Is there a truer adage than ‘what’s old is new again?’ We ask because, in the year 2026, a new type of landline is all the rage.
Driving the news: Tin Can, a startup that makes “new-school landlines” for kids, launched a program for parents, schools, and organizers to make bulk purchases of their Wi-Fi-enabled plug-in phones at a reduced cost. The program aims to capitalize on the product’s surging popularity.
Tin Can has sold hundreds of thousands of units since launch last spring, with the first five drops all selling out. In December, it raised US$12 million in seed funding.
Catch-up: Sporting funky, retro designs that evoke reveries of pizza nights and VHS tapes, Tin Cans work like a VoIP service. They make free calls to other Tin Cans and emergency services, and parents can add on access to approved outside numbers for a monthly fee.
Available in Canada for $135, the phones have a speakerphone feature, speed-dial buttons, and an answering machine. But most importantly, they don’t have a screen.
Why it matters: More and more parents want to keep their kids off smartphones for as long as possible because… I mean, do we really need to tell you? While some tweens use flip phones or smartwatches, Tin Can is a potential communications solution for younger kids.
Zoom out: Aside from shielding kids from the horrors of the digital world, landlines can also grant a sense of independence by empowering them to manage their own relationships and make their own plans, and gain phone etiquette skills many Gen Zers may have lost.—QH
