“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.
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“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.
