Spotify just made all remaining Car Things unusable

Do you have a Car Thing device? Sure would be a shame if someone discontinued it, made it unusable, and refused to offer any replacements or trade-ins.

Turns out, that's exactly what Spotify is doing.

The dashboard accessory Spotify released in 2021 then stopped producing less than a year ago will become completely useless after December 9, 2024.

"We have made the decision to discontinue Car Thing. This means that Car Thing will no longer be operational," Spotify said in a FAQ posted earlier this week. "This decision wasn't made lightly, and we want to assure you that our commitment to providing a superior listening experience remains unchanged."

To be clear, it was a pretty goofy device to begin with. It allowed users to play music through their car speakers if they were also connected to a phone by using voice recognition and preset buttons. Spotify says it's discontinuing Car Thing to better "streamline our product offerings."

"We understand it may be disappointing, but this decision allows us to focus on developing new features and enhancements that will ultimately provide a better experience to all Spotify users," the company wrote.

Since the product is hardware, this is a wildly wasteful move. Spotify recommends resetting the device to factory settings and asking your state or local waste disposal department how to dispose of it safely. The company has no plans to offer any trade-in options or Car Thing replacements.

Thankfully, there are plenty of other ways to listen to music in your car, what with the radio and Bluetooth. Or, if you're like my dad in the 1970s, you could secure your backseat record player with a seatbelt. Whatever floats your boat — as long as it isn't Car Thing.