Spotify tells customers that its Car Thing dashboard accessory will stop working on December 9, less than a year after it went on sale, without offering refunds
Suggests throwing it away. r/technews : Spotify will kill Car Thing units later this year, tells owners to throw them away r/gadgets : Spotify is going to break every Car Thing gadget it ever sold
This service cutoff turns an earlier hardware retreat into a final loss of functionality for existing owners. It matters because the device's usefulness depends on Spotify continuing to operate it, rather than on the hardware alone.
First-order effects
Car Thing owners will lose access to the dashboard accessory on December 9 and, under Spotify's initial notice, receive no refund.
Spotify removes the remaining support obligation for a discontinued product, while absorbing the immediate customer-relations fallout from telling owners to dispose of working hardware.
Second-order effects
The no-refund stance raises pressure for customer remedies; subsequent coverage shows Spotify created a refund process amid consumer lawsuits, indicating that the shutdown's cost can extend beyond ending the service.
Customers weighing Spotify-branded hardware will have a stronger reason to assess support commitments and product longevity, not just the upfront device price.
Third-order effects
If service-dependent devices can be permanently disabled after a product exit, durable-hardware expectations increasingly hinge on explicit lifecycle and remedy policies from the platform operator.
The case points to a broader tension in connected hardware: companies can limit losses by retiring failed products, but repeated abrupt sunsets may make consumers and regulators demand clearer post-sale obligations.
The trend: Connected-device makers are shifting more product risk to lifecycle policy, making long-term service commitments a central part of the hardware purchase decision.
hey @Spotify i'd love my money back for my perfectly functional car thing that will cease to work at the end of this year thanks
@autismcapital
@autismcapital on x
For the three people in the world that bought Spotify's “car thing” (seek help) they're discontinuing it on Dec 9th, 2024. [image]
@janaythemack
@janaythemack on x
Spotify discontinuing “Car Thing” after taking our money is quite disheartening. @Spotify should have tested the product with a small demographic for FREE instead of making this a money grab that will now turn into products that are unusable. [image]
@shanna1221
Shanna on x
Just got an email that Spotify is discontinuing Car Thing. Sure, it's a weird little product that's only mildly useful. Not that surprising. I kind of thought it was already discontinued, tbh. But.. why would it stop working completely? That's annoying. And wasteful.
@nick6v
N¡ck on x
what part of Spotify's car thing even needs to have continuous work on it? discounting is one thing, but to have it literally stop working is insane. [image]
@elkbit
@elkbit on x
This news sucks and I hate it. @Spotify is killing off Car Thing. At least make it open source so it doesn't end up being e-waste!!! [image]
@michaelmiraflor
Michael J. Miraflor on x
Spotify is bricking their Car Thing devices. The controller has proven to be pretty useful for me as a dedicated desktop music controller. A passionate developer and hacker community had formed in recent years to support the devices, which makes this decision feel a bit cruel. [i…
@omarg
Omar L. Gallaga on x
I stopped using my Car Thing device when I upgraded my vehicle, but this is still disappointing. No option to recycle or repurpose the devices, either #spotify https://support.spotify.com/ ...
r/technology
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“Unacceptable”: Spotify bricking Car Thing devices in Dec. without refunds
r/technews
r on reddit
“Unacceptable”: Spotify bricking Car Thing devices in Dec. without refunds
r/nottheonion
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Spotify dropping support for “Car Thing” — Suggests throwing it away.
r/technews
r on reddit
Spotify will kill Car Thing units later this year, tells owners to throw them away
r/gadgets
r on reddit
Spotify is going to break every Car Thing gadget it ever sold