Here are the latest details provided today by Spotify on Car Thing’s availability: There are a few different included options here to fit different styles of cars. In the box with Car Thing, you’ll find mounting hardware to place it on your car’s dash. Car Thing connects to your car via Bluetooth or a dedicated audio cable. Car Thing connects to your iPhone via Bluetooth, and cellular data is then shared between your phone and Car Thing for access to music, podcasts, and more. Similar to CarPlay, Spotify’s Car Thing requires a smartphone to function.

The touch screen allows you to navigate through the Spotify interface, while there are also physical buttons. It features support for the “Hey Spotify” wake word for hands-free control. When officially launched, the “anticipated retail price” will be $80.Earlier this year, Spotify launched its first-ever in-vehicle device dubbed “Car Thing.” After six months of invite-only availability, Spotify is now expanding access to Car Thing to US subscribers who want to purchase the $79.99 in-car screen.įor those unfamiliar, Spotify’s Car Thing is sort of the company’s take on CarPlay. And the result is a kind of neat product with an odd look, a cool name, and a potentially fatal flaw.Ĭar Thing is available in limited release in the United States for free, with a $7 shipping and handling charge.

It’s almost like Spotify built the voice control aspect of the product, and then lost faith. Will people use it while driving? Absolutely. And none of that looking at the screen should be happening, ideally, while you’re operating a multi-ton motor vehicle.Ĭan it be used while stopped? Absolutely. Playing is probably just a tap, as is pausing. Selecting requires looking at the screen. Use the dial to browse, select, play, pause, and discover.”īrowsing requires looking at the screen. “You can also browse deeper, curating the perfect soundtrack to wherever you’re headed. “Try the dial for a hands-on way to steer to the audio you love,” Spotify says. And a massively flawed design choice at the same time.īecause while you can reach for the knob and grab it without looking - unlike a screen - the knob’s actual functionality includes almost nothing that you don’t still need your eyes for.

Spotifyīut that’s also the Achilles heel of the product.

How does car thing spotify work