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. That said, if you're a Spotify super fan, or you just want something that's a little nicer for music control than your smartphone, then this is the perfect accessory upgrade for your car.Spotify first announced the Car Thing in April 2021, offering the gadget to a select few Spotify Premium subscribers on an invite-only basis.

If you have a large smartphone and a car mount, Car Thing does essentially the same job (albeit with a few convenient features like a large knob and voice control). Spotify's Car Thing is essentially a glorified Spotify remote for people who don't have Bluetooth in their cars. And if you're on a strict data plan, you'll want to download your music or podcasts to your smartphone over Wi-Fi beforehand.

So it won't allow you to leave the house sans smartphone. The device still needs to be tethered via Bluetooth to your smartphone, and you'll still consume data. Of course, Car Thing might not be a game-changer for all Spotify subscribers. It also has a built-in voice assistant that works with 'Hey Spotify' commands, so you can control your music hands-free.

It plugs into your car (via USB or a 12-volt adapter), rests on your dashboard (via an air vent or CD player mount) and provides the driver with a big touchscreen to view and control their music and podcasts. The Car Thing is designed for Spotify subscribers who want was it basically the ultimate Spotify streaming device for their car.

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