Spotify Is Scrapping Its ‘Car Thing’ for Good
As for what to do with the device, Spotify recommends throwing it out.
Spotify is taking drastic measures to do away with its Car Thing – yes, that’s the real name for it – one of the only pieces of hardware it’s ever released.
The company rolled out Car Thing in February 2022 and ceased production of the device less than a year later. Car Thing acts as an entertainment console attachment for cars that may not have one, except its only purpose is to navigate one’s Spotify account. It’s basically the Spotify app in Bluetooth-enabled brick form.
Usually when companies discontinue a piece of hardware, that only means that they’re no longer producing it but Spotify is shutting down the Car Thing entirely, including scrapping the software it runs on. As of December 9, Car Thing will “no longer be operational.”
“We’re discontinuing Car Thing as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline our product offerings,” Spotify detailed in an FAQ. “We understand it may be disappointing, but this decision allows us to focus on developing new features and enhancements that will ultimately provide a better experience to all Spotify users.”
As for what people should do with their now useless Car Things, Spotify advises to simply throw it out.
“We recommend resetting your Car Thing to factory settings and safely disposing of your device following local electronic waste guidelines,” the company wrote.
