Spotify rolls out 'Car Thing' to record users' listening habits
Spotify is rolling out a new device designed for its users' cars — and they're calling it the "Car Thing."
While the Car Thing is a smart device, it's not just a smart assistant: It will respond to voice commands just like Alexa or Google Home, but it's not "a consumer device," TechCrunch explained. Instead, it's geared towards listening to you while you listen to music. The company is aiming to learn more about its users' in-car listening habits, though it's not exactly clear what specific data the device will compile. A source close to Spotify told The Verge that it wants to "learn more about the in-car experience."
The device works by plugging into a car's cigarette lighter, and is activated by saying "Hey, Spotify," followed by whatever the user wants to hear. The product will roll out in a few weeks, and users who are invited to receive one will get a complimentary Spotify Premium subscription in return.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Spotify is also not planning to stop there — "don't be surprised if you hear about 'Voice Thing' and 'Home Thing'" in the future, Spotify said. It may be just the beginning of voice-based testing, for both Spotify and others.
People have been suspicious of their smart devices listening in on them for some time; Spotify, at least, is being upfront about its plans. But if you're one of the chosen few to test out the Car Thing, just remember that while you're listening to your music, Spotify is planning on listening to you.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Shivani is the editorial assistant at TheWeek.com and has previously written for StreetEasy and Mic.com. A graduate of the physics and journalism departments at NYU, Shivani currently lives in Brooklyn and spends free time cooking, watching TV, and taking too many selfies.
-
New York court tosses Trump's $500M fraud fine
Speed Read A divided appeals court threw out a hefty penalty against President Trump for fraudulently inflating his wealth
-
Trump said to seek government stake in Intel
Speed Read The president and Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan reportedly discussed the proposal at a recent meeting
-
US to take 15% cut of AI chip sales to China
Speed Read Nvidia and AMD will pay the Trump administration 15% of their revenue from selling artificial intelligence chips to China
-
NFL gets ESPN stake in deal with Disney
Speed Read The deal gives the NFL a 10% stake in Disney's ESPN sports empire and gives ESPN ownership of NFL Network
-
Samsung to make Tesla chips in $16.5B deal
Speed Read Tesla has signed a deal to get its next-generation chips from Samsung
-
FCC greenlights $8B Paramount-Skydance merger
Speed Read The Federal Communications Commission will allow Paramount to merge with the Hollywood studio Skydance
-
Tesla reports plummeting profits
Speed Read The company may soon face more problems with the expiration of federal electric vehicle tax credits
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year