are non-app users. For example, if you want to add the child’s school, or an allied health professional into the contact list. It would be inappropriate to expect them to use the app and potentially be in hundreds or thousands of Spaces. The Trusted Contact whitelists a contact number for the Adventurer 2 to call out and receive calls. As a parent I can do all the usual things – call, video call and message the Adventurer 2. I can also request for Arraiya to do a feelings check-in, force a location refresh and track her wellness (step count, heart rate). Real World Usage It’s the long summer holidays, so Arraiya and I have been out and about together and separately. She has been told that she only calls for emergencies, and her being at home with mum or dad, whilst the other parent ducks out is certainly NOT an emergency. Didn’t stop her though. But it was certainly handy to be able to track her location, and call her when she is away from me. We have been down at the farm doing cherry picking, where she was allowed to wander off a little from us. It also gives her a peace of mind knowing that she can reach us when needed. Obviously though, it only works where there is cellular coverage. I also like that she can express her feelings with an emoji, because sometimes she just doesn’t have the words to tell us. We can reach out to her when she is feeling down. It is worth pointing out that whilst the Spacetalk Adventurer 2 has a IP67 rating – this is for protection against liquids for at least 30 minutes when submerged in shallow water up to one metre. This means you can shower with it on and we have done that plenty of times, but you don’t take it swimming. Battery Performance: One-Day Realities The Spacetalk Adventurer 2 is a small (compared to a mobile handset) device with a cellular connection. Depending on the usage, you will get a good day and a bit more of battery life out of it. You do want to recharge it overnight, and yes you should set the alarm for that task which also gets the device off the child at an appropriate time in conjunction with setting the sleep period. The downside is that you won’t be able to track sleep cycles, which is not a native feature of the watch. Kids’ Perspective: Arraiya’s Hands-On Video Review When Arraiya sets up the recording all on her own without telling me …. Areas for Improvement: App Navigation & Customisation There are a few. Let’s address the key ones. I think I have had a smoother setup experience than many people. I am not sure whether it is because of my familiarity with random gadgets, or whether I got lucky. Even for me, I found the app a little confusing to use. There are a lot of options available and I would suggest to take your time stepping through it and adding features gradually. Start with most restrictive and work your way to making more features available. There has been a few glitches, where the Spacetalk notifies me that Arraiya has left home – when she was sitting next to me eating dinner at home, or asleep in her bed. Even if she was having an out of body experience, I could still see the Adventurer 2 physically in front of me. Whilst cellular calls has been solid, the same can’t be said for video calls through the Spacetalk app / Freedom Platform. Whilst we were at the park and she was showing off the function to her friend, it was playing up. Calls were not connecting, or they connect but the video didn’t come up. I had the app crash on me many times. or throwing an error about not being able to get a signal. And to add salt to the wound, I have never been able to pick up a video call initiated by Arraiya. I get a notification on my phone, and if I tap on it, it launches the Spacetalk app which takes more than a few moments, but it doesn’t actually answer the call. The ability to change the wallpaper is nice, but there is no default gallery to pick from (or revert to). What’s in the Box? Here is what you should expect to find inside the packaging: Spacetalk Adventurer 2 Smartwatch with interchangeable straps Magnetic Charging Dock & Cable Screen Protector and cleaning kit for application Spacetalk Mobile SIM Activation Card (Required for 4G features) Quick Start Guide You do not need to purchase a SIM card and plan separately. The front of the box clearly states that SIM Card Included and it is pre-installed into the device. It is also stated clearly on the website. Verdict: A Secure Choice for Safety-Conscious Parents But .. Hardware wise, the Spacetalk Adventurer 2 is a solid unit that builds on the platform set by their previous devices. I fully acknowledge that the introduction of the Freedom Platform has caused some angst amongst the user base. Whilst I did not experience as much issues as some consumers, my experience was far from trouble free. Spacetalk urgently needs to resolve some of the stability issues with the app and functions. The video call is a pretty core feature and it seems that the app is letting it down at the moment. They also need to sort out the phantom and inaccurate notifications of the watch’s location. Over the review period, I did wrestle with the use cases of the Adventurer 2. It is a travel safety device – in that it allows me to be connected and track people who needs extra care – children, elderly, special needs. It is worn on their wrist rather than a phone that they could just put down and forget. However it is very much a “general wellness” device versus a “medical grade” device. That means activity tracking is basic, more informational than for serious events. For example, there is no AFib detection for the heart rhythm, and there is also no fall detection (although a different model does). That said, a medical grade device also costs substantially more. The Spacetalk Adventurer 2 on it own has a RRP A$349, but you will need to add a plan on top. At time of publishing, the bundle has been discounted to A$244.30 on their website. Spacetalk has streamlined their offering in 2026. The most important update for parents is that all active Spacetalk Mobile SIM plans now include the Spacetalk Plus App subscription (valued at A$7.99/month) for free. Plan Duration Upfront Cost Monthly Equivalent Total Annual Cost Best For… 30 Days A$17.99 A$17.99 A$215.88 Testing the device or short-term holiday use. 180 Days A$90.99 ~A$15.16 A$181.98 Semi-annual budgeting with a 15% saving. 365 Days A$164.99 ~A$13.75 A$164.99 The “Biggest Value” choice with a 23% saving. If you are looking for a device that is less likely to be put down and forgotten, has good parental controls and does not have social media on it, then the Spacetalk Adventurer 2 will fit the bill. However if you have medical concerns and need a tracker that suits that need, then this isn’t the device you are looking for. But as it stands with those Freedom Platform teething issues and the timing of the launch just before Christmas, I think Spacetalk needs to urgently iron those bugs out. DRN would like to thank Spacetalk for providing the review unit. Technical Specifications