Spotify is working on an in-car device that's slated for release later this year, according to anonymous sources. Reports of a Spotify hardware for cars have been circulating since April 2018. Even as early as February last year, some Spotify users were reportedly offered a device that would be bundled with a premium subscription.
The First-Ever Spotify Hardware
A new report from Financial Times seems to back up this rumor. According to sources, the device will connect via a car's Bluetooth, so plugging in a phone to a car through an aux cable will be a thing of the past. While it will reportedly have buttons for easier control — for example, one assigned to a certain playlist — there'll be also voice control to boot, which will be powered by Spotify's in-house voice system. This means that the device can be activated through voice directly from Spotify, setting it apart from, say, Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant.
When it comes to the cost, the device is said to be on the expensive side, around $100. Rumor has it that Spotify will unveil the device before the year ends.
Spotify is allegedly partnering up with Flex in developing the product. Both parties are both mum about the device, though.
Spotify In Cars
With Apple CarPlay, Google Assistant, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa clawing through one another for the automobile market, it's seems a clever move for Spotify to ride the trend and test the waters in the hardware department.
Hardware release aside, the service started providing car accessibility through adding features that help with easier music playback while driving. To name one, Spotify recently rolled out an update called Car View for Android. Car View is basically a minimalist version of the app, showing only buttons for next, back, play, pause, shuffle, and like. Album covers were also removed, with just the artist and song title visible through this mode.
