Spotify has stopped making its Car Thing dashboard accessory

Photo by Ashley Carman / The Verge

Car Thing was a dashboard accessory that made it easier to control the streaming service from a car. According to the company's latest earnings release, the decision cost the company 31 million. The decision to stop manufacturing Car Thing had a negative impact on reported gross margin.

The company decided to stop production due to product demand and supply chain issues. Existing devices will work as expected. We are focused on the car as an important place for audio and this initiative has unlocked helpful learnings.

The release of Car Thing was strange. The accessory was made available on an invite-only basis in April of 2021. It was on general sale for just five months before it was announced that it was stopping production.

We weren't completely sold on the promise of the Car Thing when we tried it out for ourselves. Eliminating the need for a separate device and getting your phone's audio to play out of your car stereo is one of the many ways to get your phone's audio to play out of your car stereo.

The accessory is currently being sold at a discounted rate of $49.99, which is down from its regular sale price of $899.99. We don't think it will be long since the device was released a short time ago.