Mumsnet users review Sky Kids App

[EllieMumsnet]

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This is the feedback thread for the Mumsnet users who tested out the free Sky Kids app. Testers had to download the app and have a little play with all of its functions and features; the test was open to all UK MNers who had Sky Kids as part of their Sky package and have at least one child aged 2-10.

Here’s is some information on the app and what Sky has to say: The dedicated Sky Kids app: A world of entertainment for them, peace of mind for you. Featuring:
- Over 5000 episodes on demand
- 17 channels
- Parental controls such as bedtime settings, meaning you can stay in control
- Personal profiles with tailored, age-appropriate content
- Masses of fun and educational games and quizzes for all ages (currently only available on tablet, coming soon to mobile)

Testers please answer the following questions:

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?
• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?
• What was your favourite feature on the app?
• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?
• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

All testers who leave the required feedback will receive a £10 Amazon voucher each.

Thank you and good luck
MNHQ

Standard Insight T&Cs Apply

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?
Nicely satisfied

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

Thankfully, we both found it very easy to navigate. My 3.5 year old telly addict DS found it easy to find all his favourite shows. I seem to take longer than the average to use new technology, but I was fine with this.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

It was pretty intuitive and I didn't have to keep helping.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes, and I already have because someone asked me about limiting time/having more control.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

I can't think of anything yet.

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

Very satisfied. It’s a great app!

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

Yes - my daughter is 7 so easily navigated her way around it.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

Having their own profile setting. Knowing that what she’s watching is appropriate. Having all her favourites in one place.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes!

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

I can’t think of anything.

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

Very satisfied, it is a great app and very user friendly.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

Yes we did - my daughter is 10 and found it very easy.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

The ability to record videos and then watch them while out and about.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes, definitely. She has told her friends about it already.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

DD initially said no but then said could there be more games as she has already played them all!

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

Fairly satisfied - DS (8) seemed to like it which is the main thing, and I liked the parental controls

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

Yes, and lots of easily recognisable pictures for children rather than being text heavy - less important for older kids, but I can imagine this would have been a good feature when DS was younger.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

DS says the games!

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Probably, yes - DS is certainly enjoying it.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

It took a while to load first time round, but once we rebooted the ipad, no problem. We're still in early days, but I wonder if the games will get boring after a while _ depends how often they get refreshed.

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

It was annoying to install. I had to verify my apple account and then ensure my payment card was set up before it would allow me to load it. I had only just purchased another app so I don't understand why the whole palaver had to happen.

Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

It was fine once the login etc had been set up. I am not sure that I am happy with having data captured about my child. I would prefer to be able to skip this bit.

What was your favourite feature on the app?

The ability to search by channel. DS went straight to Cartoon Network.

Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

It was helpful to have it all in one place. I like the ability to let them binge on one series etc. I can imagine it being liked by friends.

Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

The initial streaming image and sound quality was questionable. Using a fast connection on an optimum device it felt like watching a boot-legged copy for the first 15 or so seconds. I think DS would get annoyed by this.

I absolutely hated all the blips and blops sounds. Just respond with a simple noise. It would only drain the battery of a device faster making all those noises. Sadly turning volume off and on is also an annoyance to the user.

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?
Fairly satisfied.
Did Both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?
On the whole, yes, however the tablet version was easier to get lost in than the phone version.
What was your favourite feature on the app?
Being able to download videos.
Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?
Probably not.
Do you think anything could be improved on the app?
More reliability, easier navigation and games on the phone version.

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

I was so satisfied with this app! So lovely to have my TV back.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

My 8 year old was much better than me but even I managed to work it which is amazing as technology is not my friend normally.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

The programmes were listed by channel, dd has her favourites so easy and quick for her to find, as well as tempting her with new shows.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Absolutely

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

As others have said the games crash every now and then.

I was really satisfied with the App. It is good to know that all of the content that the children are accessing is appropriate.

