what is car thing

[OJeffrey]

A Car Thing is a now-discontinued voice-controlled music and podcast player that Spotify designed for older cars. It was a small, dashboard-mounted device intended to bring a seamless Spotify experience to vehicles without built-in infotainment systems (the integrated in-car systems that control audio, navigation, and connectivity). It essentially acted as a dedicated remote control for the Spotify app on your phone, using either voice commands or a physical dial for safer, easier control while driving.

Spotify officially described the Car Thing as an experiment to learn more about how people listen to audio in their cars. The device required a connection to your smartphone via Bluetooth and a subscription to Spotify Premium. It featured a 4-inch touchscreen, a large central dial for navigation, and preset buttons for quick access to favorite playlists or stations.

Despite its innovative approach, Spotify announced it would stop manufacturing and supporting the Car Thing in July 2022. The company stated it was part of a broader effort to streamline its product offerings and focus on becoming a platform-agnostic service within all car infotainment systems. Existing devices continued to work for a time, but full functionality was discontinued after December 9, 2024.

Feature	Specification
Manufacturer	Spotify
Release Date	April 2022 (General US Release)
Discontinuation Date	July 2022 (Production Stopped)
Primary Function	Voice-controlled Spotify player for cars
Required Subscription	Spotify Premium
Phone Connection	Bluetooth
Power Source	USB-C, connected to car outlet
Mounting	Dashboard or vent clip
Display	4-inch touchscreen
Main Controls	Voice, Touchscreen, Physical Dial, Preset Buttons
Final Service Date	December 9, 2024

For most drivers today, it's a piece of tech history. If your car has Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you already have a much more integrated and capable solution for accessing Spotify and other apps.

[VonTucker]

It was basically a little screen and dial for your car that only worked with Spotify. You'd tell it to play a podcast or skip a song, which was handy if your car stereo was ancient. But Spotify killed it pretty fast. They decided it was smarter to just make their app work great in every new car's built-in system instead of selling a separate gadget. If you see one now, it's pretty much a collector's item.

[DiGabrielle]

From a product strategy perspective, the Car Thing was a fascinating but ultimately failed experiment. Spotify is a software company, and hardware is a difficult, low-margin business. The device served as a real-world lab to gather user data on in-car listening habits. This intelligence was likely invaluable. By discontinuing it, Spotify avoided the long-term costs of hardware support and manufacturing, choosing instead to partner with automakers to embed their service directly, which is a more scalable path to dominance.

[DiBarrett]

I had one for a few months in my 2010 sedan. The voice recognition was surprisingly good—better than fumbling with my phone at a stoplight. The big knob made scrolling through playlists easy. But honestly, once I upgraded to a car with Android Auto, the Car Thing just felt redundant. It was a clever bridge for those of us with older cars, but built-in systems are just smoother. I'm not surprised they pulled the plug.

[BriellaFitz]

Think of it as a dedicated remote control, but for your Spotify. It connected to your phone and gave you a physical interface right on your dashboard: a screen, a dial, and buttons you could program. This was aimed squarely at drivers whose cars predate the smartphone era. The key takeaway is that Spotify realized supporting a single-purpose device was less efficient than ensuring its app is optimized for the multitude of infotainment platforms available in modern vehicles.