Amazon isn’t ready to just pause and take a deep breath, it wants to keep going and conquer each platform. Today, it is proving to be a savior for hundreds of children as its Amazon FreeTime services are finally making their way past the Kindle and Fire tablet. It was also available on Fire TVs before today.
This existing service, which has taken the form of an Android app, provides you instant access to kid-friendly content and parental controls, among other things — all in one location. It provides children access to more than 40,000 YouTube videos, websites, and content deemed suitable for them by the FreeTime team. And since the device will be handed down to a kid, their parents have been provided a robust set of controls to manage the time spent by their kids on the app.
Speaking on the release of the app on Android, Kurt Beidler, Director of Kids & Family, Amazon said,
Now, whether it’s a Mom sharing her Android phone with her child or a child learning to use their first Android tablet, Amazon FreeTime Unlimited makes it easier for kids to have unlimited access to a broad selection of the content they love — on a wide range of phones and tablets — while giving parents peace of mind.
The official press statement goes on mention that Amazon FreeTime service has attracted more than 10 million kids to the service, which was provided to them by their parents. Earlier, the e-commerce giant was using this service to attract some conscious parents to purchase Fire Tablets, Kindle e-Readers, and Amazon Fire TV. However, the strategy is now changed and they’re encouraging the parents to access the FireTime service directly on their Android devices.
The e-commerce giant has touted the availability of intuitive parental controls alongside the Amazon FireTime service and it surely delivers on the promise. It enables you to set time restrictions for each type of content available within the app, meaning you could restrict YouTube video to 30 minutes and reading for two hours — so your kid develops the said habit. You have been provided with other useful feature, which let you toggle content availability until educational goals aren’t met and switch off the app at nighttime.
Learn First, which hides all entertainment content until daily educational goals are met, and Bedtime, which automatically turns off FreeTime at night and keeps it off until the wake-up time parents set—with weekday and weekend settings.
The Amazon FreeTime Android application is free to access for everyone but you will have to shell out $2.99 per month to purchase an Unlimited plan if you’re a Prime subscription holder. But, you’d have to pay $4.99 per month to make more information available to your children — expected as per existing subscription plans.
This subscription service appends the existing library of content available to the kids with more than 10,000 age-appropriate books, games, videos, and applications. It includes content from popular brands such as — Disney, Nickelodeon, Amazon Studios, PBS Kids, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster. Also, it has been noted that it works differently on Android devices as you’d have to install the apps or games separately — depending on your choice. This has possibly been done to avoid clutter and preserve some precious space on our hand-held devices.
Here’s a handy list of books and video you’d instantly gain access to under this new service:
