Spotify Car Thing officially launched and is only available in the US for $89.99 but will require you to have a Spotify Premium account to use it. Back in April 2021, Spotify announced its experiment with a smart player that could seamlessly fill your car with a world of music, news, entertainment, talk, and more. Then in October, it unveiled a limited release of Car Thing to Spotify Premium users. It is now fully available in the US and will allow access to Spotify’s entire catalogue of music and podcasts across an even wider range of vehicles.
Car Thing enables listeners to play their favourite 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 without distracting you from driving.
During their exploration phase, Spotify discovered a lot about how people listen in the car, and for many users, how Car Thing can help improve that experience. They learned two major things from device owners: First, users were listening to Spotify in the car more than they had before. Second, Car Thing made it simpler to play exactly what they wanted, thanks to both the product interface (which they enjoy more than their previous in-car media) and the ease of using “Hey Spotify” to control what they wanted to listen to.
Plus they collected a number of future enhancements such as Night Mode, which dims screen brightness in the evening, and an Add to Queue command, which lets you queue up your favourite music and podcasts by simply using your voice.
Car Thing is compatible with car stereos that can play music from your phone and has a USB outlet, Bluetooth and AUX connectivity. It also works with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You will also need a mobile or WiFi connection and a Premium Spotify account.
More details including how to setup Car Thing can be found at a dedicated Spotify website here.
