Spotify’s ‘Car Thing’ has come to an end officially, the in-car streaming device with all the units now announced inoperable. It was observed by a user on X that their Car Thing had stopped working and a message indicating that it was no longer operational was displayed on their device.
Along with this message, there was a reminder as well about the refund policy to be valid till January 14, 2025.
The device was introduced in February 2022 and was designed to boost music control in vehicles that did not have integrated infotainment systems. Unfortunately, it was discontinued less than a year later because of insufficient demand and supply chain challenges.
It was announced earlier by the company that the device would stop working from the 9th of December. Spotify faced a major backlash from users who believed that they deserved a refund when the shutdown was announced. Customers now have only a month to reach out to customer service with proof of purchase to qualify for a refund.
Spotify has also advised the users to reset the factory settings of the device and dispose of it in accordance with local electronic waste regulations.
While there has been no detailed explanation offered by the company, it mentions that the decision to discontinue Car Thing was part of its ongoing efforts to streamline its product lineup.
Spotify initially announced the termination of the Car thing in May indicating towards the end of its initial foray into hardware.
Despite its potential, the Car Thing struggled to gain traction which led Spotify to stop the production at an estimated loss of $32 million. Initially, the company stated that there would be no refunds for the device, however later on the decision was reversed and only customers who have valid proof of purchase would get a refund.
