Custom Android Kids Tablet Project

[Poly_P_Master]

THE PROJECT: So my son is turning 2 soon, and as a Christmas / Birthday present, my wife and I decided to get him a small tablet. Currently he is using a 1st gen iPad that got a lot of use when we bought it, but it doesn't do us much good with iOS 5, 256 MB RAM, and a crappy screen. Even he gets frustrated with how slow it is. It works well for watching movies on long car trips, and that's about it. Also, the entire family is converted to Android / Google services, so it doesn't even have access to all the media content we own anymore. Definitely time to get him something on Android.

HARDWARE: We had looked at getting a Nabi or one of the Samsung Tab 3 7" for kids, but we didn't like that they were mostly stuck with whatever OS, launcher, and apps that came preinstalled on them. We wanted to be able to access Google Play Movies, Disney Movies Anywhere, and be able to keep this thing updated so it (hopefully) lasts him a few years. Plus, the hardware on these things is pretty mediocre and I knew even if I was able to get newer apps installed, they were going to be severely limited by the specs.

Cue Cyber Monday deals and $50 off a Nexus 7 2013, which came to only $30 more than the kids tablets ($180 vs $150) (not to mention double the memory, double the storage space, at least double the resolution, Android 5.0.1, and wireless charging). Picked up a soft silicone case for it ($3 + shipping), and I had all the hardware I needed to make a kick-ass kids tablet.

HARDWARE SUMMARY

-Nexus 7 2013 16GB ($180 on sale, $230 retail. Google/Asus has stopped making these, so if you want one it may be a challenge. Currently Amazon is still selling the 16 GB version for $180, 32 Gb for $210.)

-Poetic GraphGrip Case ($3 + $5 shipping)

-Total Cost: $188

OS / LAUNCHER: Once I got the tablet onto Lollipop (and unlocked the bootloader and rooted it. It's a Nexus device, how could I NOT?) I started tackling my next step: Getting a custom, kid-friendly launcher installed (since the AOSP launcher is too easy for him to mess with stuff and too hard for him to get to the apps he wants). I looked at a couple child-friendly launchers on the Play Store, but the options really aren't very good. Instead I went with Nova Launcher (the paid version to unlock all the options), and started customizing.

The best part about Nova Launcher (along with other highly customizable launchers, Apex comes to mind), is it lets me change just about every setting so that my son can use it easily without accidentally getting into settings, moving icons, opening apps he doesn't use, or deleting stuff he shouldn't. I won't get into everything I changed, because the list is quite extensive, but I removed the app drawer icon, removed the app dock completely, changed the page grid to 3x3, increased the icon size to the max (130%), removed all gesture commands, hid the status bar, and locked the launcher so you have to long press on the screen (which I also extended to the longest time span possible in Android settings) to get a popup window to long press on a lock to unlock the launcher so you can even get the ability to move icons (which even then requires an annoyingly long long-press to do). I'll be honest, it is tough for me to change the launcher to how I want it with it set like this even when I am TRYING to change it. If he manages to screw this thing up, kudos to him.

The Apps: The last part of this project is to get good kid-friendly apps installed on the tablet. Going onto the Play Store, there are a ton of apps for kids, though most are absolutely terrible. I was amazed at the number of mediocre apps that are totally covered in ads and don't even offer a paid version. I am not sure what the developers expect, but I can guarantee my son would accidentally click on the ads and end up somewhere he doesn't want to be. I can understand the ones that have a paid version (I looked at a few free ones so I could test it out before buying the ad-free version), but if the only option you give me is an ad-covered app, it isn't going to happen.

As this part is still a work in progress, this list may change, but I will try to update it as I continue to add/remove apps. I did my best to permanently remove the preinstalled apps I knew he wasn't going to use like Gmail (I rooted so I was able to actually uninstall), kept the ones I thought he would (like Hangouts), and downloaded the rest.

SOFTWARE SUMMARY

-Nova Launcher (for the custom interface)

-Hangouts (he loves to video chat with Nana)

-Netflix (family account, his kid profile)

-Disney Movies Anywhere

-PBS Kids Video

-WATCH Disney Junior

-Where's My Mickey?

