Hello Parents,

It’s time for another review. This time we look at the Yoto Player, a screen-free audio player designed for kids. Let’s dive in!

Quick Overview:

Yoto Play brands itself as “The Screen-Free Audio Platform For Children”. That might be confusing because there is, in fact, a screen—but that screen is quite retro with its blocky pixel images so we’ll give it a pass for now. 

The real selling points for Yoto are simple:

• No cameras
• No microphones(Echo Dot, we’re looking at you)
• No ads
• No internet browser or app store on the device

It’s a lovely concept: basically Audible with a stand-alone device that’s actually safe for kids. Yoto provides a low-tech way to listen to audio books and even podcasts. There’s no internet or upsells—just a speaker, a small screen that shows a pixel-style cover art.

A Deeper Dive:

High-points:

1. No internet. This means no strangers, bullies, unwanted content, or opportunities for misplaced curiosity.
2. Minimal screen interactions. Ok, it has a screen, but it’s more of a cute emoji producer than an interactive engagement tool.
3. Cards are the tape cassettes of the digital age. There’s something fun about placing a physical item in a player: records, CDs, video game cartridges. I’m a fan.
4. $9 a book is reasonable. There are some series that are cheaper on audible (one credit will get you all 5 Narwhal books for example), but that’s a small price to pay for getting unhooked from a smartphone.
5. You can make yourself a podcast card. Using the “make your own” feature, you can let your child can listen to resources like Circle Round or similar wholesome content, without having to give them your phone.
6. It can be the training alarm for your child (moon for sleep, sun for ok to get up)
7. You can record your own. I love this for the kids and I also love the idea of being able to record little read-alouds and have the kids listen to them. We’ve done this with our own recording setup, but it’s a HUGE hassle (mic, computer, stand, books, all moved upstairs), and doing it directly onto a little card is a neat idea.

Considerations:

1. You will need wifi and a smartphone (for the app) to setup your Yoto, so you can’t be completely off the grid with it.
2. There will be a monthly membership option if you’re interested. They paused memberships in 2022, but are set to open them again in October, 2022.
3. Compared to Audible, the selection of stories can feel limited. While the Roald Dahl options are amazing (our children love Matilda, Charlie, and the BFG), I searched a few of other favorites and found they weren’t yet available: Little House, Swiss Family, The Hobbit, Wild Robot. The audio library is growing rapidly, so more titles may come on board in the future.
4. Their music is creative, but they seem to bundle popular options with potentially less popular ones (the Frozen soundtrack is bundled with Pinocchio, for example). It’s not terrible, but for $45 some people may want a little more control over what they get.
5. While the product says 4+ to 12+, it feels more for the 4-8 year old range. Older kiddos will enjoy it, but the depth of stories may not be there yet.
6. Many devices allow you to simply connect a device (smartphone, laptop) to a bluetooth device. You could just buy an Anker ($30) or a Bose Color II ($129), then use any other audio app (Audible, Apple Podcast, Spotify, Amazon Music) to play songs and stories. Anna and I have a ten year old Bose Color I that still lasts a week on a charge. We use audible Audible and set the play timer to go off after the kids are asleep.

Conclusion: A lovely, low-tech option

All in all I love this type of product—it allows families to have all the best parts of the internet without the needless or even harmful engagement traps (links to other products, distracting apps, web browsers, social media, data capture). It seems like this particular product still has some growing to do, but if there are stories you like on there it could be well worth the expense to get such a fun, analog-style audio book device.

It’s not the cheapest option out there, especially when it comes to listening to music you love, but it’s wins on design strength and whimsy, and could be a great option for families looking to keep their home stories strong and their children safe.

Want more reviews?

Send me your requests! Send me a note at nathan@gospeltech.net or DM me @loveGodusetech on IG and FB.

Want more info?

Check out Yoto’s quick intro video to their product.