Spotify Discontinues Car Thing Smart Player

Spotify has pulled the plug on Car Thing, its hardware product that allowed users to control the company’s streaming service through car speakers when connected to a phone by using both voice recognition and preset buttons.

“Car Thing is discontinued and no longer operational,” the company said in a notice on the Car Thing website.

Spotify said in its FAQ page about the discontinuation of Car Thing that the product would be discontinued and no longer operational after Monday (Dec. 9).

With the device no longer operational, Spotify recommended that owners reset their Car Thing to factory settings and dispose of it according to their state or local electronic waste guidelines.

Owners can contact customer service by Jan. 14 to “discuss your refund options,” the FAQ said.

The company has no plans to release a new version or a replacement for Car Thing.

“You can still enjoy Spotify in your car and through other methods, such as using the Spotify app on your smartphone or via Bluetooth or cable connections, depending on your vehicle’s capabilities,” the FAQ page said.

Spotify said on the page that it discontinued Car Thing to streamline its product offerings and focus on developing new features and enhancements for Spotify.

The company introduced Car Thing in April 2021, describing it as a “smart player that fills your car with music, news, entertainment and talk,” designed to address its users’ need for “a seamless and personalized in-car listening experience,” that aims to bring “our entire catalog of music and podcasts to a wider range of users across an even wider range of vehicles.”

Spotify added that its focus “remains on becoming the world’s No. 1 audio platform — not on creating hardware.”

The company said in a July 2022 earnings report that it had stopped making Car Thing, taking a $31.4 million charge as a result.

A company spokesperson told TechCrunch at the time: “Based on several factors, including product demand and supply chain issues, we have decided to stop further production of Car Thing unit. Existing devices will perform as intended. This initiative has unlocked helpful learnings, and we remain focused on the car as an important place for audio.”