Spotify's CarThing Discontinuation and User Workarounds

TapTechNews May 24th news, Spotify launched the CarThing in-car display at the beginning of 2021 and opened it for sale in the US at the beginning of 2022. This is a car-specific "music center console" with the sole purpose of connecting to Spotify for listening to music, sold for $90 (TapTechNews note: currently about 653 Chinese yuan).

In July 2022, Spotify announced the discontinuation of the CarThing display, claiming it was due to "product demand and supply chain issues", and at the same time stated that "existing devices will operate as expected", but that is no longer the case now.

In an email to customers, Spotify confirmed the plan to "completely stop the CarThing service". The service of this in-car display will be shut down on December 9, 2024. On the support page, Spotify reiterated the relevant service shut-down date and told users that once the device stops working, they should reset the device and "dispose of it".

We recommend resetting your CarThing to factory settings and safely disposing of your device in accordance with local electronic waste guidelines. Contact your state or local waste disposal department to determine how to dispose of or recycle the CarThing in accordance with applicable regulations.

However, TapTechNews noticed that currently some users have found a way to install native Android on the CarThing, turning this in-car display into an "Android tablet" to avoid the dilemma that the device cannot be used after the service is shut down.