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Spotify Announces the 'Car Thing' as its First Hardware Device
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If this has navigation I could see it being very compelling. Some people don't want to take their cell phone out of their pocket and attach it to a mount or connect it to a cable. Some people just want to get in their car and drive. It's why wireless CarPlay is a great feature. I drive a Tesla so I'm not the target market for this device, but if I drove an older car without CarPlay I would consider purchasing it.
This is seriously one of the stupidest devices I've ever seen. Who is this even aimed at? It still requires a phone to work! Guess what, if you don't have CarPlay you can save a bunch of money by buying a cheap car mount for you phone and use the driving interface Spotify already has in their app! And if you do have CarPlay, this is dumb! Plus I can't believe they put that butt-ugly giant knob on there that obstructs part of the display.
Well Mr, that seems to be the latest trend, go check Ford Mustang Mach-e.
It is still an offence using your phone while driving in a lot of countries. In some, using it in a mount is ok, in some not.
Stupid laws that makes CarThing legally? Sure. But still...
It is still an offence using your phone while driving in a lot of countries. In some, using it in a mount is ok, in some not.
Stupid laws that makes CarThing legally? Sure. But still...
This brings me back to the old days of Sirius and XM when all they had were these portables that you had to mount to your dash. No way I'm going back to those days. Spotify should spend money and effort towards getting car manufactures to provide infotainment systems in lower end models, because most vehicles these days have it. Has Spotify turned a dollar in profit yet? LOL
Just so we're clear... this "Thing" is simply a remote control interface for the Spotify app on your phone.
Your phone is still responsible for accessing Spotify via its cellular connection... and it connects to the Thing via Bluetooth with the Thing connected to your car via Bluetooth, USB, or AUX cable.
But if you're gonna mount this screen on your dashboard... it would have been cool if it could also be used for other apps... like navigation.
I realize Spotify has no control over other companies' apps... but still.
It will suck if you have the Thing mounted... and you still need your phone mounted for Google/Waze/Apple Maps...
Oh... and you need power plugs for both.
We need to start placing bets on:
a) this thing actually getting made
b) this thing still being available a year after it launches
I can't see Spotify devoting a ton of resources to this project. But they may surprise me!
One more thought... if someone could design something like this but it was Wireless CarPlay... THAT would get me excited.
I don't want to futz around with dismantling my entire dashboard to install a complete headunit... but a little screen like this would be very cool!
Your phone is still responsible for accessing Spotify via its cellular connection... and it connects to the Thing via Bluetooth with the Thing connected to your car via Bluetooth, USB, or AUX cable.
But if you're gonna mount this screen on your dashboard... it would have been cool if it could also be used for other apps... like navigation.
I realize Spotify has no control over other companies' apps... but still.
It will suck if you have the Thing mounted... and you still need your phone mounted for Google/Waze/Apple Maps...
Oh... and you need power plugs for both.
We need to start placing bets on:
a) this thing actually getting made
b) this thing still being available a year after it launches
I can't see Spotify devoting a ton of resources to this project. But they may surprise me!
One more thought... if someone could design something like this but it was Wireless CarPlay... THAT would get me excited.
I don't want to futz around with dismantling my entire dashboard to install a complete headunit... but a little screen like this would be very cool!
I drive a '92 car with a radio from that era. I use a cigarette lighter adapter that provides USB power and connects the phone to the radio by receiving bluetooth audio and transmitting FM. Cost $15, works great. It even has integrated physical buttons for back, play/pause, next … so I can control the songs without looking at any device.
NNNOOOOOO don’t say it like that!! It will overnight become a hipster sensation and we’ll NEVER see the end of it!Yeah, it's an internet audio streaming device from 1990.
Some people don’t want to bother with securing their phone into a mount every time they get into their car. CarPlay was partly created to remove that step. There are aftermarket CarPlay/Android Auto solutions that act exactly like this Spotify ‘Car Thing’, except that this is basically limited to what the Spotify app can provide via CarPlay.
Do you know of any good CarPlay screens?
I would like just a screen like this... not a full in-dash headunit.
Both my parents find their music on YouTube and use the AUX/FM Transmitter/Bluetooth in the cars. I read a few years ago about Spotify trying to get older people onboard, and this is a good time to try when local radio has been changing a lot in this last year and more people are bundling services with their phones. Was also reading recently about a study they did where the people who streamed and still listened to local radio still slightly preferred local radio.
If it's something you can setup a playlist with the phone (or computer), then it automatically pairs with Bluetooth when you get in the car, and you just press the playlist cover and it plays, that's worth the device and Spotify subscription price to a lot of people who still otherwise still like the radio buttons in the car. Is also probably going to be good for Spotify profit wise because this crowd might use it much much less than the rest of their paying customers.
