Spotify is facing an ongoing backlash over its decision to discontinue support for Car Thing, its in-car streaming device, which was announced in early May. The device will stop working from December 9, 2024, the company announced. Generation Z users post videos on TikTok to express their dissatisfaction with Spotify’s move and the recommended actions — such as switching to Android Auto or CarPlay. Often, they had no access to built-in infotainment systems in their car at all, which makes them a target market for a dedicated player like Car Thing, users note.
The streaming service’s in-car gadget hasn’t been on the market long enough to make it redundant. It launched in February 2022 and was discontinued after that year, but with the promise of keeping it operational for those who have already purchased units. Before its launch, Spotify CEO Daniel Ek had hinted that there is consumer demand for such a product, and told investors in a call for profit that more than 2 million users had signed up for Car Thing on the waiting list in anticipation of its release.
Although Spotify has never released official figures, it is likely that Car Thing performed below average or was simply not worth further investment in today’s narrower economic market. The latter led to Spotify laying off about 1,500 employees at the end of last year, for example, after cuts earlier this year that affected hundreds.
However, Car Thing users do not care about the financial worries of the company; they just want their gadget to work or at least be refunded.
This has led to some people trying to complain to Spotify directly via DMs on X with @SpotifyCares or via various Spotify emails shared on Reddit. In this way, some users reported that Spotify had offered them several months of a premium subscription to make up for their loss, while others claimed that they had asked customer service and learned that no one was getting a refund.
Spotify tells TechCrunch that it has introduced a refund process for Car Thing more recently, provided the user has proof of purchase.
The opportunity to reach out to customer support was officially communicated to Car Thing users in a second email sent on Friday last week, after the backlash to Car Thing’s discontinuation had increased. In it, Spotify redirects users to the right customer support link to reach the company. However, the email does not promise refunds, but says that users can contact with questions.
While a refund can satisfy a part of users who are upset about Car Thing, many still ask the company not to brick their device through TikTok videos and in the comments to Spotify’s TikTok posts. (In fact, complaints about the car thing are now so common in Spotify’s videos that the algorithmically recommended search TikTok suggests in some videos: “What is the Spotify car thing.
