Update 10/8/2020 – The BBC and Tech Crunch have published some issues that indicate safety and security concerns with this device. Buyers beware.
Admittedly I am a huge nerd. Kevin and I have all the home automation gadgets. Wifi outlets, lights that change color with an app and we both carry conversations with virtual assistants way more than we should admit.
When I got an email from QIUI informing us about the Cell Mate Bluetooth device, I was beyond excited. Full disclosure, in exchange for posting a review we were sent two Cell Mate devices. Kevin is wearing one of them presently and we will be giving the other away to one of you lucky readers. Rest assured that the review will be as unbiased as possible.
Unboxing
The box is very nice. Packed neatly in foam the cage itself, an instruction manual and two base rings are packed neatly inside. It felt like I was unboxing a new phone. It didn’t feel cheap, everything looked rock solid and very high grade. The device ships with the locking pin closed so it needed to be paired to a phone before we could test the installation.
The QIUI App
The name of the app is QIUI and it is available on the Apple and Android stores. The Apple app has a 3.0 rating as of this writing and the Android app has a very weak 1.5 rating. I have an older Samsung phone so my review was using the Android app and I didn’t have any problem with it. I registered our device, unlocked it to allow Kevin to fit himself. We locked and unlocked it a few times just to be certain that it will be able to come off when needed. This is quite a bit of trust to place in the hands of any app, especially an app with a 1.5 star review. While there were good reviews, a couple of the more concerning ones got our attention.
The app has three buttons; friends, toys and me.
- Friends – The person controlling your device can be found here.
- Toys – Your device can be found here.
- Me – This section lists whatever personal data you choose to share.
Setup was easy, turn on Bluetooth, press the button on top of the device and click the next button. Worked right away.
What if it doesn’t open?
When trusting an app to lock valuables of any kind, it is equally as important to be able to access your valuables when you need to access them. There is no emergency unlock so what do you do? The rings are made from a zinc alloy which comparatively looks much better than stainless steel but is slightly less strong according to this article which ranks the two. Kevin said that he has some tools in the garage that could cut through it without damaging the goods. I left the ultimate decision up to Kevin since we were both somewhat leery based on the reviews. For some reason the iPhone crowd seems much more pleased as a whole so perhaps it is device dependent. We’ve been testing this for about two weeks and haven’t experienced any problems locking or unlocking using my Samsung Android phone.
Comfort
The cage looks somewhat bulky but it lays flat under clothing and doesn’t have the protruding bulge that some cages have beneath clothing. Both ring sizes fit nicely but the gap between the cage was tighter on the smaller cage so we went with the larger of the two. The fit was snug. We explored the inside of the cage with fingers first to check for sharp corners. I always recommend doing this, we’ve found far too many cages with sharp corners or edges. Sharp things can be fun if you are expecting them but unexpected sharpness and edges are not a good thing.
Final Notes
The sample cages that we received from QIUI are both large size and we wish that we had a small to test. Kevin didn’t quite fill the large when soft so we wish that it could have tested. Kevin said that the cage is lightweight and the size appears bulky but isn’t bad under clothing because of the smooth lines. Kevin also commented that the cage does feel quite secure when compared to the many other ball-trap type devices that we’ve tried. If you would like additional information, here is the user manual for the device and app.
It hasn’t been stated yet but it should be said that this is a very expensive cage. At nearly $200, this isn’t a cheap toy but for those of us that love gadgets, this might be fun. Kevin and I see each other daily but this might be especially fun thing to consider for a couple with some miles between them. If you want to give it a try, you can find it for purchase on Amazon.
Cool device. For me it overcomplicates thing via the app. Just use a small lock, mistress keeps the key, simple that way. Also there’s not that many useful features. Like the last time I hear of an app-based chastity belt was the Dreamlover 2000, which is a device that can shock the wearer or reward them using a vibration.
Oh wow that’s kind of a neat site. I’ll have to read more about the dreamlover. Thank you for sharing and I agree, lock and key is just fine for most of us but this might be interesting for long distance relationships or for those that go on business trips/work out of town frequently. Flying with this little bugger is probably unrealistic.
Hi Emma, it does sound quite exciting in a new tech way, but those bad review are a bit worrying . It would be very annoying to have to cut it open after spending so much on it!
I would like to enter your competition but I am one of your international subscribers alas. I may enter anyway and if I get lucky maybe it can be sold or auctioned for a good cause?
Kind regards
(Another) Kevin.
My friend and keyholder noticed it first. I can 100% confirm, that the hack doesn’t just affect older versions of the app as some websites say. I have the newest version and was locked out.
After my KH told me, I logged in and saw I had a new friend and message from them. And that they were now the designated “keymaster”. I was threatened that I would be locked forever if I didn’t send bitcoin to some (I guess) bitcoin account.
I responded to the ransom letter and said “thank you that’s just what I’ve always wanted” And then set about finding how to contact customer support. That went pretty well and I was free a short while later.
As it is now… unless there is a way to contact them outside of the app, then people will just have to wait. The server is dead or off etc while they fix things.
I’ve mentioned that my KH was leaning towards favoring an actual metal cage with keys to jangle… well… it arrives Sunday lol.
As for the device under normal situations… I did like that I could be unlocked even though she lives 30 minutes away. That was nice. And people came up with a few interesting games for it. But honestly… I’m kinda glad to be going back to metal. Hygiene is much easier for one thing.