If it's something you can setup a playlist with the phone (or computer), then it automatically pairs with Bluetooth when you get in the car, and you just press the playlist cover and it plays, that's worth the device and Spotify subscription price to a lot of people who still otherwise still like the radio buttons in the car. Is also probably going to be good for Spotify profit wise because this crowd might use it much much less than the rest of their paying customers.
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Hello everyone. I'm new here and not a big techie but we just bought the 2021 Honda Pilot with Apple Car Play. What I don't understand is when we plug the phone in and select Spotify, there is only a few, if any at all, songs for each artist in my library??? It doesn't play my Radio portions like Rush Radio, Genesis Radio and the such and there is no access to the complete discography for the artists in my library. I called Spotify, actually chatted and painful I might add, and they finally returned with the conclusion that it will not work like it does on my iPhone. WTH???
So, is this Car Thing supposed to do what my phone can do already? The whole point was to have a seamless system without having things like our ancient XM Roadie hanging on the dash. My car will begin to look like a space ship with all these devices cluttering the front of the car. Really disappointing!
I have tried using just the Bluetooth connection and it will work but then that defeats the whole purpose of plugging in and using the Apple Play.
Am I missing something or am I just incredibly stupid? I appreciate any response you have.
So, is this Car Thing supposed to do what my phone can do already? The whole point was to have a seamless system without having things like our ancient XM Roadie hanging on the dash. My car will begin to look like a space ship with all these devices cluttering the front of the car. Really disappointing!
I have tried using just the Bluetooth connection and it will work but then that defeats the whole purpose of plugging in and using the Apple Play.
Am I missing something or am I just incredibly stupid? I appreciate any response you have.
Got my email today telling me it's time to redeem my Spotify Car thing.
When I click the email and login, there's an error message that says they're not available.
The only button says "Get on the list" so I click it.
Next page says "get car thing"
Then I'm in a loop about not having stock availability again.
Anyone else?
UPDATE: The company doing the shopping cart page, Luzern, must be having issues.
Essentially you have to do what you wouldn't expect to do once you get stuck in the above mentioned loop. Just keep hitting the buttons over and over and eventually the item gets added to your cart.
Once you have the product in your cart, it too will error out a few times before proceeding to the checkout page.
The checkout page will also error out a few times but keep an eye on your email, at some point you'll get a "Congratulations email confirmation" but continue getting error messages on the checkout page website.
I also checked my Amex app, it only showed a single charge, which is great.
Best of luck you all!
When I click the email and login, there's an error message that says they're not available.
The only button says "Get on the list" so I click it.
Next page says "get car thing"
Then I'm in a loop about not having stock availability again.
Anyone else?
UPDATE: The company doing the shopping cart page, Luzern, must be having issues.
Essentially you have to do what you wouldn't expect to do once you get stuck in the above mentioned loop. Just keep hitting the buttons over and over and eventually the item gets added to your cart.
Once you have the product in your cart, it too will error out a few times before proceeding to the checkout page.
The checkout page will also error out a few times but keep an eye on your email, at some point you'll get a "Congratulations email confirmation" but continue getting error messages on the checkout page website.
I also checked my Amex app, it only showed a single charge, which is great.
Best of luck you all!
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I haven't set mine up in the car yet. Personally, I was going to use it from home but can't figure out a mount yet.
Are you worried when you park your car that at first glance someone might think there's a phone left in your car and break in?
Are you worried when you park your car that at first glance someone might think there's a phone left in your car and break in?
I suppose a little bit, but I take it off at night and I have secure parking at work. I live in a fairly safe part of town and its a 2002 Jeep.
They sell something like this. For $300 it's a little price for what it is:
Car and Driver INTELLIDASH with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, 7'' IPS Touchscreen Multimedia Player with Bluetooth, Mirror Link, SiriusXM, Google, Siri Assistant Dash or Windshield Mounted
INTELLIDASH with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, 7'' IPS Touchscreen Multimedia Player with Bluetooth, Mirror Link, SiriusXM, Google, Siri Assistant Dash or Windshield Mounted (Wired)
www.amazon.com
My other thought was to get an Android tablet, install Carplay APK on it, plug in the Carplay dongle, and use the tablet as a Carplay screen. It's the only choice for my motorcycle.
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That's an excellent point.
As long as you have a car with blutooth or a USB, your smartphone is the device. And if your car doesn't have bluetooth or USB, you need to not buy Spotify equipment, not buy Spotfy or Apple Music, and start saving for the new car you're likely to need soon.