Today, May 23rd, 2024, Spotify announced that support for the Spotify Car Thing will end December 9th, 2024. If you have a Car Thing, it's value is gonna DROP at the end of this year, along with becoming a paperweight. Rest in piss ✌Long Live Car Thing

i remember i wanted one of these but it was 80 dollars at the time but by the time the price dropped i didn't want one anymore

Like the legend Dankpods would say, "Can you believe no one bought this thing?"

The best thing about the Car Thing is that I've been using it on my desk setup at home. Being able to switch through songs while working without having to pull out my phone or use the computer app is really nice.

I love it's name, it's like the software engineers finally got to name something (other than file names)

lovely song choices on your spotify car thing

my friend uses thar

This aged well

oh god, that first model has that screen design because back then, circular smartwatch displays were not curcular, they had to cover up the ribbon cable at the bottom of the screen, so they had to make the screen not currcular, just sunset-ish. nowadays you wont find mishapen bezels on smartwatches anymore

It’s funny how the thing needs a phone to even work. At that point, get a phone mount. I can see it being useful at like a social gathering and having it out so people can queue up songs.

I think it's really funny that I watched this video last week and now just today I got an email from Spotify saying they're completely discontinuing it. LOL

The biggest thing that was missing when they advertised for "older cars" was lacking an FM transmitter. Sure, you had to connect your phone to the thing via Bluetooth. Not that it would matter much, but it would have made a difference if you wanted to install the thing and just go. That's my onion about it.

I still use my car thing every single day and have for years now. Sometimes I get graphical glitches and I just have to turn it off and back on again. Sometimes it acts like I'm using it for the first time and tells me how to use the device (this sucks but it's rare). But it's held up being parked outside in the Florida heat for years now and I have no plans to stop using it ever. The failure of this product is truly a loss for people who drive cars that were made in the time that Bluetooth was common but Infotainment screens were not. Being able to have maps open on my phone while I handle my music with the car thing is actually a game changer for road trips. Pair that with the new Jams feature now and you can actually have everyone in the car contribute to the music for the drive. 10/10 goated with the sauce.

This bearman3600 post distracted me enough for the Denny’s cook I was holding at gunpoint to escape under the stove Thanks beer male

I have one and the only thing I hate about it is that there's no clock because it covers the one in my car lol

random thing but i think your car does have an aux port, there is an aux button next to the clock part of the display, the port for it is probably just buried in your center console or glove box

I have two Car Things. I have it in my 2015 Honda Fit, because Honda decided in their infinite wisdom to NOT HAVE A VOLUME KNOB ON THE DAMN RADIO. Car Thing fills that need perfectly.

Like and Subscribe if you when you are and when

I signed up for it, being a premium user for years and then they never sent me one, and sent me an offer to buy one half off. I was quite tickled 😂

This made me laugh a lot by looking at the songs he used throughout the video.

Honestly i kinda want one now but ive used Spotify for a few years and have only seen this as an option in the settings. I was so surprised knowing they existed literally just over a year ago

still use mine every single day in my car, it glitches every now and then and the voice feature works worse than when it came out, but being able to control my music while having directions on my phone is awesome, and it saves my passengers from having to ask me what a song is so they can add it to their playlists, i just get the joy of seeing them do it discreetly out of the corner of my eye

Well the coffin was just sealed on it, and all of the units will no longer work.

it absolutely did not flop for me, I use it in my car every single day

I have one for my older car with no Carplay. I love it, didn't really know people disliked it so much that it classify as "Failed"

awesome video, always wondered what the hell a "car thing" was in spotify settings

For anyone wanting to get this please don’t, Spotify is discontinuing support for it Dec 9th so it will be useless unfortunately

you got some real bangers in those playlists

i love the AVGN vibes you're giving

Great video! I was always curious about the car thing but I’ve never seen anyone talk about it and I don’t use Spotify so I only heard about it in passing

Your song choices kept me laughing and I really couldn't pay attention to the review LOL insane

I got one of these for free from the initial launch. I sold it a year ago on ebay for $100. I could not tell you anything else about this thing and I used it daily for 2 years.

i didn't even know the Car Thing existed before this video

This device is the perfect example of great engineering and poor marketing. I think the hardware was very underrated for the price. This thing baked in the sun, froze in the cold, yet shows no signs of wear. I never got a heat warning, even when my car was 100 degrees. The display was still bright with sunglasses on in the daytime, but still got dark enough in the night time. Unfourtuneatly I had to stop using it due to lack of software updates. No "Smart Shuffle" support really sucks, id never know what mode I was really in, among other minor bugs. If they could sell the carplay hardware for ~50 dollars with custom firmware, Id re-buy it just to play around. Like you mentioned aswell "Car Thing" was a bit too niche for everything it could have been used for.

