![]() ![]() This month, Spotify cut the price of Car Thing from $90 to $50 as part of a “summer sale” - one that will likely be permanent as the company seeks to liquidate its remaining inventory. It became available to purchase without an invitation in February. It required drivers to pair their devices with a smartphone via Bluetooth, and used the phone’s data plan or files downloaded via the Spotify app to stream audio to the car.Ĭar Thing was announced by Spotify in April 2021 and was available for $90 with a special invitation. The device plugged into a car’s auxiliary port and was primarily aimed at users who lacked a screen-based entertainment system in their vehicles. The device also allowed passengers to play DJ by way of the gadget’s oversized control knob and multi-function button. It was designed to help drivers keep their eyes on the road by allowing motorists to search for albums, songs and podcasts using their voice. The announcement was made Wednesday during a conference call with investors after Spotify released its quarterly earnings earlier in the day.Ĭar Thing was a small accessory that was designed to be attached to a car’s air conditioning vent or somewhere else on the dashboard. Streaming music service Spotify says it has stopped manufacturing Car Thing, its $90 hands-free car accessory that aimed to make it easier for motorists to play songs and podcasts while driving. It’s not like we need the thing.(Image courtesy Spotify, Graphic by The Desk) Perhaps it’s not such a wrench that the Car Thing is only available in the States at present. There’s a case to be made that it’s a little safer to use the oversized display or voice control, but you could just start your podcast before you pull out of the driveway like everyone else. ![]() Or you could forgo the Car Thing and just rely on mounting your phone on your dashboard, streaming your Spotify through your car’s Bluetooth connection, or using your car’s infotainment system to get the job done if you’re fancy. At least, that’s what the streaming service claims. There’s no battery, so it’ll take up your 12-volt port (‘four things in order to function’) the entire time you’re using it, but it’ll let you listen to Spotify for longer. There’s a physical controller, a touchscreen display, or voice control if you’re an eyes-on-the-road kinda driver. After that, it’s possible to control your tunes via the larger display. It’s installed into your car in much the same way as old GPS units used to be. Oh, yes, and it needs to output to your car’s speakers, so make that ‘three things in order to function’. In other words, Spotify’s gadget will only work if you’ve got all the ingredients needed to stream Spotify without it. Users need a Spotify Premium subscription (that’s non-negotiable), and a smartphone with a working data connection (ditto). The question has to be: Why the heck would you want one of these? The Car Thing requires two things in order to function, not including the car. But many Americans will tell you that’s just how it should be. So it’s less a case of ‘anyone’ and more one of ‘Americans’. Anyone can now buy one, for $90 (R1,350), provided you live in the United States. That’s changed, but it hasn’t changed enough. Initially, the $80 (R1,200) in-car audio device was available by invitation only. ![]() But, like, in mid-April, so there was no chance it was a joke. It does make the Car Thing (or pays someone else to), a device we first saw in April last year. Keep on some Spotify hardware in your car? No, not your cellphone. ![]()
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