Yes we both found it easy to use. I liked the search option and my little girl found it easy to select the channels that she wanted to look at. The volume buttons etc were really clear and chunky so easy for her to control.

My favourite feature was the ability to log in separately for each child who wants to use the app.

I would definitely recommend the app to friends and family. It is colourful and easy to navigate. It has a good range of content.

The only thing I would do to improve the app is to remove the sound effects when pressing on channels etc as i found it quite grating to listen to repeatedly!

Very satisfied with the app.
I found it very easy to use, dc struggled a little find their favourite channel but soon got used to it.
Favourite feature is the separate profile settings

Would and already have recommended it to friends.
Only improvement would be ability to download a couple of episodes so can be used in car when without data or WiFi. We travel on country roads to and home from nursery and it would be useful to keep ds2 awake on journey home.

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app? I thought it was excellent. I can't believe we hadn't downloaded it before - doh!
• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate? My 7 year old found it quite straightforward - he has a small handful of favourites and was able to find what he wanted simply and quickly. He enjoyed trying out the games too.
• What was your favourite feature on the app? The parental controls
• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family? Yes - it's a great way to keep little ones entertained
• Do you think anything could be improved on the app? No - we were pleased with how intuitive and comprehensive it was

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

Quite satisfied however it did crash whilst i was trying to find the parental controls. I was not able to get parental controls working so cannot comment on how effective this is.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

It is easy to search for and find programmes however not easy to find the settings etc.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

Being able to download programmes for on the go.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes it is a good way to keep children occupied when away from home etc.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

It could be made easier to navigate particularly around finding and using the parental controls.

I downloaded the app on both of my children’s app and we were very satisfied with the app. It’s easy to use and has a great selection of shows on there that both my children loved.
It was generally very easy to navigate and find what was wanted.
My favourite feature was being able to set my youngest as under 5 only which then limited it to content appropriate to him.
I would definitely recommend this app. It’s a great addition to sky
I think that a search feature could be added to make finding specific shows much quicker. Also games on the phone app for when out and about.

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?
• fairly satisfied...daughter likes it and can navigate it well but the app is very glitchy. Kept throwing me out and freezing. This happened on an Apple device and android.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?
• yes although there seemed to be a lot of menus to pick from
• What was your favourite feature on the app?
• the games were a good feature when they worked. Loads to choose from.
• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?
• yes but the reliability needs improving. My daughter got frustrated with it.
• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?
• reliability

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

We love it. Having been away over the half term break it kept the kids entertained no end while travelling. Its easy to set up and theres no complicated registration process.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

yes, both boys find their way around it easily. Even my 2.5 year old can find the shows he wants to watch.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

The fact that you can download shows for on the move and that they only stay on for 48 hours once watched. As it means I dont need to go in and remember to delete them at a future date because of memory issues.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes - already have. None of us are sure how we have missed it.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

I can not think of anything to add. Super impressed. Thank you!

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

We loved it and pleasantly surprised by how brilliant it is.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

Yes, my daughter found her way around it straight away and we've not had any problems finding what we were looking for.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

To be able to save programmes to watch when we are not connected to the WIFI, this is brilliant when we are away from home.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes, and I have already done so.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

When the games are added to the mobile version, this will massively improve the app.

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?
Overall I really like it. It was easy to use and the ability to have my sons favourite programs to hand made life a bit simpler while travelling.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

At 2 my son doesn't use a tablet often so was unable to navigate the app himself, however his older cousins were quick to show him how.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

I like the ability to download and watch later.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

yes - I already have!

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

We have only used it on an android tablet which doesn't appear to have the games available. I think they would be a great addition when they become available.

