We unveiled our research into a smart player in April 2021, which could easily fill your automobile with a world of music,
news, entertainment, chat, and more. Then, in October, we revealed Car Thing's restricted distribution to Spotify Premium subscribers. Following these successful investigations, we're pleased to announce that the gadget is now available for purchase in the United States for $89.99.
Specifically designed for your journey
We created Car Thing because we noticed that our consumers wanted a more seamless and personalized in-car listening experience, regardless of their vehicle's year or model. Spotify's whole repertoire of music and podcasts is now available to even more audiophiles via Car Thing.
Car Thing enables listeners to play their favorite music and podcasts quickly using “Hey Spotify” voice commands, as well as simple taps, turns, and swipes—allowing listeners to start playing that hit song or the latest podcast episode before they pull out of the driveway. (And it makes it even more effortless to switch to something else when the mood strikes.)
A smooth audio experience in the automobile
During our discovery phase, we learned a lot about how people listen in cars and how Car Thing can help improve that experience for many users. From device owners, we learnt two key points: For starters, people were listening to Spotify in their cars more than previously. Second, owing to both the product interface (which they prefer to their previous in-car media) and the convenience of utilizing "Hey Spotify" to manage what they wanted to listen to, Car Thing made it easier to play exactly what they wanted.
In addition, we received certain suggestions from drivers, which we are planning to implement into future Car Thing updates. Night Mode, for example, dims the screen brightness in the evening and an Add to Queue command, which lets you queue up your favorite music and podcasts by simply using your voice. This exploration and innovation is part of our ongoing commitment to building a truly frictionless experience for users across devices—in the car, at home, or on the go.
Whether it’s using your voice, touch, or physical controls, Car Thing is intuitive and responsive during every in-car situation. Previously, Car Thing was only available to select eligible users in the U.S. who had joined the waitlist. Now, we’re excited to make the device generally available in the U.S. and bring it to even more users.
