Spotify is notifying customers who purchased the Car Thing product that the devices will stop working after December 9, 2024. The company discontinued the device in July 2022, but said at the time that it would still support units that had already been sold .
The company’s plans for the device have changed, with Spotify telling users on Thursday that all Car Thing units will “cease to operate” later this year, according to email sent to buyers.
Car Thing, which was released to the public in February 2022, was largely aimed at people who don’t have a built-in entertainment system in their vehicles. The device worked by connecting to the Spotify mobile app on a user’s phone to stream music through their car’s audio system. While Spotify cited low product demand and supply chain issues when it decided to discontinue the devices, Car Thing managed to find a niche community.
Users are understandably upset that a device they paid $90 for will now be impossible, despite previously being told Spotify would still support it. Some have taken to social media to require a refund for their purchase.
“The goal of our Car Thing US exploration was to learn more about how people listen in the car,” the company said in a statement emailed to TechCrunch. “In July 2022, We announced that we will stop further production and now it’s time to say goodbye to the devices altogether. Users will have until December 9, 2024 until all Car Thing devices are disabled.”
The company’s support page it tells users to factory reset their Car Thing and “dispose of your device safely in accordance with local e-waste guidelines.”
The page also says the move is part of Spotify’s efforts to “streamline [its] product offerings,” and that while it can be “frustrating,” the change allows him to “focus on developing new features and improvements.”
It appears that Spotify has no plans to revisit the hardware market anytime soon, as it notes that “there are no plans to release a replacement or new version of Car Thing.”
