The Divoom AstroToo becomes more useful when you understand how its different kinds of content fit together. Retr0rob’s nearly 49-minute walkthrough is particularly helpful here: he does not stop at choosing a clock face. He builds an album, collects community art, edits face content, creates a loop of whole faces and schedules a future change.
His overall verdict is enthusiastic about the construction, screen and sound. He is equally clear that it is something to want rather than something everyone needs. This guide follows the operations he actually demonstrates, including imperfect results, before moving into local music, ambient sound and games.
Begin with the app, then separate display and keyboard settings
After unboxing the speaker, braided USB-C cable, stickers and guide, Rob moves into the Divoom app. He explains adding the device from the device area, but does not replay the entire initial pairing process on camera. The official AstroToo guide covers that first-use connection flow.
In the device controls, he changes screen brightness and then opens RGB settings for the front keys. The two brightness controls serve different purposes: making the screen readable does not require making the keyboard equally bright. He tries animated effects as well as a plain white option.
Night mode is a separate scheduling step. Rob sets an example period from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. and reminds viewers to confirm it with the check mark. The useful detail is not those particular hours, but that entering a time is not the same as saving the setting.
He also points out the startup face, photo-album behavior, date and time formats, location and network options. The app can make a face look wrong if basic preferences do not match your region, so these settings are part of preparing a useful everyday display.
Create a photo album from selection to slideshow
From the device section, Rob opens Photo Album, creates an album named Bob and begins selecting pictures from his phone. The chosen examples are varied personal images rather than a preset promotional gallery. He reviews them and starts the send operation, waiting for the success result.
Once the photos are on the AstroToo, he changes the album cover and explores how quickly images advance and which transitions they use. He toggles the clock and weather overlays to show how an album can remain informative instead of being only a sequence of pictures.
That sequence makes the feature easier to understand: the album is a collection you create, its cover is a navigation aid, and playback settings control how the collection appears. These are separate from downloading a ready-made clock face, even though both end up on the same screen.
Drawing and community art provide two routes to a personal display
Rob opens the design area and shows a simple car he has drawn. The image is visible on the AstroToo alongside the phone editor, and he previews its animation. The example makes creation approachable: a small personal drawing can be worth displaying without needing to resemble the more elaborate community work.
He also mentions AI generation, but finds it slow and says the community already has so much usable material that he rarely needs it. That is a practical preference from his use, rather than a claim that generation is broken or that every user will have the same wait.
In the community section, selecting an artwork loads a preview on the device. Rob then adds art he likes to a playlist. This collection step matters later: it saves him from searching again when he wants several animations in a custom face.
He briefly covers voice memos, on-screen messages and timers in the app. Calendar account connections are available, but he explicitly says he does not connect his own calendars. Their presence should not be mistaken for a calendar-sync test in this walkthrough.
Customize the information inside a face
On Star Navigator, Rob opens settings for the financial information. He changes the selection and adds Atari SA, then confirms it and points to the stock appearing in the face. This is a concrete example of editing a component inside an existing dashboard rather than creating an entirely new screen.
He next visits the face gallery, chooses a Hi-Fi receiver design and shows the option to like or comment on it. Downloading a face adds a ready-made layout; its own settings determine which parts can be adjusted. The amount of control depends on the chosen face.
Artwork timing and whole-face rotation are different jobs
The most useful part of the walkthrough distinguishes two levels of playback. First, Rob opens a stylized pixel-art clock and adds several animations from the community, using his earlier collection to find them again. He changes the artwork display duration to about ten seconds before each item advances.
He tries the time-display option but does not get the appearance he expects. That imperfect result belongs in the explanation: selecting an option is not proof that every overlay behaves exactly as intended in every face.
At this stage, the artwork keeps cycling inside that particular face. If he wants the entire device to move on to a different dashboard, changing the animation duration is not enough. He opens a looped playlist, adds whole faces and sets their individual durations.
His demonstration uses roughly 30-second periods to make the rotation visible, including the Hi-Fi face, information layouts and his custom art face. Crucially, he has to select the completed looped playlist for it to start. Creating a playlist and activating it are separate actions.
| What you want to change | Control used in the review | What changes |
|---|---|---|
| Which artwork appears within one face | Art selection and playback duration | Animations change while that face remains active |
| Which complete face is showing | Looped playlist with a duration per face | The whole layout rotates |
| What appears at a particular date or time | Repeat plan | A chosen face is scheduled to take over |
Schedule a future face change with a repeat plan
Rob then creates a date-based plan. He proposes a December 1 change, uses a coffee face as his available example and configures the timing. The demonstration is of setting the future plan; the recording does not continue to December to verify the later execution.
