Spotify has officially ended support for the Car Thing device

Spotify has finally ended support for its Car Thing accessory, months after announcing it was discontinuing the device. This week, Car Thing stopped functioning and no longer supports Spotify’s streaming service. When the device is turned on, owners see the following message:

Car Thing is no longer supported or working.
Thank you for being with us along the way. Safe travels.
Contact support by January 14, 2025 to discuss refund options.

Car Thing is no longer supported.

History of Car Thing

The Car Thing accessory was introduced in April 2021 and was Spotify’s first hardware device. It was designed for easy access to music in a car, especially in models without modern infotainment systems.

About five months after launch, however, Spotify stopped production of Car Thing due to low demand and supply chain issues. Despite this, existing devices continued to work up until this week.

At the same time, Spotify’s Car Thing was still in production.

Reasons for the device shutdown

In May 2024, Spotify announced the discontinuation of Car Thing, and in early December warned users that the device would soon be shut down. The company attributed its decision to its desire to optimize its product lineup.

And it’s not the only one.

What Car Thing owners should do

Car Thing cost $90 at launch, but the devices are now completely non-functional because Spotify has made them unsupported. The company recommends that owners dispose of their Car Thing and contact customer service to discuss compensation by January 14, 2025.

The company recommends that owners dispose of their Car Thing and contact customer service to discuss compensation by January 14, 2025.