Whether the technology is worth the cash is up to you, but we think one cheaper alternative is a better choice.

Have you heard of the Spotify Car Thing? It’s a phone-sized music player that attaches to your car’s dashboard. You can climb into a car, and music instantly connects and begins playing. For many people, the fastest and safest way to play music from their phone is through Bluetooth. However, using your phone is simple and easy. Something as simple as playing music in less intuitive models can seem confusing. When buying a vehicle in 2022, you’ll find touchscreens small and large, pages of apps to scroll through, and more. However, the music streaming giant’s more general shift towards audiobook and podcast content continues to grow its free and paid listener bases – and casting off the dead weight of Car Thing will likely allow Spotify to amp up focus on the products it actually specializes in (read: audio software, not audio hardware).įor more Spotify-related news, check out our reports on the company’s expansion of a popular social feature, its new Supergrouper playlist tool, and its under-the-radar karaoke mode.One of the most essential things in modern cars is the infotainment system. In its aforementioned investor report, Spotify said the decision to call time on Car Thing cost the company €31 million (around $32 million). Support for Car Thing is unlikely to persist for much longer, though, so we’d only suggest picking one up if you’re an avid collector of, well, weird Spotify stuff. Spotify is still selling remaining Car Thing stock through its official website (opens in new tab) (for almost half price, too), and the company has said that “existing devices will perform as intended” (per TechCrunch (opens in new tab)). What’s more, owners of so-called older vehicles who do want to listen to Spotify on the move are, in all likelihood, just as happy to mount their phones and use Bluetooth or an aux cable as they are buying a cheaper, third-party media player that functions in exactly the same way as Car Thing.Įssentially, then, Car Thing is dead because Spotify never really cracked who the product was for – but those who do still fancy buying one need not fear.

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