Spotify Ends Car Things Operations, Device to be Unusable by December—Why?

After discontinuing the device, Spotify is now ending Car Thing's operations, which means that it will no longer work or have any purpose come the shutdown time.

In a recent announcement, Spotify claimed the device would only work until December 2024, then removed it entirely despite users having initially bought it.

Since its inception in 2021, Spotify has marketed it as the replacement for its driving mode called "Car View," but moments after its availability, it was pulled out.

Spotify Ends Car Thing Operations Entirely

Spotify sent emails to Car Thing owners and announced that the device would be fully discontinued, saying that it would no longer work to provide a seamless infotainment-like experience for vehicles that do not have it.

While it is unknown what would happen by then, it is assumed that connecting to the Car Thing using one's mobile phone to stream music would no longer work.

The music streaming company recommends factory resetting the Car Thing before disposing of it and throwing it away for recycling or whatever their state guidelines may be for electronic devices.

It would not matter if the device was barely used and was working perfectly, as Spotify would no longer proceed with its operations.

Car Thing to be Unusuable by December

According to Spotify, the Car Thing will no longer work on December 9, 2024, and the company will brick it, which would cause users to find no purpose in it.

However, there are various users who, before this announcement, have found ways to give it a new life by installing Android on it and various forums on Reddit and other platforms giving instructions on how to do so.

Spotify's Car Thing and Car View

Spotify's Car Thing was initially leaked in 2018, but it was only confirmed three years later in 2021 as a gadget that users may use in their vehicles to connect to their smartphones and replace Car View.

It initially offered a seamless interface that focused on driving safety. At the same time, it lets users control their music easily, eliminating other possible distractions when doing so on the phone.

In 2022, it was sold by Spotify to US users initially for $89.99, and it was first made available to people who were on the waitlist that anticipated the device for almost a year.

During its launch, it was priced $10 more than what the company originally marketed, and it was a device meant for cars without an infotainment system that captures the same experience.

However, Spotify discontinued it two years ago, months after it was made available. This was also the time when Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were widely available on new vehicles.

Despite users paying $90 for this two years ago, Spotify no longer allows it to operate, unlike old smartphones that can still be used but cannot be updated, and it does not matter if they are still working perfectly.