Spotify Is Killing Car Thing And No, You Can't Have Your Money Back

Around four years ago, Spotify announced Car Thing, a very plainly-named device designed to extend some of your phone's functionality, particularly Spotify playback, to older cars while keeping your phone tucked away. Car Thing didn't see wide release until February 2022, though, and professional reviews were less than glowing. By and large, the takeaway was that Spotify's entry into the hardware market came via a device without much of a market. To no one's surprise, Spotify stopped manufacturing Car Thing within months, citing "several factors, including product demand and supply chain issues."

With adoption that low, it was inevitable that the other shoe would drop, and on Thursday, it did, with Spotify announcing that it was fully discontinuing Car Thing and all units would stop working after December 9, 2024. That's right: if you spent $89.99 on Spotify Car Thing at launch, you are going to have an expensive electronic brick just over two and a half years later — a brick that Spotify is telling you to throw out and that it won't offer a trade-in program for.

"We're switching gears," begins the email that Spotify sent out to Car Thing owners on Thursday. "As of December 9th, 2024, Car Thing will be discontinued, and will stop operating. While this chapter is closing, we're working on new, innovative ways to enhance your drives in the future. Thank you for being on this journey with us, safe travels." Users who then opened the more detailed announcement on Spotify's support website found out that not only was Spotify bricking their devices in just over six months, but also that no trade-in program is being offered — even an official recycling program. The company just tells you to reset the device to factory settings, find your local electronics recycling facility, and take it there. That's it.

"We're discontinuing Car Thing as part of our ongoing efforts to streamline our product offerings," states Spotify, also noting that this will let it "focus on developing new features and enhancements" for users. Elsewhere on the page, Spotify said that this call "wasn't made lightly,"  but realistically, it was inevitable when the company stopped production of new Car Thing devices just months after its wide release. Going forward, Spotify directs users to use one of the more common methods for streaming music in a car: Spotify Connect, Bluetooth, an AUX or USB cable, Android Auto, or Apple CarPlay.