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Google's latest Play policy changes could bring some new emoji to your favorite apps
They also tackle regional enforcement issues and social interactions for kids apps
App publishers and consumers will need to be aware of some new Play Store policies coming into effect over the next several months. It'll keep devs on their toes for new emoji, keep kids safe while interacting with others, and provide some granularity on where certain apps can be seen.
Fitbit's top of the line Sense smartwatch is under $200 for Prime Day, lowest price ever
The Fitbit Sense, Inspire 2, and Ace 2 all have dramatic discounts
Among Amazon's smorgasbord of Prime Day deals, a wide swath of Fitbit's wearable devices are on sale. The clear standout is the top-of-the-line Fitbit Sense, normally $300 but today discounted down to 9.95, even cheaper than the step-down Versa 3. It's available in either black or gold, with accompanying silicone bands, and it ships for free. Elsewhere in the Fitbit line you can pick up an Inspire 2 tracker for $56.99 ($33 off) or the kid-friendly Fitbit Ace 2 for just $29.99 (a whopping $40 off). These come in a variety of band colors, sadly lacking the Minions flavor that was recently revealed.It's worth noting that, technically, this is the rare case of Amazon showing deals on Google-branded hardware, since Google purchased Fitbit lock, stock, and barrel. It's also worth noting that future Fitbit models will run on the improved version of Wear OS, while preserving the company's much-loved current ecosystem. So if you're looking for fitness hardware with a bit of "future-proof" reliability, you might hesitate before pulling the trigger.Buy: Amazon
Google Kids Space aggregates children-friendly content on Android tablets
Coming first to Lenovo's lineup
We'd wager that a lot of the extra time that children are spending at home is going to tablets, so it's convenient that Google is releasing a kids mode for Android tablets called Kids Space. It basically aggregates kid-friendly apps and videos, as well as 400 free books (in the US).
YouTube Kids will release over 100 movies to keep your little ones entertained for free
Full quality content for your kids at no cost, that's a treat!
The pandemic has forced many of us to stay at home, and in a lot of cases, this also meant working from our abodes. This has been a particularly tough situation for parents, who need to look after their kids while on lockdown. YouTube wants to offer a solution to make things easier for families by adding more than a hundred movies to its Kids collection.
Google Play Music is on the way out but YouTube Music still isn't available for kids under 13
You might have to switch to another service if kids account support is important to you
A year and a half ago, we warned that you shouldn't migrate your family subscription to YouTube Music if you want to keep your Play Music child accounts intact. With the shutdown of Play Music inching closer, the situation has changed a little, but the core of the problem is still present: According to YouTube's terms, children under the age of 13 aren't allowed to use the service officially — only YouTube Kids is open to them. Thus, young minors won't be able to stream once Google shuts down Play Music.
Spotify Kids launches in the US, Canada, France — now available in 12 countries (Update: New features)
It still requires a Premium Family membership
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To give parents peace of mind while their children are listening to music, Spotify is introducing a separate app for younger users. Only hand-picked, kid-friendly audio content will be available through the new app, whose bright and colorful UI with oversized buttons will make it easier for little ones to explore.
The days of plopping kids in front of a TV to distract them are waning — these days, it's usually a tablet loaded with apps. But picking out the right sorts of apps for your kids can be tough. Google hopes to make that a bit easier for parents with two new changes coming to the Play Store: A new Kids tab filled with apps best suited for them, and a new "teacher approved" app rating to mark the cream of the age-appropriate crop.
Netflix expands parental controls, introducing profile PINs and more
Moms, dads, and those with poorly-mannered roommates rejoice
Netflix is giving users more controls who can access which profile and what titles they can access from within. Most of these additions are for meant to tailor the viewing experience for kids, but for groupies sharing a single account, at least one of the changes will relieve some people from having their content suggestions bombed by their fellow viewers.
YouTube highlights channels that help children learn while they're stuck at home
Complementary content to assist with homeschooling
Millions of children are stuck at home right now due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that doesn't mean they should be in summer holiday mode just yet. To help parents get into the homeschooling groove, Google has put together a list of Youtube creators and channels that make learning from home easier for kids of all ages.
It can take a fair bit of time for a series of major changes to a service everyone's seemingly familiar with to register with constituents. When YouTube announced its beefed-up compliance measures for the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act, independent content creators rang the first alarm bells, fearing their videos would be subject to restrictions on their creative voice and revenue. Now, viewers are beginning to complain about the loss of features on their end whether they're trying to keep their kids educated and entertained or if they happen to enjoy some nostalgic puppetry themselves. So, we're taking a comprehensive yet concise look at what's been going on and what might come next.
