Spotify is facing backlash over its decision to end support for Car Thing, an in-car streaming device, announced in May. The device will no longer work from December 9, 2024, the company said. On TikTok, Gen Z users posted videos expressing their dissatisfaction with Spotify’s move and suggested actions – like switching to Android Auto or CarPlay. Often, they don’t have access to in-car infotainment systems, making it a target market for niche players like Car Thing, users noted.
Gadgets in cars streaming services have not been on the market for a long time. It was launched in February 2022 and discontinued in the same year, but with the promise that it will remain operational for those who have purchased units. Ahead of the launch, Spotify CEO Danie Ek has hinted that there is consumer demand for the product, telling investors about the profit-making phone that more than 2 million users have signed up to Car Thing’s waiting list in anticipation of its release.
Although Spotify has never shared official numbers, it’s likely that Car Thing is underperforming or simply not worth the investment in today’s tighter economic market. The latter saw Spotify lay off around 1,500 staff at the end of last year, for example, after cuts earlier in the year that affected hundreds.
Car Thing users, however, don’t care about the company’s financial woes; they just want a gadget that works, or at least refunded for the $90 price tag.
This has led to several attempts to complain directly to Spotify via DM on X with @SpotifyCares or via the various Spotify emails shared on Reddit. In doing so, some users reported that Spotify offered them a few months of Premium subscription to compensate for the loss, while others claimed to have contacted customer service and were told that no one would refund them.
Spotify told TechCrunch that it has created a refund process for Car Thing, provided users have proof of purchase.
The ability to reach official customer support was communicated to Car Thing users in a second email that went out on Friday last week after reactions to Car Thing’s termination had grown. In it, Spotify directs users to the correct customer support link to reach the company. The email doesn’t promise refunds, but says users can ask questions.
While the refund may have satisfied some parts of the user base that were angry because of Car Thing, many are still asking the company to help them through TikTok videos and in the comments on Spotify’s TikTok posts to stop bricking the device. (In fact, the complaint about Car Thing is now common in Spotify videos suggested by TikTok’s algorithm in some videos is “what’s a spotify car.”)
“SPOTIFY PLEASE SPARE ME ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ðŸ˜ I LOVE MY CAR THING,” wrote Carla, a TikTok user who uses @carlititica on the service.
“Sad,” wrote another user, @nikkilovestech. “Like wanting people to use annoying phones,” he wrote in the caption of a video of him demoing Car Thing mounted on a dash. In the video, he also comments on the electronic waste that comes from discontinuing products that still work “perfectly.”
Spotify’s headache over Car Thing’s discontinuation is far from over, despite a newly introduced refund process – if not distribution. The company also faces a class-action lawsuit filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging Spotify misled consumers by selling products that would become obsolete and then not offering refunds, Billboard reports. The lawsuit was filed on May 28.
Spotify could not comment on the lawsuit, but a spokesperson shared the following statement about Car Thing:
“The purpose of Car Thing exploration in the US is to learn more about how people listen to cars. In July 2022, we announced that we will stop production again and now it’s time to say goodbye to the device. Users will have until December 9, 2024 until all Car Thing devices will be To learn more about all the ways you can continue listening to Spotify in your car, check out For Record, and Car Thing users can contact Customer Support with questions: https://support.spotify.com/us /kontakt-spotify-support/ “
Although the issues surrounding Car Thing won’t affect Spotify’s entire user base, the news comes as users are fed up with being asked to pay more for things they consider core to the music service, such as access to lyrics. , a Spotify feature recently paywalled. In addition to complaints about Car Thing, users are threatening to quit Spotify for paying for access to lyrics.
In addition, Spotify increased its subscription rates last year, and another increase is expected in 2024, Bloomberg reported.
