What you need to know
- Spotify is allowing any of its US-based customers to buy its Car Thing in-car audio accessory.
- People will need a paid subscription to use the accessory.
Music streaming service Spotify is giving more people the chance to get their hands on its weird Car Thing in-car audio accessory. Having previously limited who could get one, Spotify now says that anyone in the United States can sign up for the chance to give it $79.99 in exchange for the itty bitty screen.
Car Thing is a small display that is retrofitted to your car. It then connects to your iPhone in a way similar to CarPlay but then connects to your in-car entertainment system via either a cable or Bluetooth. That's how the music gets to your car's speakers.
Car Thing also supports the "Hey Spotify" wake phrase to help with handsfree listening, too. You can get one of your very own, too. So long as you're in the United States and have a spare $80, that is.
Today, we're expanding our limited U.S. release of Car Thing to users who are interested in purchasing the device. Our goal is to bring our entire catalogue of music and podcasts to a wider range of users across an even wider range of vehicles.
The caveats:
- Select users in the U.S. who have signed up for the Car Thing waitlist will be among the first to purchase Car Thing for $79.99.
- All U.S. Spotify users—Free and Premium—can sign up for the Car Thing waitlist.
- Car Thing does require a paid Spotify Premium subscription plan—whether that's an Individual, Family, or Student plan—and connects to your smartphone for mobile data.
If you have a car with CarPlay you probably don't need to consider picking this up. But for those who don't, and live in Spotify rather than Apple Music, this could be a cool option.
