Bluetooth enabled for communication with the Car Head Unit. The filings described the device as “a voice controlled accessory for phone/Spotify App with supporting display and buttons. In January this year, FCC filings showed Spotify’s drastically new design, this time a smartphone-sized device, featuring a larger screen, with a knob and button to the right. At the time, prototypes showed the gadget dubbed ‘Car Thing’ as a small device designed to work in conjunction with a regular car stereo or head unit. Spotify announced they were working on an in-car device around two years ago. Follow Mashable SEA on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram.Image Credit: MacRumors After the streaming company announced they were working on an in-car device, new renders found in the Spotify source code back up recent FCC images. You can join the waitlist for Car Thing here.

Given that there's not much Car Thing can do that the Spotify app on your phone cannot, the biggest appeal is probably having your phone free to do other things, and the added convenience of having preset buttons and the dial for accessing your music while driving.

It's a little bit like having an always-ready Spotify app in hardware form, in your car. It has voice control (say 'Hey Spotify' to invoke it) it's got a dial that lets you browse, select, and play music, as well as four preset buttons on top of the device to get to your favorite songs faster and it has a color touchscreen display so you can see what's playing.

Car Thing does not work without a smartphone - it depends on it (both iPhones and Androids work) for an internet connection. Now, all Spotify users in the U.S., both in the Free and Premium tiers, can sign up for the waitlist for the Car Thing – though you'll still need a Premium plan to actually use it.Īlso, while the Car Thing was originally launched as a free device, it will now cost users US$79.99.Īs for why you might want to purchase Car Thing, that's a little harder to explain. Well, on Thursday the company made it a little easier for a wider range of users to purchase the Car Thing. Remember Car Thing, Spotify's hardware player for cars that the company launched in April, though only for select users in the U.S.?

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