Giving your kids a bit of independence can be freeing, and when it comes to the idea of screen-free entertainment, it can also be a form of peace of mind for the parents, as well.
Without a big screen and a common operating system, screen-free gadgets can let kids be entertained and even educated without getting lost in the myriad of mobile apps that adults are already somewhat weary of.
It’s why gadgets like the Yoto Player have won praise from this journalist in the past. Armed with cards that let kids access audiobooks and tunes, the system makes a lot of sense, and basically works as a modern day tape player, but substituting cards for cassettes.
As clever as it is, the technology can seem a little stuck. While it comes in both a portable compact option and a much larger bedside-bound option, it is at its core a net-connected speaker that takes special pre-programmed cards and DIY cards, and that’s about it. Kids have the control by using the cards. What more can you do?
It turns out Yoto has been thinking about that, and has added a button.
Specifically, it has added a green button that allows the 2026 Yoto players to work without the card. Parents can set up what the green button accesses in the app, giving kids a simple way to dial the button like a knob (twist?) and then press it like a button to lock it in, playing up to 20 assigned songs, stories, or podcasts without needing to use a Yoto card.
That means if the parents record a bunch of stories, they can be assigned to the green button, as can the favourite songs, and maybe some of the digital-only stories available on the platform sans-card.
The green button is basically acting as a shortcut of sorts, connecting kids to content without needing to reach for a physical card or the mobile phone their parents will end up using.
That green button is the main thing that separates the 4th-gen Yoto Player models, but both big and small are getting updated a little more.
The bigger bedside Yoto 4th-gen gets a faster processor with speedier WiFi and Bluetooth, 64GB storage supporting over a thousand ours of audio, and a large night light built-in redesigned to have adjustable brightness in seven colours. There’s even a replaceable battery coming next year, handy if you plan to keep the Yoto going for several years, growing with your kids.
The smaller Yoto Mini 4th-gen will also improve on its predecessor, seeing that new processor with WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 6.1, as well as the same 64GB storage, too. But it will skip the night light and provide a water resistance rating of IP67, making it a little more kid proof from the get go.
Both models will remain compatible with the existing Yoto cards, handy for parents that have either, or even for parents looking to see what’s out there right now. However, both will be found in stores from October, with the Yoto Mini 4th-gen priced at $175, while the Yoto Player 4th-gen (the bigger one) will be found for $230.
