Spotify Users Urge Open-Sourcing of Bricked Car Thing Amid Discontinuation

Spotify‘s decision to discontinue its Car Thing accessory has left owners pleading for the device to be open-sourced instead of ending up in landfills. The gadget, originally designed to enhance in-car Spotify experiences, is set to become inoperable on December 9, with no refund or trade-in options being offered to customers.

In an FAQ post on Spotify’s community forum, the company stated that the discontinuation is part of their strategy to streamline product offerings and focus on developing new features for all users. Unfortunately, this decision has left Car Thing owners with no recourse but to reset their devices to factory settings and dispose of them responsibly.

The Car Thing, introduced to limited subscribers in 2021 and openly released in 2022, was met with production halts just five months after its launch. Despite its promising features like a 4-inch touchscreen and compatibility with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the device failed to gain significant traction due to its heavy reliance on a connected phone via Bluetooth.

While Spotify mentioned in its Q1 2022 report that pulling the plug on Car Thing impacted gross margins, the company has not addressed calls from users and tech publications like Ars Technica to consider open-sourcing the product instead of rendering it obsolete.

Amidst the disappointment expressed by Redditor Wemie1420 and other Car Thing owners, there is a growing sentiment that Spotify should explore options like offering refunds or allowing the device to be repurposed through open-source initiatives rather than contributing to electronic waste.

As the discussion continues online and on various forums, it remains to be seen if Spotify will respond to the community’s pleas to salvage the Car Thing and prevent it from becoming another discarded tech device in a sea of wasteful consumer electronics.