Replacement CR100?

More info on

https://www.howtogeek.com/178303/how-to-turn-your-kindle-fire-into-a-totally-kid-friendly-tablet-with-freetime/

Sounds to me with locked to Freetime on Fire it can just have the Sonos app available and no others.

Hi Kenneth,

Seems like I had similar requirements to you, and I think I've managed to achieve most of what I was looking for.

Rather than buying a new device, I dusted off an old (gen 1) Motorola Moto G, and upgraded it with LineageOS, so it's running Android 7.1 and should remain supported for a while. I chose a minimal install that gave access to the Play Store, but without any of the other Google apps, as they aren't needed. I only did this as the device was old and no longer receiving OS upgrades from Motorola. Whilst the Sonos app would have worked without the upgrade (the Moto G's last official OS was 5.11) I'm hoping this will extend it's useful life with a minimal amount of effort on my part in the future. Time will tell...

I bought a cheap wireless charging stand & a wireless changing receiver from Ebay (as I saw recommended on another thread here). These turned up yesterday, and so far are working OK. The receiver is very thin and fits inside the back case of the Moto G, so an additional case wasn't required.Despite claiming to be fast charging, they didn't seem very fast to me, but took the device from flat to fully charged in a couple of hours. That's fine for my use case, as it will spend most of its time on the charging stand anyway. The charging stand is a round disk set at a 45% angle with a small lip at the bottom. It's a bit slippy and if it becomes too annoying I might replace it with a slightly better one.

I created a separate Google account for the device, and installed the "Fully Kiosk Browser" application from the Play Store as recommended by Daniel_128. This took a bit of tweaking, but after configuring it in single app mode, it now launches the Sonos app when the device is turned on. It's not perfect (I can't fully get rid of the navigation buttons at present due to them being controlled by the running app) but it does make it pretty impossible to break out of the app without a fairly determined effort (needs a special screen tapping pattern followed by a pin to get to the setup screen). It also supports enabling the screen when it detects motion, so the screen comes on as soon as I pick up the device.

Finally, I disabled the lock screen, and configured the navigation buttons to auto-hide. I'm pretty satisfied that it replicates the CR100 as much as possible for a re-purposed phone. The volume controls work, and I'm pleased with its responsiveness. I'd certainly be happy to give it to my children without worrying that they were secretly checking out pictures of HomePods on the internet. The total cost to me was about £17 (charging stand, receiver & Fully Kiosk license).

Sounds to me with locked to Freetime on Fire it can just have the Sonos app available and no others.
Thanks Chris - Kids profile on the Fires is the way I had already gone, but I wasn’t aware it was available on other Android devices. I’ll look into that and the kiosk app mentioned by richp.

Hi Kenneth,

Seems like I had similar requirements to you, and I think I've managed to achieve most of what I was looking for.

Rather than buying a new device, I dusted off an old (gen 1) Motorola Moto G, and upgraded it with LineageOS, so it's running Android 7.1 and should remain supported for a while. I chose a minimal install that gave access to the Play Store, but without any of the other Google apps, as they aren't needed. I only did this as the device was old and no longer receiving OS upgrades from Motorola. Whilst the Sonos app would have worked without the upgrade (the Moto G's last official OS was 5.11) I'm hoping this will extend it's useful life with a minimal amount of effort on my part in the future. Time will tell...

I bought a cheap wireless charging stand & a wireless changing receiver from Ebay (as I saw recommended on another thread here). These turned up yesterday, and so far are working OK. The receiver is very thin and fits inside the back case of the Moto G, so an additional case wasn't required.Despite claiming to be fast charging, they didn't seem very fast to me, but took the device from flat to fully charged in a couple of hours. That's fine for my use case, as it will spend most of its time on the charging stand anyway. The charging stand is a round disk set at a 45% angle with a small lip at the bottom. It's a bit slippy and if it becomes too annoying I might replace it with a slightly better one.

I created a separate Google account for the device, and installed the "Fully Kiosk Browser" application from the Play Store as recommended by Daniel_128. This took a bit of tweaking, but after configuring it in single app mode, it now launches the Sonos app when the device is turned on. It's not perfect (I can't fully get rid of the navigation buttons at present due to them being controlled by the running app) but it does make it pretty impossible to break out of the app without a fairly determined effort (needs a special screen tapping pattern followed by a pin to get to the setup screen). It also supports enabling the screen when it detects motion, so the screen comes on as soon as I pick up the device.

Finally, I disabled the lock screen, and configured the navigation buttons to auto-hide. I'm pretty satisfied that it replicates the CR100 as much as possible for a re-purposed phone. The volume controls work, and I'm pleased with its responsiveness. I'd certainly be happy to give it to my children without worrying that they were secretly checking out pictures of HomePods on the internet. The total cost to me was about £17 (charging stand, receiver & Fully Kiosk license).
Thanks richp, I’m off to give that a go. I have ordered a cover and wireless charging receiver from Amazon, though not sure how well that will work as the micro usb is offset on the Lenovo and i could only find a receiver that is not offset. I already have a charging pad so I’ll try it in combination with that for starters..... let’s see 🙂

It seems a shame that we are having to work all this out for ourselves. I am not tech-clever enough to follow all the steps discussed here, that is why I purchased Sonos in the first place, it WAS very simple to set up (just plug in and follow the three step setup).

Rather than a £100 voucher it would have been more helpful if Sonos could have done a deal with another hardware manufacturer and offered us the option of purchasing a replacement (already configured) unit at a small discount. Win, Win, Win - Sonos get the credit for looking after their user base (rather than being flamed), the other hardware manufacturer get some sales and most likely a future income stream and we get a simple replacement option without all the heartache!

But life is never as simple as it should be!! 😉

It seems a shame that we are having to work all this out for ourselves. I am not tech-clever enough to follow all the steps discussed here, that is why I purchased Sonos in the first place, it WAS very simple to set up (just plug in and follow the three step setup).

Rather than a £100 voucher it would have been more helpful if Sonos could have done a deal with another hardware manufacturer and offered us the option of purchasing a replacement (already configured) unit at a small discount. Win, Win, Win - Sonos get the credit for looking after their user base (rather than being flamed), the other hardware manufacturer get some sales and most likely a future income stream and we get a simple replacement option without all the heartache!

But life is never as simple as it should be!! ;)i can only agree that that would have been a better approach from Sonos, although I am sceptical about the pre-configuration.

Setting up these tablets is straightforward with lots of hand-holding. Making them safe for child use yet still convenient takes a bit more work but Google is your friend. I can understand frustration at having to do it at all, but I don't think anyone should be daunted by it.

[quote=

Setting up these tablets is straightforward with lots of hand-holding. Making them safe for child use yet still convenient takes a bit more work but Google is your friend. I can understand frustration at having to do it at all, but I don't think anyone should be daunted by it.[/quote]

Agreed, its just finding the time to play about with it - and overcoming my (irrational?) dislike of Android - I had one of the early Samsung Tabs and could not get on with it. Maybe they are better now.

overcoming my (irrational?) dislike of Android - I had one of the early Samsung Tabs and could not get on with it.
That could have been because of all the TouchWiz stuff which Samsung insists on layering on top. A phone or tablet with a vanilla Android UX (or close enough) may suit you.

I have purchased a Fire 7 tablet and it is my understanding that you cannot pin the Sonos app on this device as suggested. If it is possible to do (contrary to what I have been advised by one person in the community), can someone with knowledge please provide detailed steps for doing so. I did figure out how to set up so tablet is constantly on when charging, but pinning the app has not been something I have been able to do despite diligent efforts to do so. Thanks.