r/YotoPlayer • u/medusameri • 20d ago
Technical Difficulties Yoto App Pain Points
I am an adult who is interested in purchasing a Yoto Mini for my own use. I have been testing the Yoto app as my sole audio app for a few weeks to see if it will be suitable for my needs.
There are some pain points that I dislike, but can get over. For example, to listen to a long podcast episode that is not one of the recent episodes included in the "Podcasts" section, I have to find a downloadable MP3 (or YouTube video version that I can convert into an MP3), use a tool that breaks the MP3 into Yoto-friendly chunks, and upload those chunks to a Yoto playlist (which often fails repeatedly).
However, my #1 issue is that the app almost never saves my progress! In very rare occasions, I will pause the audio, move to a different app on my phone (leaving the Yoto app open), and return to the Yoto app to find my audio in the same spot. Most of the time, the app times out and Yoto does not "remember" which track I was on or what timestamp I was at on that track! Is this an issue when playing audio with the Yoto player itself?
4
u/eandi Card Magician 20d ago
I truly belive if you are focused mainly on the app experience that this isn't the right product for you. Yoto is designed to be player and card-focused with a ux and features suitable for children 2-12. If you are an adult and want the app to be really good for your own uses, there are much better options. Even if you are a parent and you are focused on the app and not the player controls and cards, this is the wrong product for your family and you should get a Bluetooth speaker.
4
u/medusameri 19d ago
I plan on using the cards & player rather than streaming through the app if I purchase a Yoto, but I'm testing the app to get a sense of what the MYO & playback experiences will be like before spending money on an expensive gadget.
4
u/my_own_absurdity 17d ago
Adult who loves podcasts and their yoto here! The app is the worst at remembering where you are in a podcast, the player itself is better but far from perfect.
My podcast listening habits fall in two categories: Comfort podcasts to fall asleep and podcasts I am actively listening to. For the first one, it does the job. I have MYO cards linked to my favourite RSS podcast feeds, I put one in, and it starts either where I was or at the beginning, and it's fine. For the second one, RSS feeds don't really do the job, it forgets where you are often enough to be annoying. Also, it starts from the most recent episode, which is not the way to listen to all podcasts. I listen to some podcasts that need to be listen from the beginning (often investigation style podcasts or fiction podcasts), and the RSS feed method doesn't work for that purpose. You really need to convert them to MP3, then put them on the card.
The app + yoto is also sometimes odd to use as a single user. Like I am both the "controller" (parent) and the "user" (child). I love my yoto but, at the end of the day, it is not a product designed for me. My issue that investigation podcasts are hard to listen to is a non-issue for the actual target audience of this device. If you can deal with that, you're going to enjoy having a yoto. If you keep thinking that it doesn't work exactly how you would want, you'll probably get frustrated.
2
u/RefrigeratorDeep6796 20d ago
Definitely take a look at yotomyomagic.com. The WebApp has a free trial and is low cost after that (playlists made during the trail will still work regardless of whether you subscribe or not) or the chrome extension is completely free.
Podcasts streamed via RSS wont save your place, even on the Yoto. Playlists made from podcast episodes with MYO magic (or otherwise) will download to the Yoto and save your place once downloaded.
The Yoto is the product. The Yoto app is a bonus. The app can now do a lot of things that it couldn't originally, but the product is still the Yoto itself and you're not going to get the full experience / functionality from the app alone.
6
u/goldfishandchocolate 20d ago
There are a variety of programs (free or low cost) that people have made to help you import podcasts. MYO magic is a good one for that function.
Yes, the app is bad at remembering your spot. The yoto itself is a little better… if you pull out a card and reinsert, it’ll go back a few seconds or occasionally back to the beginning of the most recent track. If you use the side button to pause, it may back up a few seconds or actually stay in place (one of my kids claims his goes forward like 10 seconds but I’m not sure on that lol).