Dear Yoto Community,
In April we announced a corrective action for a battery issue with Yoto Mini (2021-2023 edition). The solution was the Yoto Mini Smart Cable, alongside a software update that has been successful at mitigating the issue.
We’ve been continuing to work with the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada and today we are providing a further update, known as a re-announcement.
In October, we received two reports of a rare case of a battery issue where the Smart Cable could not communicate with the Yoto Mini due to a fully drained battery (together with three other incidents where Smart Cables were not being used). It remains the case that no injuries or reports of overheating leading to any fires have been received.
We are rolling out an automatic software fix to mitigate this rare issue and today we’re announcing that we will also be making available a Yoto Mini Battery Replacement Kit (BRK) to all affected customers.
Please be assured this does not mean you have to send your Yoto Mini (2021-2023) back. Instead, the Battery Replacement Kit uses the same battery as in Yoto Mini (2024 Edition) and will restore your Yoto Mini with a brand new battery.
As some of you may be aware, following consultation with the Australian regulator (ACCC) in July of this year, we launched the same Battery Replacement Kit (BRK) in Australia. The BRK uses a new battery - the same that we use in Yoto Mini (2024 Edition) - and was designed to allow customers to easily replace the old battery at home.
Once the battery has been replaced and registered you won’t necessarily have to use the Yoto Mini Smart Cable but we do advise customers to continue to use it as it provides an additional layer of protection (against over-voltage and battery management). The Yoto Mini Smart Cable will not limit the new battery once replaced.
Yoto Mini (2024 edition) is not affected by this issue as it contains a battery from a different supplier.
What you need to do
The Yoto Mini Battery Replacement Kit is only available via a dedicated Yoto Mini portal.
There is a video and step by step written instructions explaining the repair which should take less than 10 minutes.
Further information will be emailed to customers in December and early 2025. Unfortunately our stock levels are limited and regions will receive BRKs at slightly different times. Affected US and Canadian customers will be contacted in the next couple of days and Battery Replacement Kits will begin being dispatched from next week to US and Canadian customers via a tracked service.
Customers in the UK, EU and other regions will receive an email with instructions in early 2025, but you can also order now understanding that stock will arrive in early 2025. Once you have completed the repair, you will need to register the battery so that the Yoto Mini software can use the correct battery profile.
We know this is an inconvenience at an already busy time of year for families so we’ll also be sending a $20 (USD) / $30 (CAD) / £15 / €15 voucher as a goodwill gesture for each installed, registered and verified Battery Replacement. Vouchers will be sent via email 45 days after your new Battery has been registered.
We understand you will likely have more questions, and we are here to answer them. We have a dedicated FAQ. If your question is not listed and you would like to speak with us directly, you can reach us in the usual ways or via email on minihelp@yotoplay.com.
We are very sorry to have to ask you again to take further action on this issue, especially at a busy time for many families. It is incredibly important to us however, that our products meet our high standards. By replacing the battery in your affected Yoto Mini, you’ll benefit from a brand new battery, which we very much hope will mean you can have maximum enjoyment from the product.
Ben and Filip, Yoto co-founders