The distinction is useful for seasonal displays or recurring routines. A loop determines what alternates now; a plan determines when the selected face should change. Rob’s coffee example illustrates configuration rather than proving a holiday-specific face has been installed.
TF-card music keeps the audio workflow simple
After the app tour, Rob inserts a TF card containing MP3s and plays music directly. He demonstrates volume and track changes with the physical controls. It is the clearest local-audio example in the video: the card supplies the files instead of a phone supplying a Bluetooth stream.
He praises the sound and finds it suitable for the music he plays. The separate M/source key cycles inputs such as Bluetooth and TF card, with USB audio dependent on a compatible connection. His local-file success is useful evidence for that workflow; it does not establish support for every codec or card format.
The up-to-six-hour battery figure is the product rating discussed during the review. Rob does not present a continuous rundown. He expects a desk or bedside device like this to spend much of its time plugged in, using the battery mainly when moving it for music.
Use the on-device menu when the phone is not handy
Rob walks through the physical controls and local carousel after showing the app. The menu gives access to faces, albums, alarms, sleep sounds, utilities and settings. It is useful for changing something immediately, even if the app is more convenient for preparing a complex layout.
In the alarm editor he changes time and ringtone options and points out choices involving recordings or a TF card. A custom sound is only useful if the chosen source is actually available. The guide’s alarm and source instructions explain that unavailable sources may appear empty or disabled.
Build an ambient mix and decide how the session ends
The sleep aid is one of Rob’s favorite extras. He previews sounds such as rain on a tent and forest rain, then enters the custom mixer. Instead of choosing only one preset, he raises the crackle layer and adjusts other components to change the overall sound.
He then opens the session settings, adjusting brightness, volume and a timer. These are different choices from the sound mix itself: the mix determines what you hear, while the session settings help determine how bright and loud it is and when it stops.
Rob’s enthusiasm is about the range and controllability of the sounds. The walkthrough does not establish that a particular noise improves sleep or treats a sleep condition. It does demonstrate a way to configure background audio without keeping a phone sound app on screen.
The subsequent utility tour includes a focus timer, stopwatch, countdown, scoreboard and microphone-based noise display. He does not extensively test every utility, so the strongest evidence remains with the sound-mixing and timing operations he actually performs.
Three games show both the charm and the limits
Rob browses the My Astro list, then spends time on three games. He treats them as small distractions, with Cosmic Fishing the one he most enjoys. The controls and examples below reflect the versions installed during his recording; game content can change with updates.
Cosmic Fishing: timing a catch
The fishing menu includes a catch log, bait, rods and a shop. Rob chooses bait, starts fishing and attempts the timing action, eventually catching a fish. He finds the blue-zone cue useful but admits that it took him time to understand and asks whether viewers know a better approach.
That makes this an honest look at learning the game, not a definitive strategy guide. His point is that a short diversion held his attention longer than he expected.
Fortress Defense: a basic directional challenge
Rob compares Fortress Defense with an old arcade-style game and tries defending against incoming targets. He notices no sound during this attempt and questions a displayed best score of zero. Both remain observations of this session; the video does not establish a universal audio failure or confirmed score-loss bug.
Mech Blitz: movement with automatic fire
In Mech Blitz, movement happens in steps and firing is automatic. Rob struggles while watching a delayed external preview, so his performance is not a clean responsiveness test of the AstroToo screen. He also wishes the front keys had been used more directly as game buttons.
The mini games do not turn the AstroToo into a dedicated console. They add moments of play to a desktop Bluetooth speaker whose main attractions, in his conclusion, are the display, sound and physical build.
Worth wanting, without pretending everyone needs one
Rob ends by praising the close-fitting construction, screen and control feel. He considers the overall experience convincing if the concept already appeals to you. His value judgment is about a well-made, enjoyable desk object, rather than a necessary replacement for a phone, computer or gaming system.
The deeper benefit of his walkthrough is knowing how to make it yours: create an album or collect artwork, choose an information face, decide whether content should loop, and set only the schedules you will use. If those activities sound enjoyable alongside music, the AstroToo has a clearer purpose than its long feature list initially suggests.
Source: Divoom AstroToo: Everything You Need to Know. This article follows the creator’s demonstration and observations.
For the device controls and first connection, consult the official AstroToo quick-start manual.
Divoom Astrotoo Pixel Art Desktop Speaker | 20W Sound Bring your desk to life with Divoom Astrotoo — a 20W desktop speaker with a 3.95-inch pixel display, Bluetooth 6.0, Wi-Fi and customizable clock faces. €211,95 EUR Buy now
