The short answer: save the audio to the iPhone Files app, then in the Yoto app open Make Your Own, start a new playlist, add the file, save, and link the playlist to a blank card. The whole thing works from your phone. No computer needed.
The button names in the Yoto app change a little between versions, but the steps stay the same.
Step by step
- Save the file to the Files app. The Yoto app picks audio from the iPhone Files app. If the file is in Voice Memos, Mail or Messages, open it, tap Share, then Save to Files.
- Open Make Your Own in the Yoto app. In the Yoto app, go to the Make Your Own section and start a new playlist.
- Add your audio. Tap the button to add audio. Your phone's file storage opens. Find the file in Files (try Recents, Downloads or iCloud Drive) and pick it. Add each chapter in order.
- Save the playlist. Give the playlist a name and save it. Yoto processes the files, which can take a few minutes for long tracks.
- Link it to a card. Link the playlist to a blank Make Your Own card, following the prompts in the app. Then put the card in the player and press play.
Where your file usually is
- A download from Safari: Files, then Downloads.
- A voice recording: it's in Voice Memos. Open it, tap the three dots or Share, then Save to Files.
- An email or text attachment: tap and hold it, then Save to Files.
- From a computer: put it in iCloud Drive and it shows up in Files on your phone.
- Songs in the Apple Music app: these aren't files you can pick, so they can't go on a Yoto card this way.
If it doesn't work
The upload fails
Yoto allows up to 1 hour and 100 MB per track. A long audiobook chapter often runs past the hour. Split it into two shorter tracks.
The whole book won't fit
A card holds up to 100 tracks and 500 MB, roughly eight or nine hours. A long book needs two cards.
The playlist is there but the card won't play it
Close and reopen the Yoto app, then take the card out of the player and put it back in. New content can take a moment to reach the player.
The easier way for audiobooks and family recordings
Adding a whole audiobook chapter by chapter gets old fast. Little Vox is a free iPhone app that does it for you. Pick a free classic from its hand-picked shelves, search over 20,000 free LibriVox audiobooks, or choose your own MP3, M4A or M4B file. Little Vox splits long books into Yoto-sized pieces and sends them to your Yoto, chapters in order, with the cover.
It also lets Grandma record a bedtime story from her own phone, wherever she lives. You send her a link, she reads, and the story arrives in your app ready for the Yoto.
Quick answers
Why can't I see my file in the Yoto app?
The Yoto app picks from the Files app. A song in the Apple Music app, or a recording still inside Voice Memos, is not in Files until you save it there with Share, then Save to Files.
What file types can I upload to Yoto from an iPhone?
MP3 and M4A (also called AAC). M4B audiobooks need converting or splitting first.
Why did my upload fail?
The most common reason is a track longer than 1 hour or bigger than 100 MB. Split it into shorter tracks and try again.
Send whole books, not single files
Little Vox puts free audiobooks and family recordings on your Yoto, chapters in order. Free on iPhone.
Download free on the App StoreLittle Vox is an independent app and is not affiliated with Yoto.