In exciting news, Spotify recently released our first gadget: Car Thing. Yes, that’s its official name. And yes, while its name leaves some mystery to the consumer, it does exactly what you’d imagine. Car Thing is a Spotify-only, voice-controlled smart device that gives consumers the ability to control their music, podcasts, and news while driving.
So, how is this any different than just using your phone to control Spotify like you’ve been doing for all this time?
Car Thing is its own thing. Meaning, you can let your phone handle all of the other things you’d use your phone for while you drive — like navigating and making phone calls — while Spotify’s Car Thing handles the entertainment for the ride. Users can talk to it just like they would Siri or Alexa (with a “Hey Spotify”) to ask Car Thing to play a song, podcast, radio station, or album. If you’re sitting at a red light, you can also use the device’s dial to browse, play, and pause songs as well. The lightweight, sleek display shows you what’s currently playing and what’s up next so you can easily see and interact with Car Thing.
Right now, Car Thing is a limited release. Only a select number of Premium subscribers in the US can sign up to get on the waitlist. Users who are able to score one of these devices will only have to pay for the shipping cost of the product thanks to our special promotion. Here’s how to get on the list:
- Make sure that you have a paid Spotify Premium subscription. You must also own a smartphone that can either connect to Wi-Fi in your car or can access mobile data.
- Visit carthing.spotify.com.
- Click ‘Put me on the list’, which is a button located in the top right corner of the site.
- Log in with your Premium account information.
- If you have multiple users on your account, you will have to select which person you want to put on the list.
If you are one of the lucky Premium users chosen to receive a Car Thing, here is everything it will come with:
- CD mount
- Dashboard mount
- Vent mount
- Magnet
- USB cable
- Power adapter
- Cable clips
- Cleaning cloth
- Setup guide
- Product guide
- Product safety information
It’s also incredibly easy to set up on the Spotify mobile app. All you need to do is open your app, choose ‘Car’ and then ‘Set up Car Thing’, and then just follow the steps until the setup is complete.
At Spotify, we have always been interested in launching physical products that coincide with our digital app, so it’s been exciting to see Car Thing come to life. We noticed that some of our users were missing out on a personalized, seamless in-car listening experience, so this is the perfect gadget for them.
We haven’t released a date yet for when all Premium Spotify users will be able to purchase Car Thing, so if this sounds like something you’d love to have, make sure you follow Spotify news.
