The Spotify Car Thing allows Spotify to be controlled using a physical device complete with physical knobs and buttons. Its sales stop in 2022, five months after it goes on sale in select markets. Today Spotify announced, Car Thing will stop operating starting December 9.
After that date it can no longer be used to stream music from Spotify in the vehicle. According to Spotify, support for Car Thing is being discontinued to focus on the development of other products and features that will be introduced within the app. They advise owners to reset Car Thing before safely disposing of it. Refunds to buyers will also not be given.
From the beginning Spotify offering physical hardware was a strange move. Spotify has supported tethering to car audio systems via bluetooth, AirPlay and wired connections since the beginning.