Spotify’s well-known Car Thing device has resurfaced – this time in some iOS code.
Spotify first announced that it was testing a ‘voice-activated music and podcast device’ called Car Thing in 2019. Spotify was quite specific at the time that it will “ keep its focus on becoming the world’s number one audio platform – not making hardware. ” FCC filings from earlier this year certainly seemed to indicate that Spotify has at least tinkered with the design of the device as the model in its 2019 mockup looked different from the one depicted in FCC filing images.
In addition, the language stated in a confidentiality request that the company had “made significant efforts to develop this product and that it is one of the first of its kind in the industry. If the information on the subject is readily available to ‘competition’, it would negate the benefit they gained by developing this product. Failure to protect the details of the design leads to financial problems. While it may be just a formality, the request certainly reads as if the company had indeed invested heavily in the development of Car Thing.
Images that appear to depict Car Thing shared by Steve Moser on Twitter and reported by MacRumors have reportedly surfaced in the Spotify app’s iOS code. These images show a horizontally oriented smartphone-looking screen with a button and buttons. It is very similar to an image in the FCC filing. It is expected to connect via Bluetooth.
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Originally, Car Thing was available as a limited trial with a ‘small group’ of premium Spotify users invited to participate. The company said in 2019 that it was developed “ to help us learn more about how people listen to music and podcasts, ” but also noted that other products like a “ Voice Thing ” or “ Home Thing ” can be developed to understand how subscribers use his platform.
Spotify didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment about the recent images and the plans for Car Thing, but we’ll update when we hear back.