The Car Thing update widens its functions beyond Spotify’s platform, the unsurprising central focus of the device until now.

Spotify designed the Car Thing to make accessing the streaming platform easy for drivers who just want to listen to Spotify on the road, especially if their car lacks Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. The upgraded AI can now play music and podcasts from other platforms, make phone calls, and set up personalized playlists, among other new capabilities. We’re a little surprised it didn’t have a night mode to begin, but at least Spotify is integrating it now.Spotify has augmented the Car Thing voice assistant with more features and voice commands. The latter is key if you and your friends are trying to build a playlist via voice command for a long road trip. For example, it’s developing a Night Mode for the screen and an “Add to Queue” command is also coming. Some updates for Car Thing are coming based on Spotify’s learnings in the year-long trial period it’s gone through. The interface is a car-friendly copy of the Spotify app on your phone with big icons meant to make inputs easier than what you might get tapping away on your smartphone. It features a touchscreen, a dial, preset buttons and voice control. It’s meant to bring deep Spotify access to older cars that don’t have today’s convenient Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity features. The little music player’s premise remains the same. Its limited-release trial periods are over, and now anyone can buy it for $89.99. The Spotify Car Thing is officially on sale for the masses.

What is spotify car thing