The waitlist is open again, but be ready to pay
Not everyone has a car with Android Auto built right into the dash. A simple phone mount keeps navigation, music, and messaging accessible all while your eyes stay locked on the road, but there’s plenty of room for innovation in this space. That’s what Spotify’s been trying to do with Car Thing for years now, and if you missed your shot at getting one this spring, there’s another opening now available.
Although it’s been around in some form since 2019, Car Thing only really became a reality back in April. It’s an odd little gadget from Spotify, focused on bringing a car-friendly UI for streaming music in older cars that lack in-dash displays, complete with a colorful screen and a large display. The company made it available to a lucky number of Premium subscribers six months ago, making the gadget public for the first time.
Spotify has opened up more slots for anyone who wanted to get their hands on some early release hardware, but there’s a pretty big catch this time. Unlike the last batch, which only required recipients to cover shipping costs, selected Car Thing buyers will need to, you know, actually buy their unit. That’s the full $79.99 price — no discounts or free giveaways to speak of here.
If you’re still undeterred, here’s what you need to know. Any Spotify user can sign up for the waitlist right now — no subscription necessary — and you’ll be able to buy it without a paid account. It still requires a Premium membership to actually use in the car, but if you’re taking a break from the service — or just want to own the company’s first piece of hardware for your collection — it’s good to know. Standard shipping is included in the cost this time around, so while there’s no free option, at least you can save some cash on getting it delivered.
Based on the language used when signing up for the waitlist, it seems like it’s going to be a lot easier to get your hands on one this time around. You still won’t find these on store shelves in Best Buy anytime soon, but it sure sounds more promising than before.
According to today’s blog post, Spotify has already released a few updates for pre-existing Car Thing owners, but there’s no publicly available changelog. Unfortunately, none of us at Android Police have managed to get our hands on one, but that won’t stop us from trying our luck this time around. If you’re interested, hit up the waitlist and read through the full terms and conditions.
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