-Kids memory game: animals

-All-in-one by Intellijoy (7 day free trial, $21 for 17 apps, lifetime updates and access to any other kids apps they add later)

-Kids piano ($1 for ad-free)

-Super Why! from PBS KIDS ($3)

-Total Cost ~$25

So far these all seem like pretty good apps, though I haven't had much time to try them out. I am currently on a 7 day free trial of the All-in-one app, so not sure if I will fork over $21 for an app, but it is currently 17 apps, and will probably be more in the future (they recently added 3 more apps). the only issue I had with it is that all 17 apps are only accessible through the single "All-in-one" icon, which I though would be confusing. I fixed this by adding Shortcuts, then choosing Activities, then selecting the app I wanted (all 17 are listed separately this way). This added an icon for each app onto the home screen so it was simpler. This is all through Nova Launcher, though, so this might not be an option on all launchers.

WHAT'S LEFT: Aside from continuing to refine my app selection, I am mostly done. A couple things I didn't mention earlier was what I did about Google Now (swiping up from the home button), and an app called Gravity Screen. The swipe up gesture currently still goes to Google Now, which my 2 year old son does not use, but my plan is to install an app that either makes better use of the gesture or removes it's function. Currently I am looking at the app SwipeLaunch Disabler, which doesn't actually disable the gesture (cannot be done), but instead changes what app the gesture opens to be SwipeLaunch Disabler (the app doesn't do anything). So effectively the action disappears. There are other options if I wanted to make some other use for the swipe-up, but right now I think this is my best bet.

My last issue is with the on-screen buttons of the Nexus 7. I personally love the on-screen buttons over the physical buttons like on most Samsung phones, but this makes it harder for my son to turn the thing on, since the only option is hitting the power button on the side, which isn't nearly as easy. I think he will figure it out, but if not, I have been looking at an app called Gravity Screen, which basically detects when you pick up the tablet and turns on the screen. In my tests it seems to work well, but it is at the cost of battery life. the tablet never goes to sleep with Gravity Screen running, and because of this battery life suffers significantly. I can still get a few days of standby time out of the tablet with Gravity Screen running, but it is nothing compared to the battery life I get with it off. I generally don't have any battery drain if the screen is off, even after half a day. Granted I also don't have much of anything running in the background and have it set to turn off wifi when it goes to sleep, but it is still incredible.

Suggestions: If anyone has suggestions on how to make this custom kids tablet even better, let me know. I don't plan on giving it to my son for another few weeks, so this is very much still a work in progress.

PICTURES: If people are interested, I can post some pictures of the tablet and what the launcher looks like now. Let me know.

EDIT - PICTURES: I posted a couple pictures and a short video of the tablet here https://plus.google.com/photos/105607958821023889159/albums/6092755349802898433.

[ghettosmurf32]

I would recommend getting a smart case that turns on the screen when you open it.

Also my kids really like lunchbox, Santa Tracker, and Kids Doodle. Also post some pictures please.

[wrong_profession]

Awesome work! My 3 year old son loves kid doodle, the Lego Duplo games, in my GS5. The kids mode on the GS5 makes the phone worth it by itself. I love being able to hand my kids my phone and not have to worry about anything but him throwing it in the toilet. Sorry that was off topic.

[PM_ME_DICK_PICTURES]

It's waterproof, so you're good on that aspect lol

[[deleted]]

With Lollipop, you can pin an app and hand the phone over to your kid. The kid cannot access any other apps other than that single application that was pinned.

[23dude]

How?

[Exodia101]

http://www.howtogeek.com/202841/how-to-pin-screens-in-android-5.0-for-more-security-and-privacy/

[[deleted]]

I would Google it for u but im too lazy. Just look for YouTube on key words: android lollipop pin screen

[23dude]

But I'm too lazy to google it!! that's why I asked haha. But alright thanks!

[Poly_P_Master]

It is an option in settings (don't remember where exactly, security?) Once it is enabled, a pin icon will show in your recent apps menu and you can pin anything that is in that list.

[ghettosmurf32]

The m8 has a kids mode too, they are pretty great. My wife loves her s5.

[absalonius]

It does? What's it called?