Amazon just reported that Alexa is now available on over 85,000 devices, a 41% spike from May, from 9,500 brands — up another 28.3% from four months ago. With those kinds of numbers, it is paramount that more thought be put into a user's sense of privacy and security when they own an Alexa product. Today, the company announced a number of improvements, features, and skills it has worked towards in the past year with some new features available from today — notably including the coming addition of Samuel L. Jackson as a voice for Alexa.We've compiled most of these milestones and upgrades as was announced during Amazon's event today into a handy-dandy bullet point list. You may find a couple more details we may have not listed at the Amazon Day One blog here.
Google (via YouTube) is rolling out new protections in the coming months for children using the video-streaming platform in the wake of the recent $170 million FTC settlement. As part of that change, personalized ads and comments on children's content will be eliminated, data collection for viewers of children's content will be reduced to the bare minimum required to "support the operation of the service," and content creators will be required to tag children's content as such.
Google has plenty of digital minefields for children and parents to navigate through — inappropriate videos on YouTube labeled for children are just one of them — but Android apps have also been a tricky place. Today, the company has announced sweeping changes to its Play Store policies, including new requirements for anyone publishing apps intended for kids.
We've recently told you about Rivet, a free reading-practice app for kids developed by Area 120, Google's experimental product division. Since the software is still in beta phase, it's continuously improving with better features and interface tweaks. The app was initially designed for tablets because they offer a better experience, and couldn't be installed on phones through the Play Store. The APK could still be sideloaded on handsets, though, but the interface didn't look pleasing compared to larger screens. However, the application has just been updated and now officially supports smartphones as well.
Netflix has changed TV consumption behavior all around the world, but first and foremost in the US. It enabled many households to become cord cutters, turning their backs on traditional cable TV and relying on internet services like Netflix, Amazon Video, Hulu, YouTube TV, and others instead. The advantage with many of these is that they have no or barely any advertisement, compared to regular TV. This has implications on kids in these households, too, saving them from up to 400 hours of ads a year.
If you've got a young kid who's into music, you might want to give them something nice to listen on. Good Bluetooth headphones can get pricey, though — and loud, which can be particularly harmful for young ears. Enter these Puro Sound Labs headphones. Their volume is limited to safe levels, and right now, they're half off at 50 bucks.Wirecutter picked the BT2200 as its best kids headphones, noting that it's one of only a handful of models that actually restrict volume to a safe 85 decibels. Customers are generally satisfied, too — the headphones currently hold a four-star rating on Amazon.
Being a parent in this digital age is a tough affair, so plenty of apps aim to help families manage their children's smartphone usage and online activities. Google's Family Link, which is available worldwide, is one such example, but as always, there's a delicate balance between features and restrictions. Duo is one of the latter.
Just a few days after Google's "Dump your valentine" discount, Amazon has come up with its own deals, in time for February 14. These offers are more relevant, though, and are worth considering if you're short of gift ideas. Most of the giant's connected home devices are on sale, including Echo speakers and smart displays, Fire TVs, cameras, and even Kindles.Amazon's speakers have been marked down several times in the last few weeks, including deals on the Echo Plus and Echo Input, but the retailer is going stronger now to rival Google's bundles. Among the most appealing deals, there's a $15 discount on the Echo Input so you can bring Alexa to any regular speaker or audio system for just $20. If you'd rather buy a smart product from the get-go, Amazon is taking some dollars off most of its Echo line-up.
If you've considered getting a smart speaker for an area your kids spend time in but you're worried they might break it, the Echo Dot Kids Edition should be up your alley. It's a regular Echo Dot, but with some additional features to make it extra kid-friendly. It's normally a steep $69.99, but it's currently on sale for $39.99.The hardware is a straight-up Echo Dot, but it comes with a colorful case in one of three colors to make it less susceptible to your standard kid wear and tear. If your tyke does manage to bust the thing, Amazon will replace it for free, as long as it happens within two years of purchase. You also get a year subscription to FreeTime Unlimited, which includes children's audio books, activities, and music. On its own, the service costs up to $119 per year, so if you're interested in that sort of thing, this really is a bargain.
Back in April, Google announced that it was readying new features for the YouTube kids app to give parents greater control over the content their children are able to access. The ability to carefully select every channel and video available on the account is now going live, as well as a new experience for 'Older' kids.