Some users of the YouTube Kids app are reporting that the custom version of Google’s video service oriented toward children gets disabled automatically in areas where it is not officially supported yet. Conditions for the automatic suspension in the app’s operations appear to be varied by the type of device, with a small number of users claiming that the problem occurs with their OnePlus 3T or Google Pixel 2 device while it does not affect their Nexus 6P.
The problem arises when a user starts to open YouTube Kids after moving from a territory where the app is officially available to an unsupported region, reports indicate. In some cases, the app’s icon seems to vanish from the app drawer on a mobile device, though it is apparently restored once a user re-enables the app on the Google Play Store. However, after a period of time, the app icon will disappear again. It remains to be seen whether the incident is an unaddressed bug or part of another silent change YouTube could be rolling out to its platform, as there’s no official word from the video service just yet.
YouTube Kids was introduced in 2015 as a child-friendly video app meant to provide children shows and educational clips to kids, with a voice search capability being a part of the overall package in an effort to support young users who are not able to type in search phrases to look for videos appropriate for their age. The app has since been receiving a series of improvements. A major feature of the YouTube Kids app is a parental control that allows parents and guardians to monitor and limit the span of time children spend on the app. In other words, parents can decide to choose the times during which children can watch age-appropriate videos. Late last year, YouTube Kids received new parental control and customization tools, individual profiles for each kid in a household, and a number of user interface changes designed to make it easier and more appealing for kids of all ages to use the app. Most recently, the app gained an option to display only videos that have been curated by actual humans.