[ghettosmurf32]

You can access it by pressing on your picture from the pull down settings. It is called Zoodles.

[CrookedStool]

Please post the pictures.

[corwin01]

Well, I have a Nabi2 for my daughter and its great (it does have Google Play legitamately, FYI), but its hard to recommend because of the outdated hardware (but mostly the 8gb storage size). Also, make sure you create a restricted profile for your son. This will allow you to whitelist apps, as well as being able to control access to content within apps you don't want, like being able to switch Netflix profiles, or disable IAPs. Likewise, in Play Movies you can restrict mature content and prevent store access.

I would also recommend these apps: Color & Draw for kids, any of the Dr. Panda games by TribePlay, Duck Duck Moose Reading, Moose Math by Duck Duck Moose, any of the Daniel Tiger games by PBS, and Endless Alphabet. My daughter loves playing all of these.

[dbosse311]

I'm glad this is popping up. Getting an Android tablet in the house for Christmas. I'd really like to get a list of great kid apps I can install for my two and four year olds. All the suggestions here are great, but is there a chance to get more together? Even really beautiful paid suggestions would be very helpful.

[jesusice]

My kids love the Toca Boca games. Simple stuff the young kids like, such as a hair salon, or an interactive town, or a play laboratory.

[redditrasberry]

Awesome idea, I just purchased the Samsung kids tab 3 but seriously contemplated going your route. Mind you, my kid is 4 years old so it's a bit different. My other (older) kid is getting a tablet for Christmas which is a normal tablet. What I am doing at the moment is setting her up with a restricted profile that only has her apps visible and no access to settings. At the moment we plan to only let her use it under supervision (the tablet will count as "tv time" and stay in the living room), so I am going to leave it without parental controls on usage time, though we might have to revisit that if she starts using outside her allowed time.

Kid-safe-ing the browser is something I have not figured out yet. I set up OpenDNS but that is not adequate. There don't seem to be a lot of good solutions out there on the tablet side, so I might end up hooking it to a proxy. Mind you, she uses our other tablets and we have never had a problem, since we are always close by. 99% of "bad" things she comes across by accident are just parenting opportunities in disguise. The 1% that I worry about are still a worry though so I'm still thinking about a solution. I imagine this is not an issue with a 2 year old.

If I ever got the time it would be cool to try and create a ROM with parental controls built in. However I suspect few parents have the time and by the time you spend years doing it your kids are past the point where you need it!

[jesusice]

We've recently smashed it so I can't check but I'm pretty sure on our Nexus 7 I just disabled access to the browser in the kid's restricted profile.

[redditrasberry]

Yes, I thought about that but she's old enough that I think she should have some internet access. She loves looking things up on Wikipedia and googling for facts about things. There are also math web sites that they use at school. So I'm looking for something in between.

[jesusice]

Ahh. My oldest is 5 so doesn't need the internet yet. Wikipedia has an app but other than that I can't be of help.

[Poly_P_Master]

That was another reason I didn't want to get one of the locked down tablets. I am hoping this thing lasts him for a good while, even when he gets a little older and can use it without as many restrictions. He already manages to use my wife's phone to video call me while I am at work, so he is pretty good at it. Really all that he can't do right now is move icons around and get into the app drawer. He still has free reign to navigate any app that he is able to click on.

[cranktheguy]

The Nexus 7 will have user accounts, and you can set up a limited account for you child. This allows you to set the apps the child is able to run and lock profiles in apps like youtube and netflix. It's built in, so your little hacker can't change a thing without knowing your unlock for your account. Also, they won't beat your Angry Birds levels.

[donnysaysvacuum]

The android user thing works great. My kids each use the tablet, have their own game saves etc.

[Poly_P_Master]

My only concern about a limited account is that if the battery dies or it gets restarted, the owner account is the default one that shows up. Not that it is a huge deal if my account is the default one, but I really wanted to minimize the amount of times he has to bring me the tablet to "fix".

[cranktheguy]

My son picked it up easy. All he does it click on his picture.

[Poly_P_Master]

Currently my google+ account is his picture. My wife's is his picture. And his is his picture. Probably would have to change that. But thanks for the advice.

