GlocalMe's PetPhone Is The Purr-Fect Device For Pet Owners On The Go

For years, people have quipped about wanting to talk to their pets on the phone, and the closest they'd come is speaking through a camera plugged into a wall somewhere in their house. (Seriously, those videos are so charming and funny.) But now, GlocalMe has an option that attaches to pets' collars so you can talk to them or track them without them needing to be in a specific room: the GlocalMe PetPhone.

The PetPhone comes in two striking colors — pink and green (perfect for "Wicked" fans) — and costs $89.99 for the product and one free month of service. Or, you can buy the product in a bundle with one year of service for $149.99 at the time of writing. GlocalMe kindly sent me the product in exchange for an honest review, and I immediately set out to test it during my one-month window. I only encountered one hiccup at first: My cats don't normally wear collars, so I needed to run out and buy one for my 8-year-old orange cat, Helios.

The package I received contained the device, two bands through which you'd loop the collar, a charging cable, an instructions manual, and an extra cover for the main button for some slight customization. I really appreciated this because it came with a dog's paw-print cover attached, but I was able to easily swap it to a cat's head instead (as seen in the photo above). Then, it was time to test the PetPhone.

My PetPhone came with a 5% charge, but that was more than enough to get it set up on GlocalMe's app and even begin testing it before I needed to plug it in. Creating an account on the app and pairing the device to my phone was simple enough. However, I hit a snag when turning the PetPhone on for the first time. You hold the button on the device for a few seconds until it lights up, but my app didn't register the device as "online" for a few minutes, leaving me puzzled and wondering if I'd paired it incorrectly.

Once the device was active, I was able to begin tracking and speaking to Helios. Options here include calling the pet like you would another human, sending pre-recorded voice messages, and playing music. I tested the phone call feature first and was delighted when it connected to Helios' device in just a few seconds. I could hear my voice coming from his body loudly and clearly. However, the voice message feature was much quieter — to the point that I didn't know if it was working at first. I re-recorded my message with a louder speaking volume and sent it to the device again; this time, I was able to hear it, especially as I drew nearer to Helios.

One of my favorite features is the built-in music. From the app, you can select from a wide variety of classic music tracks, which will play on the cat's speaker. The default volume is quite quiet, but you can easily change it to be louder. Helios seemed confused at first but fell into a lull after a few moments. This is great for pets that might be anxious or riled up.

Outside of speaking and music, one of the main functions of GlocalMe's PetPhone is tracking. There's a map in the app that shows the device's location, therefore showing where your beloved furry friend is. My cats always stay indoors, as I live on a busy street and don't have any backyard space in Chicago, but this would be great for cats that live both indoors and outdoors. I loved the light-tracking feature, as it also benefits indoor pets. Helios likes to hide, but the button on the device can glow fairly brightly, helping me find him when he's hiding under a bed or in any other dark place.

Overall, the PetPhone is a novel device. It might not be for everyone, but I think that busy pet parents might find it useful. They can check in with their pets and even monitor certain health needs from the app. I would love to see an easier way to limit the push notifications the app sends, though. Within about a 45-minute span, I received four notifications that all contained the same message about Helios being thirsty. I may have simply missed a setting, but I couldn't find a way to turn this notification off. Still, that's not enough to dissuade me from continuing to use the PetPhone while I have the remainder of my one-month trial.

Helios is the more aggressive of my two cats, so the music function specifically may bring some tranquility to our home, but I don't know that I'll buy a service plan long-term. A one-year plan costs $96, or $8 per month, but I probably won't get enough use out of it to warrant this price tag, especially because I work from home. People on the go may find this worthwhile, however.