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Car Thing explained

What Happened to Spotify Car Thing? Why It Stopped Working

Spotify Car Thing was a clever little music controller. Then Spotify shut the service down. Here is what changed—and what the hardware can still become.

Carthios dashboard running on Spotify Car Thing

Why Spotify Car Thing stopped working

Spotify discontinued Car Thing and ended its service in December 2024. That means the original Spotify experience no longer connects as it did, even though the screen, dial, buttons, speaker, and USB hardware are still sitting on your desk or in your car.

The important distinction is that the service was disabled—not that every part of the device suddenly became useless. The device is now a small, interesting piece of hardware looking for a new job.

What you can do with it now

  • Keep it as a project. Community firmware revivals can turn it into a standalone or tethered music player, but they involve flashing software and accepting more technical risk.
  • Repurpose the hardware. A web dashboard, Raspberry Pi build, or custom controller can reuse the display and physical controls.
  • Use it as a Mac dashboard. Carthios keeps the original screen and dial useful while adding music, weather, transit, dictation, calendar, reminders, coding status, and system monitoring.

The short answer

Spotify Car Thing is no longer a supported Spotify accessory. It is not automatically e-waste, either. Treat it as a reusable input device: choose firmware if you want a standalone experiment, or choose Carthios if you want a desk dashboard that works with your Mac.

Carthios home dashboard on Car Thing
The original hardware can become a useful desk display again.
Carthios clock view on Car Thing
A simple glanceable view is often the most useful one.

Try the practical route

Give your Car Thing a second life with Carthios.

Use the screen and dial as a tactile Mac dashboard for music, weather, transit, dictation, coding status, and more.

Explore Carthios