Quiet upgrade, Spotify Car Thing still divides drivers on the road
17.06.2026 - 16:08:26 | ad-hoc-news.de
Reviewed: ad hoc news Accessory & Components desk. Edited and checked on 2026-06-17, 16:04. Details in the imprint.
Spotify Car Thing is one of those gadgets you only really understand when you twist the chunky knob at 120 km/h on the highway instead of poking at a slippery phone screen. The plastic feels simple, almost cheap, yet the interface snaps into place with a quiet confidence. It is a discontinued experiment that still feels oddly right in many older cars.
Background on the Spotify Technology SA stock
Investors looking at Car Thing as Spotify's first hardware step often want to understand how it fits into the broader streaming and platform strategy behind the stock.
What Car Thing actually is
Car Thing is a small in-car control unit for Spotify, roughly the size of a large smartphone but thicker, with a 4-inch color touchscreen, a fat rotary dial, and four preset buttons on top. It connects to your phone via Bluetooth and to the car either over Bluetooth or the AUX input.
The idea is simple and quite narrow. Car Thing does not replace your head unit, does not run other apps, and does not store music locally. It is a remote control for Spotify that pulls power from a 12-volt adapter and hangs magnetically from an air vent or dash mount.
Setup and everyday use
Setting up Car Thing starts with a familiar step: open the Spotify app on your phone, pair the device via Bluetooth, log in, and let it sync your playlists. In practice it takes a few minutes, then the interface fills with your daily mixes, podcasts, and recommendations in chunky tiles you can hit without precision.
On the road, the big knob is the star. You scroll through lists without looking down for long, push to select, and tap one of the four hardware buttons to jump to a favorite playlist or podcast. Voice control via "Hey Spotify" is available, but many drivers report they rely more on the physical controls than the sometimes hit-and-miss voice detection.
Why Spotify discontinued it
Spotify officially stopped manufacturing Car Thing in 2022 and later announced it would fully shut down the device's functionality at the end of 2024, writing off remaining inventory in the process. According to the company, Car Thing was a "limited product" meant to explore how users listen in the car rather than a long-term hardware line.
The move frustrated early buyers. A dedicated device that cannot function without cloud support becomes e-waste once the service is switched off, even if the hardware still works perfectly. Spotify answered criticism by pointing to the learnings for its core app and in-car experiences, but did not offer refunds beyond existing return policies.
Strengths that still stand out
When you use Car Thing in an older car without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, you immediately feel the benefit of a separate screen. Your main phone is free for navigation, and Spotify sits on its own tidy display with bold covers and minimal clutter.
The magnetic mount and light body help here. You can pop Car Thing off the vent with one hand, throw it into the glove compartment, and remount it with a satisfying snap. In daily use this feels more elegant than fiddling with spring-loaded phone holders that rattle on potholes.
Where it clearly falls short
There are obvious drawbacks. Because Car Thing relies on your phone for data and connectivity, you are still tethered to the same potential dropouts and mobile network gaps you already know from streaming in the car. If your phone battery dies, Car Thing becomes a dead panel.
On top of that, the device is officially unsupported now. New Spotify interface features or experimental playlists arrive first on phones and CarPlay, if they arrive at all for Car Thing before the announced shutdown. Buyers today rely on remaining stock and the quiet hope that Spotify does not pull the plug earlier than promised.
Price, availability, and the used market
Originally, Car Thing went on sale in the United States for around 89.99 dollars after an initial invitation-only phase. Spotify never rolled it out widely in Europe or Germany, which is why many drivers there only encountered the device through reviews and imports rather than local retail channels.
Since discontinuation, the device shows up mostly on second-hand marketplaces, where prices fluctuate depending on demand and remaining sealed units. Some early adopters see it as a quirky collectors' item, others offload it before the cloud shutdown turns it into a mute decoration for the dashboard.
How it fits into Spotify's bigger plan
Car Thing was Spotify's first serious step into branded consumer hardware, alongside broader moves into podcasts, audiobooks, and car integrations with vehicle makers. For the company, it offered a live test bed for hardware UX, on-device recommendations, and how deeply users want Spotify embedded into their daily driving.
Overall, the experiment underlines a consistent pattern: Spotify is willing to test bold ideas and then cut them off if they do not scale fast enough. Shares of Spotify Technology SA (LU1778762911) are listed on the New York Stock Exchange in US dollars.
Key facts on Spotify Car Thing
- Product: Spotify Car Thing
- Manufacturer: Spotify Technology SA
- Category: Accessory / in-car streaming controller
- Launch: Broad US release in 2022 after invite-only phase
- RRP / Price: Around 89.99 US dollars at launch
- Availability: Discontinued, remaining units only via resale and remaining stock, mainly in the US
- Target group: Drivers with older cars lacking built-in Spotify, CarPlay, or Android Auto
- Highlight / USP: Dedicated Spotify control with big knob, physical presets, and clean interface for older vehicles
This article was AI-assisted and editorially reviewed. Product information without guarantee; prices and availability may change at short notice. No investment advice, no buy or sell recommendation. Stock-market transactions involve risks up to total loss.
