Bilby Music Player

Named after a little Aussie with enormous ears

The bilby is small, curious, and hears everything. Sound familiar? So we went looking for a music player made for exactly that kind of kid.

The Bilby music player is theirs. Not yours-on-loan, 20-minute timer, locked out. Theirs. And that frees you up while they enjoy dancing away!

It’s loaded with the same software as a phone, but without the hassle of needing a connection. It’s compatible with all the major streaming apps – Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Youtube Music, even the high-fidelity ones like Tidal. But what if you don’t have an internet connection?

Load it up. Take it anywhere. No signal needed.

Sixteen gigabytes holds thousands of songs. The Bilby is expandable with a microSD card to hold thousands more. Plug it into your computer with the USB-C cable, drag the music across, done.

Then take it where the internet isn’t. The back seat on the Bruce Highway. A campsite three hours from anywhere. Row 42 of a flight to Perth.

Streaming runs for about 4-6 hours. Offline, with WiFi switched off, it keeps going for about 10-16 hours.

Reads MP3, FLAC, APE, WAV and AAC. Yes, including the good lossless stuff — this thing sounds far better than its size would imply.

The 2.8-inch screen a five-year-old can drive

It’s a size that’s more comfortable for children to use than a phone, but with an interface that feels familiar.

At 98 grams it slips into a pocket or school bag without a problem.

From a reliable manufacturer (Famue) it’s hardy, and it also comes with a plastic case to help with the inevitable bumps.

Headphones in the car. Speakers in the bedroom.

There’s a proper 3.5 mm jack, so the cheap kid-safe headphones you already own will just work. Or pair over Bluetooth. Or let the two built-in speakers fill the room while they play.

You decide what they can open

The Bilby runs Android, so it takes the same parental control apps you’d put on any phone. We recommend AppBlock — it’s free on Google Play, and our step-by-step setup guide walks you through hiding everything except the music.

Ten minutes of setup. Then it’s a music player and nothing else.

Disclaimer: AppBlock is made by someone else, not by us, and it isn’t bulletproof. It’s brilliant for younger kids. An older, determined kid can work around any app-level lock — that’s true of every Android device on the market, ours included. Set it up with your child, talk about the rules, and you’ll be fine.

Other fun stuff:

FM radio. A sleep timer for the ones who need music to fall asleep. Even an eBook reader. Charge it in about two hours with any USB-C cable you already own.

Give them the music. Get your life back.