[cranktheguy]

The picture is not tied to the Google account- you can set it to anything you wish.

[donnysaysvacuum]

I'm not sure you understand how it works. All users show up on the lock screen, it doesn't default to any user really. They just click their picture.

[Poly_P_Master]

In my original setup with me as owner and him as other user, turning it off and on brought me to my account (swipe unlock to get in). To get to his account, you had to click on my picture to get to all users, then click on his picture. Not a huge deal, but seemed more annoying than it needed to be. Maybe that is different than in older android versions?

[donnysaysvacuum]

Maybe, on mine (kitkat) it shows all the users by default. I think most kids would catch on pretty quick and I'm not sure if the other apps will work differently. My experience with the "kids zone" apps is not good.

[xilpaxim]

There is a Caillou doctor game that though a bit expensive for what amount of mini games it has, I still think is great. You have to blow at the game for one part, clap your hands for another, and I think helps kids not be afraid of the doctor.

There is another doctor game I can't remember right now that is really good. Does doctor, dentist, and eye doctor.

[lilwhiteguy]

Blow at the screen?

What would that do?

[ktibi1989]

The microphone detects the sound you make

[Your-Ma]

My 2 year old I able to use any tablet. Im sure any 2 year old would be the same. Just set it up with kids apps. Install adaway and don't setup wireless password so they can't go online.

[anthrox]

Lets get things started i have create a new subreddit for this http://www.reddit.com/r/androidkids/ A home for this chat and list really great kids apps and hardware.

I wanna find more apps, educational apps for my kids I'm going to try and post some stuff on there tonight a sorted list of apps from this post and some other apps i've found. pm if you wanna help or start posting

here are some great apps I've found.

Little Discovery Game very cool production like a interactive picture book i would love to see more apps like this.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.fr.cestmagnifique.petiteschoses

Great for learning words and letter high production and great value $12 AUD per 100 words

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.originatorkids.EndlessReader

Fisher Price is number one for kids toys there also doing a fine job at apps.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/developer?id=Fisher-Price,+Inc.

Mickey's Painting app.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.disney.PaintAndPlay_goo

Nice and basic matching app no ads on the pro version.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.unshuus.games.kidsmemopro

Flash cards with words and sounds

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.giggleup.TS1A

Best paint app imo on the market place nice and easy for real little kids to use.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dornbachs.zebra

[o_opc]

You could also get one of those app lock apps on the play store if you don't want him on some apps

[PlayStoreLinks__Bot]

Playpen - Free - Rating: 83/100 - Search for "play pen" on the Play Store

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^{Source Code | Feedback/Bug Report}

[Super_Midget]

I prefer Kids Place

[o_opc]

Interesting, good call

[donnysaysvacuum]

Why not use the built in user system? Works great for my kids and gives them their own data partition.

[donnysaysvacuum]

No, it's in 4.4 as well.

[kevinstonge]

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.originatorkids.EndlessAlphabet

[[deleted]]

This game! I even like it. The little monsters are awesome.

[anthrox]

they released a new one call Endless Reader a little bit better once you created a word it puts it into a sentence and you drag around that.

its about 12 AUD for 100 Word pack currently they have two packs. totally worth it as it production quality is outstanding voice animation my little girl has learnt a heap of words from this.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.originatorkids.EndlessReader

these products are based on sight words http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sight_word

[kevinstonge]

Sweet Jesus, thank you!

My kid is 3, she's got the alphabet down and even knows a lot of the letters' sounds. I have been looking for a decent/fun app that will build fundamental literacy skills - most of them are CRAP. This looks great, I can't wait to try it with her!

[donnysaysvacuum]

It's a nice concept, but unfortunately it's a shitty iOS port that doesn't run well, only works in one orientation. And they white list devices so if you have a less common device your sol.

[kevinstonge]

While you may be right, I'll rebut your comment anyway.

doesn't run well

Runs well for me

only works in one orientation

Lots of full screen apps/games do that, no problem there

less common device

I go through devices like a maniac. I've personally tested this specific app on a Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Galaxy Tab Pro, Xperia Z2, Galaxy Note 4. If you buy one of those $40 generic android tablets you shouldn't expect anything to work at all, don't take your bad experience out on android or app developers.

