Spotify discontinues Car Thing Smart Player

Spotify has pulled the plug Car thingits hardware product that allowed users to control the company’s streaming service over car speakers when connected to a phone, using both voice recognition and preset buttons.

“Car Thing is discontinued and is no longer operational,” the company said in a statement on the Car Thing website.

Spotify said in its FAQ Page about Car Thing’s discontinuation that the product would fall away and will no longer be operational after Monday (December 9).

Since the device was no longer operational, Spotify recommended that owners reset their Car Thing to factory settings and dispose of it according to their state or local e-waste guidelines.

Owners can contact customer service until Jan. 14 to “discuss your refund options,” the FAQ says.

The company has no plans to release a new version or replacement for Car Thing.

“You can continue to enjoy Spotify in your car and through other means, such as through the Spotify app on your smartphone or via Bluetooth or wired connections, depending on your vehicle’s capabilities,” the FAQ page says.

Spotify said on the site that it had discontinued Car Thing to optimize its product offering and focus on developing new features and improvements for Spotify.

The company introduced car Thing in April 2021 and described it as “intelligent player that fills your car with music, news, entertainment and conversations”, which aims to meet its users’ need for “a seamless and personalized in-car listening experience” and aims to “bring our entire catalog of music and podcasts to a wider spectrum to make it accessible”. of users in an even wider range of vehicles.”

Spotify added that its focus “remains on becoming the world’s leading audio platform – not on developing hardware.”

The company said this in an earnings report from July 2022 stopped doing Car Thing costs $31.4 million as a result.

A company spokesperson told TechCrunch at the time: “Due to several factors, including product demand and supply chain issues, we have decided to discontinue further production of the Car Thing unit. Existing devices work as intended. This initiative has unlocked helpful insights and we continue to focus on it car as an important place for audio.”