I had never heard of the Car Thing before this vid great content as always keep up the great work

I actually use one on the daily and it's actually super important and useful for me to use since a new law has banned touching your phone at all or having it in your lap while driving.

I really enjoy your style. I just watched this video and liked it, and I hope you keep making stuff. Thanks

Hey man just wanted to say good video! I’m always looking to learn about niche topics or just have a KZfaq video in the background while I do some work. Your video taught me more about something I had completely forgotten about which I think is cool! Anyways have a good one I’m going to check out more of your videos now! :)

The car thing is being discontinued permanently in December this year!

I have one of these and I think it was a good buy for me personally. I have a 1991 Volvo and it added a new way to enjoy my music personally. I like the hands free control and being able to see the album art with a big sell for me

Thank you for your knowledge and insight into this device. I saw an ad on Spotify and was intrigued in getting it for my 2005 Ford Ranger but time passed by and found this device wasn't available for purchase. Currently looking for a similar device for my office, a stand alone player without the extra stuff. Looking forward to more great videos like this!

If it can run minecraft then it isn’t ewaste

My wife has an older car and the Spotify Car Thing has been a huge improvement for her. She loves it!

I got one of the free ones when they were offering them to Spotify premium users. I originally used it in my 2007 Nissan Altima but I’ve since upgraded and still use it everyday. My car doesn’t have CarPlay so it’s nice to be able to use voice commands and see the album artwork

I love this guy, your so underrated af!

u have such a way of saying things i love it

thank u for shedding light on one of my favorite little useless gizmos

I have one I love it to pieces. Way less distracting than a phone mount

I love my car thing. For someone who doesn’t have a car with an entertainment system or car play it’s convenient for me.

I was one of the early adoptors of the car thing. I got it for 7 bucks with shipping. I still use it to this day as I drive a 2002 sentra. It works great as I have it mounted for music and then my phone is mounted next to it for maps. I probably wouldn't have bought it for 80$ but for what it is I do find it still useful in a car without carplay.

Honestly, great video! I think Spotify had a great opportunity at that time and STILL does as of today. There are a lot of car owners who don't have infotainment systems such as this one and there's already a market for these add on car screens, but most of them are unknown chinese brands. I think if Spotify made people able to use it for other things, such as Google Maps or dashcams, made the car thing connect to the car directly via Bluetooth or AUX and selling it to non premium users with a price between 30 - 100 dollars, it could have been a great success.

This video gave me so many avgn vibes in the best way possible

And now they’re bricking it

here after watching louis rossman's rant :P

The car thing is being discontinued on December 9th…what a rip off. Hope mine still works after that time.

A handful of CDs in the centre console or glove box is STILL the greatest balance of convenience, safety, cost, reliability and sound quality when it comes to putting on some music in the car.

I as aways fascinated with the Car Thing

I bought one the day they came out and received it in Nov 2021. I still use it to this day. I think it's really nice for the voice control. If I want to play a song, I just have to say it. It's also great if I'm driving with friends and they want to scroll through my playlists and see what I listen to, or queue up their own songs. Every time I have new friends get in, their reaction is, "Oh shit, you have one of those?" I really do think they advertised it poorly. It's a great product, especially for the later price point. I even convinced some friends to get one for themselves. But I love the thing and am sorry it flopped. I'm definitely going to look into hacking it, however. That's right up my ballpark.

Thanks for making this video bearman, very few know about the car thing. I own a car thing (pink box, bought for 70-80$) and here's why: I own a 2010 car, and I use aux for music. At the time of purchase, I had an iphone X, and I thought the car thing was a good way to have a constant display of music that's easier to use while driving, especially with voice controls. I had a phone charger in my car but not a dongle adaptor so I it was useful when I had a few percent, to save battery by changing music without using the phone, but many times I had to swap between music and charging. And most of all, I was planning a cross country road trip and wanted to see music and maps at the same time. Eventually I got a magsafe charger to fix the battery problem, I got an iPhone 14 with always on display to see the music i'm playing, and now it's just slightly easier to control music compared to my phone. The device is very laggy, the screen update sucks, the voice recognition is awful (queue = chew) especially cause I use vent mount. In between 80$ car thing, 20$ first phone mount, 35$ magsafe phone mount, 20$ phone charger cigarette lighter adapter totally 155$, it would have been worth it to spring for a 300$ car play head unit in retrospect. All of that aside, it's pretty neat. A conversation starter for those in the know. A failed product for sure.

