Carthios journal ·
Turn Car Thing Into a Mac Dashboard With Carthios
Spotify discontinued Car Thing, but the hardware still has a bright second life.
Looking for one of the most complete ways to repurpose Spotify's discontinued Car Thing? Carthios turns it into a tactile desk dashboard for music, weather, transit, dictation, coding status, system monitoring, and more.
1. Turn it into a Mac dashboard
The screen and dial that once lived in a car can sit beside your keyboard instead. Carthios gives the device a new role on your desk, with glanceable information and physical controls that do not compete with your main display.
2. Keep music tactile
Use the dial and buttons to control playback, volume, progress, and more while your Mac stays focused on the work in front of you. The original hardware still feels better than reaching for another app window.
3. Make the small screen useful again
Beyond music, Carthios can surface local weather, nearby transit, private on-Mac dictation, timers, coding status, and system monitoring. The goal is a calm, glanceable companion—not another dashboard demanding constant attention.
That is the best kind of Car Thing hack: one that respects what made the device appealing while giving it a future beyond the product it shipped with.