It also has some limitations.įor instance, Spotify’s Car Thing connects to your car stereo through an Aux cable or Bluetooth and plugs into a 12v power outlet. Additionally, it only works with Spotify Premium. Spotify’s Car Thing is only available in the United States and costs $89.99. As a result, those with older cars will get some of the perks of having a new car with a touch screen stereo without updating their head unit or vehicle. Most interestingly, the Car Thing also comes with a bracket that allows you to mount it to your car’s existing CD player. Additionally, you’ll get a clip that allows you to mount the player to your car’s vents. First, you’ll find a standard sticky dashboard mount. Car Thing comes with three different mounts. So, it’s comparable in size to your cell phone. This includes starting playback or simply showing them on Car Thing’s screen.According to Billboard, Spotify’s Car Thing features a 4-inch touch screen and is 5 inches wide, 3 inches tall, and an inch thick. Instead, you can simply say “Hey Spotify” to Car Thing, and it will pick up your voice and let you access your favourite playlists. With Car Thing, there’s no worry about trying to convince Siri to play your music with Spotify, rather than defaulting to Apple Music or telling Siri which service you would like to use. Spotify clearly wants to chart its own course, and draw outside the lines imposed by Apple and Google. More than anything else, this probably best describes the very reason for Car Thing’s existence.

On top of all that, Car Thing also offers voice control, and it does it on Spotify’s own terms. This even includes pulling up the latest episodes of your favourite podcasts and up-to-date news. There are also four preset buttons on the top to take you to your favourites, which can be changed up anytime.

Car Thing’s physical hardware controls differentiate it further, however, letting you browse, select, play, and pause music with a large dial, in addition to using the touchscreen.

Spotify car player