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If watching Ryan’s Toy Review is part of your children’s morning routine, get ready to rethink how you access YouTube Kids. And you’d better do it before the inevitable meltdown when you can’t access the app when you need it.
That’s because Google is shutting down the standalone YouTube Kids app for televisions this July, according to a notice published by the tech giant.
“YouTube Kids is moving,” reads Google’s announcement. “In July, the YouTube Kids app icon on your TV will be going away. But, you can still use YouTube Kids on your TV by going to your child’s profile in the YouTube app.”
Big changes for popular kids apps
Google integrated YouTube Kids directly inside the main YouTube app for TVs last year. However, the company has continued up until now to run the standalone YouTube Kids app on smart TVs, streaming devices, and gaming consoles.
In July, though, Google will pull the plug on the standalone YouTube Kids app on those devices. According to 9to5Google, the outlet confirmed with the company that the YouTube kids app will be pulled from smart TVs as well as streaming devices and game consoles.
YouTube Kids will continue to exist as a standalone app on iOS and Android devices.
Google’s move to remove the YouTube Kids app from those platforms comes shortly after other big changeups in kids-oriented platforms and apps.
Earlier this year, Paramount completely killed off its standalone Nickelodeon app, where kids were able to watch clips and full episodes of their favorite Nick Jr. and Nicktoons shows. A pop-up message told users that they would need to go directly to the Nickelodeon website to continue to access their content. Following that move, Paramount also shut down the standalone subscription platform for Noggin, a Nickelodeon-affiliated brand that provided content for preschool-aged children, earlier this month.
Unlike those platforms, YouTube Kids is not going away entirely. Parents will be able to set YouTube Kids profiles in the main YouTube app and then select that profile in the “Who’s watching” section in order to access the YouTube Kids platform. Parental control settings and other YouTube Kids features will still be available within those profiles.
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