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

I thought the Sky Kids app was brilliant. There’s so much content available from familiar shows to programmes which my children hadn’t seen before. I loved how the content was organised into channels and age groups with individual accounts for each of my children. There’s a good mix of cartoons, factual and educational programmes.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

The app was very easy to navigate on my iPad with the screen well laid out. My kids were able to get around the app quickly and easily found the programmes they were looking for. There are differences between the phone and tablet apps, so they got a bit mixed up on my phone for a few minutes, before finding what they were looking for.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

My kids loved the games which came on the app, featuring many of the characters from the shows on the app. I really liked the variety of content with over 5000 shows and the fact that new programmes are being added each week.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Definitely – it’s a big hit in our house.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

It would be good to be able to download programmes so that they can be watched off line or when you’re travelling.

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?
Satisfied. The kids loved it and it was easy to use.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

Yes. My daughter had to be shown a couple of times what to do then she was away.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

Being able to download programmes is great. Good for car journeys.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes I would

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

No it was fun and easy to use.

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app? I was very satisfied. The app was easy for my 2 & 4 year old to navigate.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate? Yes we both did. It was harder for my 2 year old but that is to be expected. It was very user friendly.

• What was your favourite feature on the app? The parental control options.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family? Yes I would. Probably for age 3/4 and up.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app? A more simplified homepage perhaps for the youngest of users.

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

We were really pleased with the app. It’s a great way for my child to watch lots of their favourite programmes in one place. I like that I know what they’re watching is age appropriate and that the content is controlled.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

Yes, we both found it very straightforward and quite intuitive.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

The time limit feature was really useful.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes definitely.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

No. Both my daughter and I really enjoyed using the app.

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

Really satisfied, fun, sharp colourful design, great choice of entertainment. Kids loved having their own character.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

On the whole yes, being used to other streaming services the younger one was waiting for the next episode to start once we talked her through the steps a couple of times she was fine. Found it very stressfree overall.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

The personalisation for each child.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes those with tablets. We used it on a phone which was still great but you could see the benefit of having a tablet version.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

No not really, the girls grew impatient having to watch the trailers before each programme I guess they would be the only aspect to maybe reduce or omit. Great product

• Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?

The Sky Kids app is a great idea, letting the kids have their own space and giving them control (to a degree). There are a few improvements that would make it better. Not having a time limit on the programme downloaded, this is restrictive if you go on holiday. The app cannot be loaded and logged in to one account on two or more iPads, found this out when going on holiday. Also the stability when using it offline needs to be improved. When using online it is a great app.

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

It was a little difficult to find what my children wanted, but I do like you can search by the channel for the programme. My girls found it easy to pick which episodes they’d like to watch and loved that they could have they’re own profile.

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

My favourite feature is the download one, but this needs working on.

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Absolutely and have already.

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

The download feature and stability, also possibility to log on to more than one device.

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?
really impressed, didn’t realise how much content was available

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate? initially took a little getting used to but after a few uses we found it really simple to go through
• What was your favourite feature on the app?
• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family? Yes definitely it’s a super app to entertain the kids
• Do you think anything could be improved on the app? different view type options is the only thing I could stretch to really. Am really impressed with the app and can’t believe we’ve been missing out

Overall how satisfied were you with the Sky Kids app?
Very satisfied

• Did both you and your child find the app easy to use and navigate?

Yes we both found it quite intuitive

• What was your favourite feature on the app?

The cute icons

• Would you recommend the app to your friends and/or family?

Yes I would

• Do you think anything could be improved on the app?

No it was a great experience

I was completely satisfied with the Sky Kids App, in fact Tiggy is playing on it right now, it's been invaluable for some quiet time here. Tiggy can navigate it easily, possibly better than me and my favourite feature aside from the safety aspects was watching Tiggy choose her buddy, such a lovely touch for little ones. I've recommended the app a lot as Tiggy watches some of the programmes at home on Sky so she seems to like the familiarity of the app and it's afforded me some time to get things done here while Tiggy is quiet for a minute. Anyone who knows Tiggy knows how "busy" she is, she's a little whirlwind, so anything that holds her attention is obviously very good so no improvements needed. I highly recommend the app!