Speaking of voice control, we’d also love to see Spotify widely roll out and improve its own assistant feature, which offers most of the same functionality as the best-known voice assistants. Hopefully, this will result in fewer distractions, and we’re also hoping to see a better Google Assistant, Siri, and Amazon Alexa integration for voice control. However, Android Auto and Apple Car Play had the Spotify app available for a long time, and the discontinuation of the Car Thing makes us believe that Spotify will invest even more research, time, and money into enhancing its application and service on those platforms. The release includes updated software allowing customers to see incoming calls on their mobile. The Car Mode feature hasn’t been available in all regions, and it doesn’t solve all of the problems, as it still requires either a physical or wireless connection to connect to a smartphone. The Spotify Car Thing was made available in February 2022. Once enabled, and the smartphone recognizes that it’s connected to a car’s audio system, it’ll display a larger UI to make it easier to navigate and use while – ideally stationary or parked up on the side of the road – driving.

Spotify said existing devices will still work and that the company will support units 'for the foreseeable future.For those unaware, Car Mode is the successor of the discontinued Car View feature.

An email to customers, seen by Insider, shows the discount will be available until Aug. You can still buy the Car Thing from Spotify's website, for a discounted price of $49.99 (down from $89.99). And while Spotify has said it wasn't looking to compete with other in-car infotainment systems, it was up against stiff competition from the start.īecause many new cars come with Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, which also allow drivers to control phone apps through their car's infotainment screen, Car Thing was best suited for older cars with clunky screens, or those without screens at all. It then offered a public waitlist for the Car Thing last October, but it only went on sale for the general public in April.Īccording to the company's website, the Car Thing required a paid Spotify Premium subscription - it wouldn't work with a free Spotify plan. Spotify first announced the Car Thing in April 2021, offering the gadget to a select few Spotify Premium subscribers on an invite-only basis.

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