Amazon Prime Video

First Impression

My friend Sarah kept talking about this show Reacher, so I finally downloaded the Prime Video app on my Pixel 7 to see what the fuss was about. I already pay for Amazon Prime for diapers and household stuff, so it felt like I was finally using a part of my subscription I’d been ignoring. Right away, the app felt familiar, like the Amazon shopping app but for TV. It was a bit of a mess, though. The home screen was crammed with thumbnails for scary-looking action movies, racy dramas, and a ton of stuff I’d never let my five-year-old near. I had to dig around to find the kids’ section, which was a little frustrating. My first thought was that this might be more for adults than for family use.

What It Does Well

Once I found my way around, a couple of features really stood out. The offline downloads are a lifesaver. Last Saturday, we had a three-hour car ride to visit my parents. The night before, I downloaded a few episodes of Pete the Cat and the movie *The Super Mario Bros. Movie* right to my phone. No buffering, no using up our mobile data, just peace and quiet in the backseat. The video quality was perfect even offline. I also love the profiles feature. I set up a profile for my daughter with the parental controls locked to her age range. Now, when she uses my tablet, she only sees cartoons and preschool shows. My profile stays separate with my watchlist and recommendations for my shows. It keeps everything tidy and safe.

Where It Falls Short

The biggest issue for me is how cluttered and adult-focused the main interface is. Even with a kids profile set up, the app always opens to the general home screen. I have to actively switch to the kid’s profile every single time. If I’m not paying attention, my daughter could easily see previews for mature content before I get it switched over. The recommendations on the main page also seem to forget what I like. I watched one episode of a baking show, and now my whole homepage is nothing but cooking competitions, burying the sci-fi shows I actually prefer. It feels pushy, like it’s trying to sell me on its originals instead of helping me find what I already want.

Is It Worth the Price?

This is the easiest part to answer. Since I’m already paying for Amazon Prime for the free two-day shipping, Prime Video feels like a free bonus. I wouldn’t pay for it as a standalone service over something like Netflix, because the kids’ library isn’t as deep. But as an extra included with my membership? Absolutely. It’s become our go-to for Friday pizza-and-movie nights. We found all the old *Mr. Rogers* episodes, which was a sweet surprise. For the price of $0 extra on top of what I already spend, it adds a lot of value to my existing subscription.

Developer & Support

I haven’t had any major crashes or bugs that made me contact support, so I can’t speak to that directly. The app updates itself on my phone pretty regularly, usually just saying “bug fixes and performance improvements.” I did glance at the reviews in the Play Store before downloading, and a lot of the one-star complaints were about billing or account issues, not the app itself. That made me feel better. It seems like Amazon is actively maintaining it. For a free app tied to such a big company, it feels stable and reliable, which is important when you’re relying on it to keep a kid entertained.

Privacy & Safety

As a parent, this is my top concern with any app. I appreciate that Amazon provides clear parental controls. I can set a PIN, restrict profiles by age rating, and even turn off the ability to make purchases. That last one is huge—no surprise charges for renting a movie because my kid clicked the wrong button. The privacy policy is what you’d expect from a giant like Amazon; they collect viewing data to make recommendations. I’m okay with that trade-off since it’s contained within their ecosystem. Knowing I can create a walled garden for my child within the app gives me enough peace of mind to use it regularly.