Honestly it'd just be beter to get a phone mount in your car

I’ve had one for over a year and I still use it. But I use it on my desk mostly as a cool looking decoration to visually show the song I’m listening to atm.

"music TV in your whip" sums it up well

I just got an email stating that the car thing will stop working as of december 2024. I loved the little thing.

I have one in my 1990 Miata with a cheap Sony radio. And I actually really liked it for what it is, shame they’re killing it completely

the legendary car thing

I have a second gen one and i love it, my car had no good media controls for bluetooth, so its super helpful, plus it means that i dont have to switch between waze and spotify on my phone while driving and use the tiny little buttons on the spotify mobile app or their horrid car mode. It still gets updates surprisingly, and i hope that it still runs by the time i get a newer car, and i may still use it then bc the UI is actually great

I love my car thing. Picked it up just so I could like songs while driving without getting my phone up. Wish I had bought more than one before they were discontinued.

ngl i love the car thing ive been using it for 2 years its awesome

I really like my car thing. Super nice for long trips, especially if you're having to use navigation.

I have one of these and used it daily! I love it

I had one of these when it went on sale! It was nice to use when I still had a car from 2011, with no real screen.

"im bearman and ive been wasting your time" Thats an elite sign off lol

I love how honest this guy is.

I had a lot of friends that wanted this for their old cars. Was only available in the US though

One of the best reviews I’ve ever seen! Good shit!

I'm glad i saw all the songs you listen to especially Home among the gumtrees as an aussie

I love this little thing and use it almost daily, I might’ve been one of the 10 target customers with a dumb car who uses exclusively Spotify for it.

It may have failed but i love it in my 2010 S4. its the exact little thing the car needs

I love mine. It does what it needs to do, and it does it well.

Got one of these for my car when I first got it almost 2 years ago (like $60-70 off Mercari) and for me I absolutely love it. I drive a Mini Cooper and while I can control volume, I can’t skip or go back to a song (it only works for CD’s which I can’t use cuz it’s where my phone mount is) I could just use my phone to skip/previous a song but if I have navigation up, it also easier for me to move my hand to the CarPlay than fiddle with the iPhone control center to skip a song. I feel like Im in a niche of ppl who actually use it in their car but I love it

I have the second generation Car Thing and I use it on my desk setup. A really useful and cool addition

It looks like eBay banned the “Spotify” key word. “Spotif car thing” or just “car thing” works though

This is the perfect desk accesorie

Lol I love ur honest review 😂😂😂. I'm a subscriber now

love the b-roll footage

ive been using mine for 2 years and i love it, since my car has no music controls, and the best part is i only got it for 30 dollars right before they discontinued it

The thing that kept me from wanting one is the fact that it's literally just a remote. Why not add a 3.5mm jack to it? Plugging my phone into a cable and tossing it in my glove box so I can have music isn't really any less work than plugging it in and attaching it to a mount, so I'd rather just do that.

new favorite channel, also, 500th like

Absolutely amazing video. You’re not staying at 20k for long dude

I remember when this came out and it looked very novel, looking back on it its pretty interesting

i swear that thing just came out i cant believe its been 2 years

I used this for about a year and then finally replaced my head unit. Now my Car Thing lives on my office desk.

I have one, bought it when it was $30 and had it imported to the UK, still use it in my car to this day. Shame I had to go through the process as they never brought it to the UK market, but glad I managed to get one before they stopped making them

I used this for a while in my car and liked it for what it did but found myself gravitating towards my phone more

The unreleased Avicii song in local files 🥲❤

Great video, didn't know they fuckin only gave it to premium members. Also the hacking looks cool as hell

I got one of the free car things, I still use it all the time in my car. Its a great little thing.

honestly I use it at my desk but it just became so shit. if you use ur phone and do anything where ur phone audio would be on especially for a long time it disconnects and won't reconnect until u open the Spotify app of your phone. I really loved it at 1 point when it was somewhat polished up and didn't have the multi media yet but after that it just killed it for me. I just choose to alt tab now

Not gonna lie, it looks awesome as hell in terms of design. I could see it being repurposed into something like a wall mounted home automation control panel or something, as it's got a wheel for dialing in something like a temperature, light colour or volume, plus a touch screen for controlling binary things like lights on and off / curtains up and down / TV and movie mode on and off. I might have to suss one out, especially if Home Assistant's voice assistant project really takes off, because it'd be the perfect little desktop for device for saying "OK Nabu, turn off my lights" or "OK Nabu, play my working playlist" or something.

im so glad you documented this thing, i have one and i love it! But in a time where carplay and android auto already exist, the marketing did an absolute bellyflop. Not that im complaining, it was the best $30 i spent for my car.