Last year, Google made YouTube Kids available on game consoles, Roku, and smart TVs bybaking it into the regular YouTube app. This brings the kid-friendly experience to a bunch of devices in your living room without switching to a separate app. Plus, it’s simpler to switch back to the full app when your kid’s done watching. Now, Google plans to make this the only way to access YouTube Kids on TVs later this year.
Google announced in asupport documentthat the standalone YouTube Kids app on TVs is waving goodbye in July. It’s not entirely the end, though; instead, the main YouTube app will be the new go-to for accessing YouTube Kids. This removes the need to hop between apps; the kid-friendly content will find a new home in the main YouTube client.
This change covers all platforms where YouTube Kids is available, including smart TVs,streaming devices(like Roku, Fire Stick, and Chromecast), and game consoles. To dive in, just click on your profile picture in the navigation drawer, open the “Who’s watching” screen, and select a YouTube Kids profile.
Nonetheless, everything else about the YouTube Kids experience stays the same. This means there are no changes to the content, parental controls, or settings. Google didn’t say whether the same change is coming to Android or iOS either. So, it looks like the company is keeping the separate apps for now on those platforms.
Kids can still catch YouTube Kids action even without being signed in. Usually, they would access YouTube Kids through a kid’s profile in the YouTube app. But they can also dive into the fun using a “Guest Account.”
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The YouTube Kids app for smart TVs has been around for seven years now, providing a kid-friendly space backed by a solid algorithm. Parents have been able to relax knowing that their kids can explore the platform without stumbling upon mature or raw content. The app puts parents in the driver’s seat, giving them control over their children’s experience.
With this upcoming update, Google will be able to pull the plug on developing the standalone YouTube Kids TV app as it’s seamlessly integrated into devices with the main client installed, making things smoother and more straightforward.
