Kobo shutters Kobo Kids' accounts

[DrFyzziks]

Haven't seen this mentioned in the forums yet, so I thought I'd bring it up:

Kobo closed all Kobo Kids' accounts on April 3, apparently due to low usage. Purchases made under the child's account have been automatically transferred to the parent's account.

https://www.kobo.com/help/article/6247

Going forward, if your child wants to read their Kobo purchases they must do so using the parent's account, and will have full access to the parent's library (and presumably, purchasing ability). Kobo has stated that they do not offer parental controls, but "we encourage parents and children to browse our kids and young adult catalogues together, to find their next great read."

My daughter is a voracious reader and asked for an eReader for her birthday (coincidentally, April 3rd). I debated between Kobo and Amazon - the Kobo Kids accounts appealed to me so that's what we did. I wish Kobo had given me some sort of notice when I created her account a few days before the 3rd... *sigh*

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by DrFyzziks

My daughter is a voracious reader and asked for an eReader for her birthday (coincidentally, April 3rd). I debated between Kobo and Amazon - the Kobo Kids accounts appealed to me so that's what we did. I wish Kobo had given me some sort of notice when I created her account a few days before the 3rd... *sigh*

That's a dirty trick. The very least they could do is offer to let you set up a second account and move your kid's books to that.

[simond]

I never used it. I set my son up a separate account before it got released and then just transfer books across using calibre

[Calenorn]

Originally Posted by DrFyzziks

My daughter is a voracious reader and asked for an eReader for her birthday (coincidentally, April 3rd). I debated between Kobo and Amazon - the Kobo Kids accounts appealed to me so that's what we did. I wish Kobo had given me some sort of notice when I created her account a few days before the 3rd... *sigh*

The latest NOOK (Glowlight 3) has the ability to set up child profiles within a single account.

[ekbell]

I archive my kobo purchases after liberating them to calibre and use PayPal after removing my credit card information. I also haven't left my children's Kobos connected to the Internet (all books are transferred by Calibre).

[rcentros]

Originally Posted by simond

I never used it. I set my son up a separate account before it got released and then just transfer books across using calibre

Originally Posted by ekbell

I archive my kobo purchases after liberating them to calibre and use PayPal after removing my credit card information. I also haven't left my children's Kobos connected to the Internet (all books are transferred by Calibre).

This works but, depending on the age of your kid, it would be nice to add credit (from their allowance money, or whatever) to their account so they can buy a book from the Kobo without having to wait for their parents.

I – personally – prefer the Calibre method for my kids on their Kindles as well, but Kobo should have at least given some kind of advance notice.

[Cootey]

Sorry to hear this happened to you. It would have been considerate to give you the option to transfer their purchases to a new account. It’s clear Kobo took the easier solution. I set my daughter up with a separate account and her own debit card. I transfer money into her bank account as she earns it around the house. She just saved up for an $11.99 manga. She was so excited. I realize your reason for going Kobo has just been yanked out from under you, but my suggestion is to set her up with her own account and card. That way you can still have control over what she buys while teaching her about finances.


Sent from my iPhone, proving definitively that I’m all thumbs.

http://DouglasCootey.com