Spotify to brick all Car Thing devices

After December 9th, the device will be discontinued and no longer operational

May 24, 2024 | 12:08pm ET

Spotify is throwing in the towel on its dashboard accessory, Car Thing, which will become obsolete on December 9th.

Intended to be a convenient dashboard-mounted piece of hardware that could act as a remote control for your phone’s Spotify, Car Thing never seemed to take off. It went on sale in February 2022, only for production to be halted five months later. Now, after December 9th, Spotify says the device will be discontinued and no longer operational (basically, it will become a brick). It’s asking all  customers asking to perform a factory reset and responsibly dispose of the device.

When it was on sale, Car Thing sold for $90. No refunds or subscription credits will be offered to its remaining users. Spotify has also confirmed that there are “no plans to release a replacement or new version of Car Thing” on an FAQ page about the discontinuance.

“We understand it may be disappointing, but this decision allows us to focus on developing new features and enhancements that will ultimately provide a better experience to all Spotify users,” the company explained. Read the full statement here.

The announcement of Car Thing’s demise arrives just a few months after Spotify announced a new royalty model and their intention to introduce remix tools directly in the program. Last month, Spotify also announced that they will be increasing prices again.