Spotify highlights its “focus remains on becoming the world’s number one audio platform-not on creating hardware” but that it’s aiming to solve a problem it saw–many of its users “missing out on a seamless and personalized in-car listening experience.” Switching between your favorite audio is effortless, allowing you to shift gears to something else as soon as the mood strikes. Spotify announced the debut of its “new smart player” for the car in a press release this morning.Ĭurrently available to eligible users in the U.S., Car Thing enables you to play your favorite audio faster, so you’re already listening to that hit song or the latest podcast episode before you’ve even pulled out of the driveway. For the initial product launch, Spotify is giving out Car Thing for free to a limited group of Premium subscribers in the US. Spotify said existing devices will still work and that the company will support units 'for the foreseeable future.Spotify has officially launched its new in-vehicle device, “Car Thing.” The smart player comes with support for “Hey Spotify” voice commands as well as a knob, touch screen, and preset buttons for controls. An email to customers, seen by Insider, shows the discount will be available until Aug. You can still buy the Car Thing from Spotify's website, for a discounted price of $49.99 (down from $89.99). And while Spotify has said it wasn't looking to compete with other in-car infotainment systems, it was up against stiff competition from the start.īecause many new cars come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, which also allow drivers to control phone apps through their car's infotainment screen, Car Thing was best suited for older cars with clunky screens, or those without screens at all. It then offered a public waitlist for the Car Thing last October, but it only went on sale for the general public in April.Īccording to the company's website, the Car Thing required a paid Spotify Premium subscription - it wouldn't work with a free Spotify plan. Spotify first announced the Car Thing in April 2021, offering the gadget to a select few Spotify Premium subscribers on an invite-only basis.

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