Spotify launches Car Thing smart device in the US

For now, the smart device is available by invite only to users in the US. The gadget is available for free to those users. However, the device is expected to retail around $80 at full launch.

Spotify first announced that it was building a voice-controlled, in-car audio device in 2019. The Swedish-born platform also said it might experiment with similar products in the future.

Some content like playlists can be preset for Car Thing, which will automatically download them for offline use, reducing mobile data usage. “This [offline feature] is something that we know quite a few people will ask for, so this is something that will evolve over time,” Spotify head of hardware products Andreas Cedborg said.

The company’s newly launched microsite says the new voice-controlled device only works with a Spotify Premium account and uses the ‘Hey Spotify’ voice control tool, which was recently launched for its mobile app. Users can activate the service by saying ‘Hey Spotify’ to ask for an artist, song, album, playlist, station or podcast. Car Thing also features a 4-inch touchscreen and four preset buttons for shortcuts to users’ favourite artists, playlists, podcasts and stations, and a dial to browse, select, play and pause content.

Car Thing marketing lead Sara Kayden in a press conference this week discussed data that shows that cars are the second most popular place for listening to audio in the US. The marketing exec also emphasised that Car Thing was envisioned to complement existing in-car entertainment systems rather than a replacement.

The device connects to Spotify’s smartphone app and to car stereos via Bluetooth, AUX or USB cable. It can also pair with multiple Spotify subscribers’ smartphones to play music and podcasts. Spotify says Car Thing was built on a unibody for more durability and its microphone offers noise suppression, which helps tune out sounds from the road.

Meanwhile, Apple and Google both have software designed to be installed on in-car audio systems designed by manufacturers CarPlay and Android Auto, which can be used with smartphones.