Disclaimer: We were sent the Yoto Player 3rd Generation to review free of charge, but words and pictures are mine. This post contains affiliate links, see more information here. GET 5% DISCOUNT ON A YOTO PLAYER OR YOTO MINI USING THE CODE AFF-WHINGE5 HERE.
I genuinely think Yoto Players are fantastic audio players, in fact they’re fantastic in general.
They work as my kids’ alarm clocks to get them up in time for school, and stories on their Yoto Players have become part of their bedtime routine every day. I’ve encouraged family and friends to buy them because I genuinely believe they’re a brilliant product and without a doubt, the best audio player for kids out there (and I’ve tested quite a few!). They’re fab for older kids as well as younger ones with loads of great audiobooks available.
We have the original 2nd generation Yoto (reviewed here), and the Yoto Mini (reviewed here), and recently we were sent the brand new and improved 3rd generation Yoto Player to review.
Yoto Player 3rd Generation: What’s new?
Wondering what’s new about the Yoto Player 3rd Generation, and how it compares with the older 2nd Generation model? Hopefully this will help you out!
To look at, the new third generation Yoto Player looks very similar to the original, with the addition of a rim around the face. If you have an Adventure Jacket, you won’t even see this!
It’s the same size, with only minor changes such as the power button being moved to make way for the charging port.
The sound quality in the newest Yoto Player is slightly better and less tinny; noticeably so if you have the two to compare side by side and play at higher volumes.
The controls have remained the same and you use the same App with it, so it functions just like the previous Yoto Player.
However, there are some bigger changes with the third generation Yoto Player, which are summarised in the table below:
The main differences between the 2nd and 3rd gen Yoto players are that in this iteration, the charging dock base has been dispensed with in favour of a USB-C charger, which means it can be charged up anywhere.
Once charged, the Yoto Player 3rd Generation will last up to 24 hours – more than either the 2nd generation Yoto Player or even the Yoto Mini. There are wireless docks available to buy separately which cost £25 when bought with a new Yoto Player, or £29.99 when bought separately.
The third generation Yoto can be paired with wireless Bluetooth headphones, which the 2nd generation can’t. It also has double the storage capacity of the 2nd gen Yoto and the Yoto Mini, with 32gb of memory.
Lastly, there is an inbuilt thermometer which allows you to see the temperature in your child’s room from the app. Nifty, eh?
What’s in the Yoto Player 3rd generation box?
Inside the box, you get:
- Yoto Player 3rd generation
- Instructions
- Yoto Make Your Own / Welcome Card
- An orange USB-C charging cable
Note that the orange Adventure Jacket pictured is sold separately and costs £24.99. This silicone cover not only protects your new Yoto Player, but means that you can balance it at a 45 degree angle. It’s also available in blue, pale green and pink.
How does the Yoto Player 3rd Generation compare price-wise?
Price-wise, the Yoto Player 3rd Generation costs £99.99, which is £10 more expensive than the older second gen model was, however it it still an excellent buy and will soon become one of your most-used and well loved electronics. GET 5% OFF A YOTO PLAYER OR YOTO MINI USING THE CODE AFF-WHINGE5 HERE.
I’ve already got the second generation Yoto; should I upgrade?
If you already have a second generation Yoto Player, you may be wondering whether to invest in the third generation Yoto Player after reading this review. The good news is that the app will still support the 2nd gen players; indeed, we still have second generation Yotos in the house and will continue to use them for as long as they last.
However if you want more space to download audiobooks, or want the ability to connect Bluetooth headphones, then it is something to consider in time. It is better, but personally I’d stick with what I had!
How to set up the 3rd Generation Yoto Player
Firstly you need to download the free Yoto App which you can find on their website. It will guide you through the steps to connect your player to your home WiFi.
If you struggle to connect and see an error code when you try to log on to your home WiFi, ensure that you select automatic connection and not ‘connect manually’. This is something to do with 5ghz WiFi, which the Yoto doesn’t recognise – but we got there after a few goes!
Once you’re connected, you can access the brilliant Yoto Daily podcast, Yoto Radio which plays ad-free music all day, and play audio books and music directly from the App. Once the card has been downloaded into the Yoto Player’s library, you no longer need an internet connection in order to play it!
The Yoto App
The Yoto App is improving all the time with new content being added to it. In the years that we’ve been using our Yoto Players, it’s been updated and improved many times and had many new features added. You don’t actually need to purchase your own Yoto Player to use the app – so if you want to try it out, you can! Check out the Yoto App on their website here.
Briefly, using the App means that you can play anything from you Yoto Card library without the card, and you can set sleep timers. You can view the battery level, set the volume, brightness of the screen and colour of the nightlight, set the controls for the buttons, choose when the Yoto shows the ‘night time’ and ‘day time’ modes (which makes it similar to a Gro Clock or younger children), and set alarms.
You can also use the app to pair the Yoto to your bluetooth for use as a speaker.
Yoto Cards
There are hundreds of cards in the Yoto Card library, suitable for children of all ages. You can see some of our recommendations here and here, or check out the library for yourself here.
The Yoto Club
As of October 2022, the Yoto Club is now easier to use and you get more cards to pick from every month.
Each month on your billing date, Yoto will add two Club Credits to your account. Each Club Credit equals one Yoto Card, and instead of choosing from 10 pre-selected Yoto Cards, you’ll take your pick from a much wider Yoto Club collection within the Card Store. There are already over 100 titles to pick from!
You can choose your Yoto Club Cards whenever you want them, and keep the Club Credits for up to 12 months.
As well as this, you will get 10% off all cards and free shipping on everything, all the time.
It still costs £9.99 a month and with most cards costing around that much, it’s a much cheaper way to build you Yoto Card collection. See the website here for more details of how to join.
Yoto Player Discount
If you’re a member of the Yoto Club, you can get 10% off all cards and free shipping off everything.
You can get also get a 5% discount on a Yoto Player or Yoto Mini from the end of July 2023, using the code AFF-WHINGE5 HERE.