The Yoto Player is a kid-centric, screen-free audio device that allows children to listen to digital content—audiobooks, music, and podcasts—via physical cards about the size of a credit card. Now in its 3rd generation, it’s still the same friendly, rubberized cube we love, but beneath the familiar façade, Yoto has made some much appreciated updates that turn an already great bedside companion into an even more impressive formidable battery-life champion.
Setup & Design
Setting up the Yoto Gen 3 is where the paradox of the “screen-free” device first hits you. This is a gadget for the internet age, and its revolution begins, ironically, with the parent hunched over their phone. While plugging in the device and seeing the pixelated face light up is satisfyingly simple, the initial configuration remains entirely routed through the companion app. To be clear though: setup is easy and the app itself is reliable and well-designed. It offers practical features like remote volume control and the ability to listen to content on a smartphone when the player isn’t handy. Once you’ve completed the initial setup (which includes connecting to Wi-Fi and choosing some other key settings like volume limits, the ‘Ok-to-Wake’ clock colors and times), you technically can never look at a screen again while using your Yoto.
The player’s build quality remains rugged, though, like any other kid’s device, it feels incomplete without the optional Adventure Jacket—a silicone cushion with handle that feels so necessary that frankly it should just be bundled in the box. Given the device’s $109.99 price tag, it’s absolutely worth investing in either the official Adventure Jacket for $30 or a similar product from Amazon for $10-$15. Also noteworthy is the addition of a thermometer, a mostly novelty feature whose temperature reading is buried in the app and is rarely used. Because of this, you cannot use the thermometer as a meaningful smart home component or data logger.
Battery Life and Charging (The Big Win)
The previous generation of the Yoto came with a nifty proprietary magnetic dock that made it a breeze for little kids to charge their Yoto. Unfortunately, these docks were prone to failure and replacement has become nearly impossible, which then renders the entire device useless. In fact, this is what happened to our Gen 2 Yoto. Thankfully, the latest Yoto has switched to USB-C fast-charging. It is worth noting though, that the small plug makes it slightly less accessible for the youngest children to handle independently. If that’s a concern for you, then you may want to invest in the now optional wireless charging dock that is available for an additional $35. In total, the move to USB-C better ensures long-term user and is absolutely a step in the right direction.
One of the biggest leaps forward here isn’t a splashy new feature: it’s just a much better battery: the battery life has more than doubled, jumping from the roughly 10-hour ceiling of the Gen 2 to an official 24 hours of play. Between the extended battery life and the USB-C charger, taking the Yoto with you on trips has become much less of a headache – you probably won’t need to charge it, but just in case you do, you probably already have a USB-C charger in your suitcase. It is worth noting though that the Yoto’s night light function only works when it’s connected to power.
Media Performance and Storage
Yoto claims to have brought some acoustic improvements to the table as well. While this may represent an internal upgrade, the previous generation already provided audio that was clear and loud enough for the target audience, so I’m not sure how much of a difference this really makes. The sound profile remains perfectly suited for both delicate bedtime stories and loud family play, delivering narration and musical scores that are perfectly adequate.
Yoto cards don’t actually store any content. Instead, they act as NFC tags that simply tell the device what content to play. When a kid inserts a card, Yoto starts downloading the content to store for future use. This all happens automatically, but it means that the internal storage is fairly key to how the Yoto functions. As such, families will love that Yoto decided to increase the storage to 32GB of storage (up from 16GB). This translates to over 600 hours of audio that can be stored offline, which mostly helps to minimize the dependency on Wi-Fi (especially if traveling).
Persistent Issue: Wi-Fi Instability
Despite its improved internal hardware, after a few months of use, our testing revealed ongoing, frustrating Wi-Fi connectivity issues that have tarnished the Yoto’s flawless reputation. We encountered two distinct failure modes: 1) Hard Disconnects where the device flat-out refuses to rejoin the network, forcing either a reliance on previously downloaded content or performing a factory reset; and 2) Intermittent Buffering when streaming episodic content (like Yoto Daily or episodic podcasts tied to Make Your Own Yoto cards). The latter is particularly maddening for a child: the content starts, pauses, and then tries again, leading to a persistent, frustrating loop of trying to get the stream to work, despite the Yoto claiming it has a strong signal. While annoying, this is primarily an issue for streaming content. Since the device quickly downloads the vast majority of content, these issues generally do not prevent local listening. It’s also worth mentioning that Yoto support was excellent in helping us address these issues, though US based users should know that support does not work US hours which means there’s a delay in getting a response (e.g. you email customer support today and have to wait until tomorrow for a response).
The Ecosystem: Content & Cards
The Yoto system’s greatest advantage is not the hardware; it’s the content model and the accessibility of its card ecosystem. Yoto’s official library is vast (over 1200 products), featuring hundreds of titles from major publishers, but the true gems are the original Yoto-produced shows. Free, constantly fresh content like Yoto Daily and the imaginative storytelling of Story Shed provide a nearly infinite supply of highly entertaining, engaging, and educational content that kids love.
The content accessibility and storage are a key difference compared to the competition. Yoto relies on thin, wallet-sized cards, meaning less house clutter, easier travel packing, and a more scalable library for older children (ages 6+).
Yoto also offers a subscription service called the Yoto Club. For a monthly or yearly fee, members receive two exclusive Club Passes (cards) a month and a 10% discount on all purchases in the Yoto store. Given the price of the cards, this subscription can be an excellent value proposition for families who plan on buying several cards a year, quickly offsetting the membership cost. However, it’s worth noting that not all content is eligible.
More importantly, the Make Your Own (MYO) cards are the golden ticket and the primary way the Yoto system saves parents money and keeps content fresh. These cards allow parents to create their own playlists of content and tie those playlists to a given card. The value here is immense: you can link MYO cards to constantly fresh, free podcast subscriptions (like But Why or Sleep Time Science), or upload your own MP3s and recorded stories from family members. This functionality transforms the Yoto from a simple purchased-content player into an evergreen source of curated, free content, ensuring the device remains interesting without forcing endless card purchases. In fact, this is our oldest child’s preferred way to use the Yoto.
Yoto vs. Toniebox
If the Yoto Player is the long-haul family minivan, the Toniebox is the specialized toddler-hauler. The Toniebox is often chunkier, more cushioned out-of-the-box, and the figurine-based interaction is magnetic for the youngest listeners. However, the Yoto Gen 3 pulls decisively ahead for longevity. The combination of its vast card library that grows into the chapter book years, 24-hour battery life (compared to the Toniebox’s roughly 10 hours), and the sheer convenience of its card format makes it the smarter investment for a family planning for years, not months, of screen-free listening. To be clear – the Toniebox is a popular device in its own right, but we feel that the Yoto is a better buy overall.
Final Verdict
The Yoto Player (3rd Generation) is absolutely one of the best toy investments we’ve made for our kids – it’s easy to use, they learn a lot, and they absolutely love both the content and the autonomy that the Yoto provides. With the 3rd generation, Yoto took a formula that works and made it slightly better. Even with the occasional headaches stemming from the Wi-Fi connectivity problems, we still feel that the Yoto is great product. Because of that, we say: If you don’t have one, you should get one. If you already have a previous generation, you may not need this, unless you’re having battery/charging issues or constantly running out of storage.
