Car Thing by Spotify: The device that turns your old car into a modern one
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Spotify has decided to enter the automotive equipment market with the launch of the Spotify Car Thing device. It's a screen that provides music streaming service even if your car doesn't have Android Auto or Apple Car Play.
When Spotify first launched the $80 Spotify Car Thing, the news made a lot of people go crazy. Car Thing is a touch screen with voice control, so you can listen to Spotify in your car. It seemed like the perfect solution for vehicles that don't have such a system or built in. Except that it hasn't been that easy to get hold of since its first launch in April 2021.
The Car Thing is still hard to come by eight months later, however you can purchase it from the website and see that it has some very positives and we will tell you what they are below.
Easy installation of Spotify Car Thing
The installation process is simple, and everything you need is in the box: brackets for connecting the screen to the air vents, in the dashboard or in the CD slot, a 12V adapter and a USB cable.
The Car Thing connects to your phone via Bluetooth and then also connects to your car stereo via Bluetooth, Aux or USB cable. Your phone acts like the brain of Car Thing: it needs to be constantly connected to the screen for it to work.
How does Car Thing work?
To start playing music, just say "Hey Spotify" and select the desired song, album or artist from the catalog. You can also open your playlists, play and pause music, or skip tracks with voice commands. There's also a physical dial and the touchscreen itself for additional control, as well as four programmable preset buttons for calling favorites. The screen is lightweight and makes you feel like you've upgraded your car a bit.
Spotify-only device
It's also a disposable device, so it only works with Spotify. You must have a Premium subscription and don't expect any other apps or even maps to appear on this screen. There's also no built-in music storage or equalizer controls, but you can listen to your phone's audio, such as navigation and phone calls, through the speakers while using Car Thing.
Using Car Thing, most people with older cars will probably be happy with a car mount for their phone and the same in-app Spotify voice assistant. Or even use Siri or Google Assistant to open the Spotify app in a pinch. The Car Thing is a good option to spice up long drives with your favorite music or when there are other people in the car who want to control the music.
Spotify bets on automotive hardware
It's also Spotify's first foray into hardware, so there may be some software updates in the future to set up voice recognition, or even a second generation to include music storage to make it work independently of your phone.
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