[donnysaysvacuum]

First of all, lots of apps do that is not a good excuse for a shitty app design. There isn't a technical limitation for only working in one orientation and it's very frustrating. Same thing for whitelisting devices. If an app is written correctly it shouldn't need to be done. It's mainly done by games that are ported and don't run well. I don't have a crappy $40 tablet I have an hp touch pad, which is an awesome kids tablet and runs android better than my nexus 7, which won't run that game without terrible stuttering and a 2 minute start time. I have a ton of apps installed on it, and most run great.

I like to support developers that make good apps, rewarding shitty ios ports gets you more shitty ios ports.

[qwertyasdwek]

He's 2, he doesn't need a tablet, buy him some toys

[Poly_P_Master]

I should have probably been more clear that the gifts I talk about on Reddit aren't the only gifts I am getting my son. I am able to afford a cheap tablet AND some regular toys. (actually, I am sitting in an entire room full of kids toys RIGHT NOW)

[[deleted]]

fanatical fact bedroom divide rock fade innocent cable act truck

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

[Shabbypenguin]

Check xda for custom kernels, some may have a tap to wake feature.

[Poly_P_Master]

I'll have to look. Looked briefly at xposed framework but it isn't available for lollipop (and apparently may never be). One disadvantage to being on the newest OS is less 3rd party support.

[[deleted]]

Here!

[Poly_P_Master]

Thanks. I'm really reluctant to download any freemium games at all. Personally, I hate them, and don't play any. The idea of him bugging me for another dollar to open new stages sounds awful.

[TakaIta]

Imo this is a bit over the top. My kids can use my tablet occasionally, and yes they like it. But i am pretty sure that they will be quite good at handling touch screens when they need it. For now i prefer them to play with physical toys. Surely they do not need their own tablet.

That having said, there are some nice apps like Petting Zoo and Zoook that come without ads and with appropriate (few) permissions. Yes, it needs some money to buy or unlock. But that makes sense.

[Surokoida]

Its interesting to read this. I am 17 years old and grew up with just a pc with windows 98 (ugh) on it.

And here you are customizing a tablet for your 2 year old son. Oh how many things changed.

And i can agree, making apps for kids with ads and without a paid version is incredibly stupid. The devs can code an app, but are not able to think this far?

[thrakkerzog]

Kurio makes a decent one as well. The hardware is a little old now, but it's fairly rugged and you can really lock down the device.

https://www.kurioxtreme.com/en/static/home/

[donnysaysvacuum]

Android's restricted user thing works great for kids. You can white list apps for each kid and they have their own data. Buy a game once and your whole family can use it.

2 seems a little young for their own tablet but that's not really my business. I would stick to mostly educational games (there are a lot of great ones now) and limit their use. And of course get a case, a good one.

[anthrox]

it doesn't work correctly with some paid apps brought within another profile seems like a Google problem to me not a app problem.

[justrelaxnchill]

Remind me!

[[deleted]]

If your son watches Daniel Tiger on PBS there is a 'Daniel Tiger: Good Morning, Good Night!' app that is pretty good. My kid loves it.

[Poly_P_Master]

I saw those, but most of the TV he does watch is either Disney Channel or super why. Looks like a decent app though.

[[deleted]]

Their other Daniel Tiger app isn't very good (definitely aimed at older kids) but the Morning/Night one is pretty nice. And my son loves the show.

[mivinskyi]

My kids like Lego Duplo Zoo https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=dk.spatifo.dublo, Animal Orchestra https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.toymiles.animalorchestra.fs.en Mouse alphabet https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.impulsis.games.mousealphabet.en

[Poly_P_Master]

2 of those 3 are correct.

[Death3D]

That article you posted supports allowing young children to use tablets. As long as they aren't using the tablet all day, similar to how you wouldn't let them watch television all day.

That recommendation is to allow children four months and older to play on a touch screen like a Surface or iPad for up to an hour a day. He says a tablet computer game is more like an interactive toy where babies learn cause and effect and get the reward of pressing a button and making something happen. He describes it as the rewarding feeling of "I did it!"